Siesta Key - Nokomis - Venice FL- South Sarasota County

so last week we showed you how John Ringling and a circus transformed the city of Sarasota to become a great travel getaway but wait there's more this week we take you to Southern Sarasota County come with us as we go to Siesta Key Nokomis in Venice [Music] thank you the rhythm of the waves does something to our hurried lifestyle a blue mine refers to the idea that our brains are wired to react positively to water being in or near or on the water makes us happier healthier more relaxed both mentally and physically why any mermaid will tell you that a big reason why Southwest Florida is so attractive and when you add in the beautiful state parks Barrier Islands powdery white sand and gorgeous sunsets you have a great getaway from the stresses of life in this video we begin in the unspoiled Wetlands of mayaka River State Park we then head to the currently second best beach in the USA on Siesta Key can show you the outdoor cafes and vacation rentals of Siesta Key Village we'll show you all the ways you can explore the region from the water including taking a boat tour up the Intracoastal Waterway explore Siesta Beach and Turtle Beach we head south to Osprey Florida further down the Intracoastal to the recreational area of Blackburn pass with the historic Bridge fishing boat launches and a couple of Waterside eateries then a very scenic drive along the gulf on beautiful Casey Key to Nakoma speech [Music] then further south to the Venice pass showing North Jetty Beach and Snake Island [Music] then to the historical downtown of Venice Florida with Italian architecture sidewalk cafes in a lively downtown park with mermaids we'll head back to the Venice pass this time showing you South Jetty Beach Waterside eateries and boat tours then continuing 14 miles down the coast showing Venice Beach Brohard paw Park casperson Beach [Music] Minnesota Beach Park and ending at the Venice Pier for sunset sit back relax and enjoy the ride as nature puts on the Big Show in South Sarasota County [Music] foreign [Music] Sarasota they think of great beaches but what a lot of people don't realize is that Sarasota has a lot of rural area east of I-75 for instance there's mayaka River State Park that covers 58 square miles it's one of Florida's largest and oldest parks we are entering through the South entrance off Highway 72. it's only six dollars per vehicle or four dollars for just one person this park is dog friendly in fact they gave Bella a bone at the front gate I like to call Sarasota the Boca Raton of the West Coast because of its beautiful Waters high-end shopping and exceptionally gorgeous unique trees there are cabins here you can rent for 84 dollars with fees or RV sites forty dollars with fees includes water and electricity and Sewer this park is popular for wildlife viewing with limpkin's Osprey Gators and turtles there's the canopy walkway which goes between two observation towers it's currently closed damage from Hurricane Ian but they should have it fixed pretty soon there are nature trails through a forest of arching palm trees in Live Oaks [Music] on the south side of Lake mayaka is The mayaka Outpost where you'll find kayak and bike rentals a cafe and a food truck here operated by lazy gate or Cafe [Music] had coffee in a breakfast sandwich was very good and prices very reasonable a great way to start the day you can also take a two-hour Boat Tour 20 for adults twelve dollars for children three to twelve plus tax they run four to five times a day or take a tram tour the combo boat and Tram Tour is 32 dollars for adults twenty dollars for children ran into Gretchen and Katarina here who moved to the Lakewood Ranch area a year ago we really love it we brought our very nice [Music] climate here so we are exploring but we are excited to see the alligators here [Music] now we head to Siesta Key but just on the outside of the key on U.S 41 there's a couple of boat tour options first there's Siesta Key Aqua Adventures they have bumper boats banana boats those are fun or a two-hour dolphin tour to Cocoa Island 49 for adults 39 for children 12 and under or Sunset Cruise 16 more also at Philippi Creek Oyster Bar you can take a gondola ride with Sarasota Gondola it's 200 for an hour ride or 350 for a two-hour ride for two people with champagne they can also do rides for up to six people [Music] there are two Bridges to get to Siesta Key on the North Bridge there is good fishing spots on both sides of the bridge and areas to pull off and Park three and a half miles down the Intracoastal the South entrance to Siesta Key is a Stickney Point bridge Highway 72. same highway to the South entrance of mayaka River State Park on the mainland side of the bridge is a little Marina Village area where you can rent jet skis pontoons or go parasailing with Siesta Key Water Sports or take a dolphin boat tour a sunset tour is 65 for adults fifty dollars for children five through ten they also have a morning and afternoon cruises about 15 to 25 dollars cheaper before or after your cruise you can enjoy a meal with a scenic view at the boat yard Waterfront Bar and Grill right on the Waterway we are going to cross the bridge to the Siesta Key side of the Intracoastal to Safe Harbor Marina where we find fun boat tours here is the Spearfish grill for before or after your cruise we are doing the dolphin and donut tour includes coffee and donuts it is fifty dollars for adults thirty dollars for children one through ten they also have a drinks and often afternoon Cruise same price or a Sunset Cruise that's ten dollars more as Roberts Bay just south of north Siesta Key Bridge where there are islands that are our sanctuary and breeding Colony for wildlife pass under the north Siesta Key Bridge the cruise is fully narrated they point out many celebrity homes like this is urban Meyer's home why there's his wife Shelley now they are very friendly Urban the winner of three college national championships with the University of Florida and Ohio State this is Curtis and Vera visiting from Long Island New York they love Siesta Key so much they're coming back in a couple of weeks foreign is a three and a half mile long Barrier island with a large land mass on the northern part and the island Narrows to the South it has four large public beaches two of them with public parking and two without we start at the North End and move South First is Sunset Beach the closest to Siesta Key Village it is where the one or two-story vacation rentals are at which we'll show you in a bit there's no facilities nor public parking here next is the famous Siesta Beach the biggest beach in currently ranked number two best beach in the USA in 2022 by Trip Advisor it has been number one multiple times but I think that is largely due to Siesta Key as a whole it is about a mile from the village area and has the largest public parking lot over 900 spaces and is completely free as well as parking along the street there are fall facilities two concessions with food beer and wine volleyball tennis and pickleball courts covered Pavilions there is one Ada crossover that gets you about halfway down the beach the third major beach in the center of the key is Crescent Beach it is the one where the high-rise condos are at so if you want a room facing the gulf this is where you want to go it is where Highway 72 Stickney Point Road ends at there's no public parking here on the southern end of the key is Turtle Beach with lots of parking many regular visitors will tell you this is the best beach on Siesta Key and I tend to agree we'll show you more in a bit I believe why Siesta Beach gets ranked so highly is because of the village and the rest of Siesta Key with all the restaurants and services and things to do now unlike the beach area parking around the Village area is a premium it's around 15 for a couple of hours to get around the key there's the breeze trolley it is free runs between Siesta Key Village and Turtle Beach runs every 20 minutes during peak hours and 30 minutes off peak seven days a week or you can rent some fun modes of transportation at Robinhood rentals where you can rent just about anything from golf carts Segways and scooters this scooter Coupe is 159 dollars for 24 hours or 349 dollars for three days you can also rent hourly as well it's really a fun way to travel around the key let's show you some of the eateries at the Village we start on the east side of Ocean Boulevard on the right side is the Fudge Factory there's Gilligan's Island Bar and Grill in a tropical Tiki setting [Music] next to Gilligan's mahoes risen highly rated for the fresh coffee Brews but you can also get bowls smoothies and pastries here and the world you know behind you at the door step inside and take a ride I can never run before there's the Lobster Pot with seafood and Portuguese food the beach club kind of a combo sports bar and Nightclub with Billiards at Avenida Madera there are several eateries there's the Village Cafe with breakfast and lunch and Patio seating the stir fry Thai and Sushi and the sun Garden Cafe for garden to table fair and popular for breakfast Now we move to the west side of Ocean Boulevard on Sunday mornings there's the Siesta Key Village farmers market in this parking lot also in this lot is Siesta Key Wine Bar bean coffee and Kilwins where I'm going to get some coconut cream delicious next two killings is the Hub Baja Grill with pan Latin fair in a tropical themed patio [Music] across the street from Hub Baja Grill is my Village Pub with a slightly elevated deck a sports bar with over 35 TVs on the inside behind my Village Pub is Another Broken Egg with a large patio covered seating you can find us here just disappear and take the map to be alone [Music] and here is one of two Daiquiri decks on Siesta Key they have lots of vegetarian and gluten-free foods as well as seafood and of course creative frozen daiquiris okay let's talk about vacation rentals the ones near the village around Sunset Beach are mostly one story with a few two or three story properties Tropical Breeze Resort has several properties and many pet-friendly options everything from one two or three bedroom suites and an easy walk to the beach they also offer free beach chairs two-hour bike rentals and golf cart shuttles when available there's a 12 percent Resort fee and 150 per stay pet fee there is also Siesta Key Beachside villas with a 30 per dog per day pet fee for certain units also a 39 per day Resort fee okay now let's move to the South part of Siesta Key here is what they call South Village near where Highway 72 ends at the beach it has a few restaurants but not nearly like the Village area we showed earlier Turtle Beach is about three miles South of Highway 72 on Midnight Pass Road the south side of the key isn't as crowded as the north side there's a lot more trees [Music] near Turtle Beach on the Bayside the next two Bay Front Marina is turtle's restaurant with seating right on the Intracoastal Waterway next to the road also Turtle Beach Grill in a tiki setting we arrive at Turtle Beach while the sand at Turtle Beach is maybe not as soft as the other Siesta Key beaches there are fewer people and much better snorkeling the beach isn't as wide here so you are closer to the water there is parking along the beach and a Big Lot adjacent to the beach also here you have a little Waterway between the gulf and the Intracoastal makes it popular for kayaking you can rent Kayaks with ride and paddle it's thirty dollars for a single or forty dollars for a double or paddle boards for three hours they also have beach cruisers e-bikes scooters and beach stuff you can rent as well you can paddle to the Jim Neville Marine preserve a popular boating destination with a variety of coastal birds plants and Wildlife lots of good water Recreation near this part of Siesta Key this strip of land continues South and turns into Casey Key but the road dead ends at Siesta Key so to get down that way we're gonna have to go back over to the mainland at Highway 72. back over the Stickney Point bridge I look Southward down the intercoastal and the Boatyard Bar and Grill that we showed earlier [Music] we head south on US-41 towards Osprey Florida it is about eight miles to the next bridge at Blackburn pass to get back to the coastline on Casey Key about Midway down U.S 41 is the historical Spanish Point Campus of Selby Gardens it is the same price as the downtown Selby Gardens that we showed in last week's video sixteen dollars for adults and eleven dollars for children 5 to 17. here it is believed to be where Sarasota's first inhabitants lived in the region dating back to 300 A.D you can dine at the Bayside Cottage Cafe there are boat tours twice daily on Tuesdays and Thursdays from February to May for an additional fee a look back at the south end of Siesta Key where we were just at foreign [Music] begins at some point along the coast here north of Blackburn pass Blackburn point is a great recreational area to see old natural Florida it is not very crowded in plenty of parking there's Blackburn Point Park with a boat and kayak launch fishing pier hiking trails and his pet friendly across the street is the Deep Lagoon seafood and Oyster House with elevated seating overlooking the Intracoastal Waterway the Blackburn Point bridge is one of the few remaining swing bridges in Florida it was built in 1926 in Ohio and shipped to this location on the intro Coastal Waterway it's one of two connections to Casey Key from the mainland operated by a bridge tender who mechanically spins the bridge to let the tall boats pass it's one way to cross on the other side of the bridge is Island jet ski tours where you can also rent pontoons kayaks paddle boards as well as wave runners more Waterside dining here at the Casey Key Fish House a tropical Tiki Bar and Grill serving Seafood with Asian accents also here is the dog friendly Casey Key Water Taxi that will take you down or up the Intracoastal from Anna Maria Island to Inglewood and across the street covered picnic pavilions and another kayak launch all right now to the coastline for one of the most scenic drives in Florida it is about 4.2 miles to Nokomis Beach which is where the other Bridge from the mainland to Casey Key is at you can only go about 50 miles an hour for most of this road due to it being pretty narrow and winds around mansions and homes so if you want to do the scenic drive give yourself a little bit of time wow that home has got to be worth at least a couple dozen cases of eggs at times the road goes right along the beach maybe 40 feet from the water [Music] foreign [Music] speech there are some vacation rentals on the right side the Gulfside Beach Club no pets allowed here on the left Casey Key Resort with pet-friendly rooms they have both these Bay Front Bungalows on the east side of the island and they also have beachfront Bungalows on the west side of the island in a hotel that is on the mainland on us 41. and there's the island House Motel on the right side just a few of several vacation rental options near the Albany Road Bridge on the Intracoastal is along narrow Island it has both a boat ramp and a kayak launch with plenty of parking there's a little park at the end with picnic tables and a fishing platform [Music] Albi road which is the South and really the main entrance to Casey Key dead ends at Nokomis beach Sarasota County's oldest public beach and in my opinion may be the best very convenient good facilities nice mixture of trees and Beach outdoor showers and a long Boardwalk that extends almost the length of the beach at the South End of the boardwalk a little cafe with a really decent menu of tacos Burgers hot dogs salads and chili cheese fries there's volleyball courts the sand is not as fine white like Siesta Key but still nice a good amount of shells and shark teeth [Music] across the street a little park and playground area with plenty of parking we head south just a mile to the Venice Inlet where the North Jetty beach park is at lots of parking though on weekends can't get busy [Music] everybody's swimming in sunshine everybody joining [Music] ain't nobody left behind on the base side you can rent Kayaks with Jetty rentals every day except Tuesdays and Sundays [Music] [Music] snake island is a little island in the middle of the inlet a Haven for borders contrary to the name there are no snakes on this island [Music] for jet ski and boat rentals there is Cool Breeze boat and jet ski rental located about a mile away near the Albee Road Bridge they also have boat and jet ski tours [Music] okay now there's no bridge to the south side of the Venice Inlet so we're gonna have to go over to the mainland back on US-41 way over there and through downtown Venice right there then back up the coast to the South Inlet area just want to point out another good Nokomis restaurant pop Sunset Grill located on the mainland side of the Intracoastal near the bridge next to Cool Breeze jet skis with a menu of classic Seafood burgers and sandwiches [Music] look at Venice Inlet and Donna and Robert's Bay now from US-41 as we enter the city a Venice Florida [Music] here at Roberts Bay Narrows into a canal that surrounds downtown Venice near the business U.S 41 Bridge is Fisherman's Wharf Marina here you'll find Sarasota fishing fleet Florida West scuba and Charters Venice boat rentals waves boat club and the popular Dockside Waterfront Grill a seafood Eatery with dining under Tiki Huts overlooking the marina the city of Venice was incorporated in 1923 was named after the city in Italy and to make it more similar to Italy a canal was constructed around the city making Venice Florida an island this was the headquarters for the Ringling and Barnum and Bailey Circus which is why you'll find the railroad car here at the historic Venice train depot we showed you the northern part of the Legacy Trail in last week's Sarasota video well now we are on the final mile of the 18 and a half mile Legacy trail that ends at the Ringling and Barnum and Bailey train car but wait there's more it turns into the Venetian Waterway Park trail that runs along the canal for another eight and a half miles Venice is one of the few carefully planned cities in the U.S as it is artistically laid out with Centennial Park at the center of downtown a gorgeous Green Space surrounded by Italian architecture palm trees flowers live oaks and Pines and mermaids whom I have a lunch date with in a bit there's regular events in the park like on Wednesdays there's a live saxophonist [Music] there's a water fountain to play in super tall palm trees Tower along Venice Avenue like what you might find in Venice California a much cleaner here than that Venice although it would be nice to have a bike path along the beach here like there maybe the city planners can get to work on that let's show you some of the options for food there's another Daiquiri Deck this one was sidewalk seating moving up Venice Avenue West across from the park are where many of the eateries are at like TJ Carney's an old school bar and grill with an Irish theme with dancing and karaoke further down made in Italy with Wood-Fired pies and other Italian Eats [Music] I'm going across the street to the seed and bean market for some good healthy food they also have CBD items I'm having a cranberry walnut salad with goat cheese yum so meet Vanessa one of the many mermaids around Venice she didn't talk much but was a good listener well it was time to go I wished her the best before we head back to the coast I want to show you a couple of things Monty Andrews Arboretum also where a lot of events are held at it's a large park with a variety of unique trees and animal statue there's the famous Venice Theater one of the largest and most active theaters in the U.S was partly damaged during Hurricane Ian but is still open for concerts and shows okay now to the coast Venice Avenue dead ends at Venice Beach about a mile from Centennial Park we're gonna turn right and go back to the Venice pass on the right the Venice Freedom Boat Club we showed them in last week's video in Sarasota now back at the Venice pass the Crow's Nest Restaurant Tavern and Marina I know people that really love this restaurant a surf and turf with a dining room overlooking snake island and the Waterway sea saucer boat rentals has unique boats as well as pontoons the South Jetty area is Humphreys Park plenty of benches along the Waterway a little bar and grill with a deck right on the inlet for coffee adult beverages and hot dogs and burgers you can take a boat tour with sail Venice a two-hour sale for two people is 205 dollars that can do up to six people for four hundred and ninety dollars plus seven percent sales tax [Music] just like the north side of the pass another nice long walkable Jetty on this side [Music] parking does get full here but you can usually create a spot somewhere dogs are allowed in the parking area and away from the beach but not allowed on the beach nor on the jetty on the Gulf side a rocky Coastline for a bit then there's a little Beach area near the trees [Music] from Humphreys Park it's Condos for a mile south to Venice Municipal Beach which is at the end of Venice Avenue there's a couple of smaller parking lots here which fill up quickly on weekends being the closest beach to downtown there's restrooms a volleyball court a concession area for food called The Pilot House [Music] two and a half miles south of Venice Municipal Beach is the much larger Beach area where the Venice Pier is at we are going to pass that for now and show at the end during the sunset just a half mile south of the pier is one of the better dog beaches I've seen real hard paw Park there's two fenced-in areas for dogs to roam as well as a dog shower a boardwalk leads out to the beach where you see the four-legged animals just having the time of their lives they all wanted to meet Bella the famous YouTube dog foreign I think dogs also have a blue mind another mile south is casperson Beach this is known as one of the best beaches for shelling and finding shark teeth there's a long nature trail through a coastal hammock very long boardwalks there are both fresh water and saltwater marshes mangroves and tidal Flats great for wildlife viewing oh [Music] also a canoe launch the shapir lots of picnic areas with several covered Pavilions a playground full restroom facilities with outdoor showers [Music] the beaches along Venice are home to a large number of marine turtle nests between May and October the southern two-thirds of the beachfront are left in its natural state and offer an even more secluded experience another 10 miles south is Manasota Beach I kind of consider this part of the Northport Port Charlotte area we showed in our Charlotte Harbor video but it is the southern end of Sarasota County so I want to show a little of it here further south of here Charlotte County and especially Lee County that's Fort Myers and Cape Coral you start to see some of the damage of hurricane Ian we will do videos of these areas within a year to show how they are rebuilding [Music] foreign [Music] we come back to the Venice Pier here you'll find Sharkies on the pier a large Seafood heavy restaurant with a tiki bar lots of outdoor seating including an elevated deck overlooking the pier there are six picnic shelter areas along the beach two sand volleyball courts a large Pavilion and a golf course across the street this pier is 720 feet long and wide with plenty of room it has a bait shop on the pier where you can get coffee and a large deck at the end where the water is 16 feet deep it is pretty sturdy was tested during Hurricane Ian and held up pretty good well I'm using a DSLR for a couple of those shots my favorite shots were from a DJI action 3 like this shot which I use for the majority of this video I put a link below [Music] gone are the days of the Ringling Barnum and Bailey Circus however John ringling's Legacy continues as Sarasota County has developed into one of the nation's top vacation getaways a place where our blue mines finds a restorative rebalancing from the pressures of daily life so much great water scenery yes being around the water certainly has a positive impact on the mind and when you add in the Florida Sunshine and nature it is just hard to beat we will be doing a super long non-narrated version of these two Sarasota videos that will show a lot of footage not seen on these videos also if traveling with a dog I highly recommend these cargo dog backpacks saves your dog from doing excessive walking I put a link in the description below we are Tampa aerial media we film travel videos across the USA for stock footage or if you would like to hire us to film your city region or Resort contact us at info at Tampa aerialmedia.com coming soon we are looking to do a complete three video series of Highway A1A on Florida's East Coast [Music] from Florida's Gulf Coast I wish blessings to you wherever you may be [Music]

Channel: TampaAerialMedia

Views: 213,101

Keywords: Siesta Key, Siesta Beach, Turtle Beach, Venice FL, Venice Florida, Nokomis Beach, Casey Key, Osprey FL, Myakka River State Park, Sarasota, Sarasota County, Blackburn Point, Historical Spanish Point Selby Gardens, Casey Key Rd, Venice Pier, Humphris Park Venice, North Jetty Beach

Id: DrNjaqZ0gZE

Length: 32min 53sec (1973 seconds)

Published: Sun Jan 29 2023