If you’re one of the many families enjoying your Florida monthly rental, and are looking for a more unconventional form of entertainment – or you are just tired of the overcrowded attractions – you should head to Sarasota’s downtown Farmer’s Market. This non-profit organization was established in 1979 and is home to over 40 vendors of local produce, plants, prepared foods and more. Plus it’s a lot of fun families staying at Longboat Key Club Florida vacation villas.

Families enjoying their Florida vacation villas can partake of a wide array of fresh produce from local farmers, including fresh ground and bagged coffee, fruits and vegetables, garden salad greens, flowers, honey, and many varieties of organic foods. It’s a great way to spice up your meals! Guests staying in their Longboat Key Club Florida monthly rental also enjoy the hand-made crafts from local artisans, including glasswork, jewelry, scarves, hats, homemade candles, pottery and paintings, as well as dog and cat dishes, tables, and clothing – all of which make great souvenirs to take home from your Florida vacation villas.

Many people staying at Florida monthly rentals also enjoy the atmosphere of the Sarasota Farmer’s Market. Along with the amazing selection of food and crafts, there is also great live music. The bands are often the local farmers themselves, or small groups of friends and neighbors who entertain guests of Florida vacation villas with a variety of music genres and dances.

The Sarasota Farmer’s Market has been a mainstay of the local community for the past three decades, and has provided guests of Florida monthly rentals with a new and entertaining experience during their vacations.

For information and directions from your Florida vacation villa, ask your concierge at the Longboat Key Club & Resort or visit http://www.sarasotafarmersmarket.org.

Guests staying in a Longboat Key Club Florida monthly rental will be interested to know that the beauty of the Ringling Museum is not confined to its galleries. The grounds and gardens surrounding the museum are also treated and cherished as works of art. In fact, families and couples enjoying their Florida vacation villas are encouraged to stroll the grounds and enjoy the Rose Garden, Mable’s Secret Garden, the Dwarf Garden, Millennium Tree Trail and other delights of the Ringling’s estate by the bay.

Florida monthly rental guests will discover that Mable Ringling’s Rose Garden is one of the loveliest spots on the Ringling estate and, when in bloom, the most fragrant. The 27,225 sq. ft. garden was completed in 1913 and is designed after a traditional Italian circular garden. Naturally, 100 years later, none of the original rose bushes planted by Mable survived; however, visitors from Florida vacation villas will be delighted to find that many of today’s 1,200 roses are of the same variety as those planted by Mrs. Ringling.

Today, the garden consists of roses introduced between 1967 and 2002, including Tree Roses, Hybrid Teas, Floribundas, Grandifloras, miniature roses, shrubs, and Old Garden Roses.  Florida monthly rental guests will be interested to know that a rose dedicated to Mable Ringling is also featured in the garden, which is accredited by All-American Rose Selections and was named the 2006 most outstanding All-American Rose Selections Public Rose Garden in the nation.

Just north of the mansion is Mable Ringling’s Secret Garden where she would entertain her guests – a special treat for visitors fromFlorida vacation villas. Mrs. Ringling created this garden with plants that were given to her during her winters in Sarasota.

The estate grounds look better than ever, with more than 200 new trees and 40,000 new plantings recently added to the landscape. For guests from Florida monthly rental who are interested in visiting, the grounds are open 9:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.

For information and directions from your Florida vacation villa, ask your concierge at the Longboat Key Club & Resort, or visit http://www.ringling.org.

If you’re looking for a change of pace during your stay at Longboat Key Club’s Florida monthly rentals, The Golden Apple Dinner Theatre may be just what the doctor ordered. This 281-seat, horseshoe-shaped theatre is celebrating its 38th anniversary season, having produced more than 300 plays and musicals since it opened its doors on December 11, 1971. During that time, it has entertained thousands upon thousands of Sarasota-area locals, visitors and guests of Florida vacation villas.

In fact, guests staying at Longboat Key Club’s Florida monthly rentals might be surprised to know that the theatre’s plays and musicals have been seen all over the world including New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, Dallas, Kansas City, St. Louis, Atlanta, Miami, Houston, Windsor, Ontario, Singapore, Malaysia, Seoul, Hong Kong, and Taipei.

As Florida vacation villas guests might expect, The Golden Apple Dinner Theatre also produces masterful meals. Its signature entrees are carved prime roast of beef and roast loin of pork. Other hot entrees always include chicken and a vegetarian dish. There are also succulent sides and a full salad bar. Three desserts add another colorful array to the candlelight buffet. A fine selection of special homemade premium desserts is also available. A service bar offers mixed drinks, beer and wine. Florida monthly rental guests should also know that the theatre’s chef, Frank Caldwell, is a well-known Sarasota culinary icon who has served award-winning, taste-tempting delights for over 40 years.

For summertime guests of Florida vacation villas, the theater is presenting The Honky Tonk Angels from May18-June 19. This hilarious musical about three good ole gals who follow their dreams to Nashville includes country classics such as Stand By Your Man, Coal Miner’s Daughter, 9 to 5, I Will Always Love You, and Harper Valley PTA. Other summertime productions include an intimate evening with Broadway actress Roberta MacDonald, Stop the World I Want To Get Off, and the Tony award-winning I Do, I Do.

To find out more about The Golden Apple Dinner Theatre, visit www.thegoldenapple.com or contact Longboat Key Club & Resort Florida monthly rentals at 941-387-1620.

When it comes to Sarasota, the circus is always in town. And guests staying in staying in Florida beach vacation villas can spend an entire day exploring the Circus Museums next to The John & Mable Ringling Museum of Art.

Created in 1948, guests staying in Florida vacation villas will learn that the museum was the first in the county to document and celebrate the rich history of the circus and its unique relationship to Sarasota. Sarasota is where both the Ringlings and the circus spent the winters, not far from Longboat Key Club Florida monthly rentals.

At the Circus Museums, guests of Florida vacation villas will see colossal parade and baggage wagons, sequined costumes, along with memorabilia and artifacts that document the history of The Ringling Family Circus, John Ringling – the “Circus King” – and the most true-to-life circus movie of all time, “The Greatest Show on Earth, which was actually filmed in Sarasota.

Florida vacation villas guests can also tour the original private train car in which John and Mable Ringling traveled across the country from 1905-1916. Built during the golden age of rail, when the railroad’s cultural influence was at its peak, the 79-foot-long Wisconsin offers a unique insight into the splendid travel accommodations the Ringlings enjoyed. The car is a true icon of a gilded age entrepreneur.

However, one of the most impressive exhibits is located in the adjacent Tibbals Learning Center. There, guests of Longboat Key Club’s Florida monthly rentals will find the world’s largest miniature circus – The Howard Brothers Circus Model. This amazing model is a replica of Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus from 1919-1938. Master model builder and philanthropist Howard Tibbals spent more than 50 years building this incredible work of art.

To find out more about the Circus Museums, visit www.ringling.org/CircusMuseums.aspx or contact Longboat Key Club & Resort Florida monthly rentals at 941-387-1620.

The beach is lovely, but after a week or so, some guests staying in Florida vacation villas find themselves looking for something new and different to do. Fortunately, here in Southwest Florida, guests staying at Longboat Key Club Florida monthly rentals can find plenty of exciting and inexpensive adventures. For example:

• Explore the Ringling Museum. Not far from your Florida condo rental is the world-renowned John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art. Every Monday from 10 a.m.-5 p.m., the museum opens its doors free of charge and you can view paintings and sculptures by the great Old Masters, including Rubens, van Dyck, Velázquez, Titian, Tintoretto, Veronese, El Greco, Gainsborough and more. www.ringling.org

• Relax with music on the bay. The Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall holds Friday Fest once a month from 5-9 p.m. Jazz up your Florida monthly rental vacation with some live music on the waterfront. http://www.vanwezel.org

• Ride a bike or go for a walk. There are many ways to see Sarasota during your Florida monthly rental vacation. Take a bike ride through Longboat Key and see the beautiful homes, or walk along Ringling Bridge and watch the boats go by.

• Go to a festival. Florida vacation villas guests can enjoy free arts, crafts, food and music festivals in and around Sarasota all year long – from the Venice Sharks Tooth Festival to the Siesta Fiesta to the St. Armands Craft Festival. To find out what’s happening during your Florida monthly rental vacation, visit www.sarasotafl.org

• Watch the sunset. There’s nothing more relaxing, more beautiful or more inexpensive than taking in one of Longboat Key’s magnificent sunsets. And you can do it from almost anywhere, including your own monthly Florida condo rental. The beach, Longboat Key Club marina and Ringling Bridge are also great spots to enjoy Nature’s show.

For more information about other great things to do during your Florida monthly rental vacation, talk to the concierge at Longboat Key Club & Resort.

There’s nothing like a cruise to put a smile on your face and a glow in your cheeks. And for guests staying at Longboat Key Club Florida monthly rentals, LeBarge Tropical Cruises, located in downtown Sarasota, offers a variety of cruises to suit your interests.

Take a break from the beach by your longboat key vacation villa and enjoy a narrated Sightseeing Cruise that combines Sarasota’s abundant wildlife with a bit of history and spectacular shoreline homes. Experience a real live Dolphin Encounter Cruise narrated by a trained marine biologist. Or spend an evening away from your Florida monthly rental and take in a Sunset Cruise, featuring live entertainment, dancing and a fabulous Gulf sunset.

One of the most popular cruises among guests of Southwest Florida vacation villas is the Dolphin Encounter. With more 100 bottlenose dolphins living in the coastal area, Sarasota is the perfect place to observe and understand these intelligent mammals. The Sarasota Bay Dolphin Research Program is the longest on going dolphin study in the world, and the naturalist/marine biologist/guide can identify many of the dolphins and their histories. In fact, all of the LaBarge biologists have been trained by the Sarasota Bay Explorers in cooperation with Mote Marine Laboratory to ensure that guests on their Florida vacations receive the latest, most accurate information.

What’s more, visitors from Florida seasonal condos are guaranteed a dolphin or manatee sighting during the two-hour cruise or they will receive another trip free!

LeBarge also offers sightseeing cruises, sunset cruises, private charters, and special event cruises during such holidays as the 4^th of July and Christmas. For more information, visit lebargetropicalcruises.com or talk to the concierge at Longboat Key Club & Resort.

For guests of Florida monthly rentals looking for a place to eat, shop and be entertained, there’s no better place than St. Armand’s Circle. Located on Lido Key, visitors from Florida vacation villas can easily access the Circle by way of bridges across the Sarasota Bay. Once guests of Florida monthly rentals cross the bridges, they’ll be transported into the lush tropical setting where St. Armand’s Circle awaits.

Surrounded by an island of beauty, St. Armand’s Circle greets guests of Florida vacation villas with over 130 upscale shops, gourmet restaurants, and a relaxing atmosphere. Visitors from Florida monthly rentals will find that the shops at the Circle run the gamut. Shoppers from Florida vacation villas will find art galleries, clothing boutiques, jewelers, specialty stores and much more.

When guests of Florida monthly rentals need a break from shopping, there are plenty of cafes and restaurants to suit nearly any tastes. Visitors staying in Florida vacation villas can stop for an ice cream treat at one of several parlors, dine al fresco at a café or deli, or choose to dine in style at one of the Circle’s fine dining restaurants.

In addition to shopping and eating, visitors from Florida monthly rentals can always find unique events happening at St. Armand’s Circle throughout the year. In the upcoming months, guests of Florida vacation villas will find events such as the Sarasota Exotic Car Fest, the St. Armand’s Mardi Gras party, Classic Corvettes on the Circle, and the ongoing Fourth Friday music series.

For more information on the happenings at St. Armand’s Circle, guests of Longboat Key Club Florida monthly rentals can visit www.starmandscircleassoc.com. To learn more about Longboat Key Club & Resort, visit www.longboatkeyclub.com.

Just a few short miles south of Sarasota, the Oscar Scherer State Park awaits families staying in Florida monthly rentals. The park, which opened to guests of Florida vacation villas in the mid-1950s, consists of nearly two square miles of nature. Throughout the year, over 130,000 guests of Florida monthly rentals and the surrounding area visit the park for its multitude of recreational activities.

At Oscar Scherer State Park, visitors from Florida vacation villas will find two types of plant communities: pine flatwoods and scrubby flatwoods. Throughout the park, guests of Florida monthly rentals will find lots of different creatures living in the two habitats. Families from Florida vacation villas may see white-tailed deer, gopher tortoises, frogs, alligators, river otters, bald eagles, and the endangered Florida scrub-jays.

There are plenty of activities for families staying in Florida monthly rentals to do at Oscar Scherer. Guests of Florida vacation villas will find over 15 miles of hiking/biking trails in the park. For families from Florida monthly rentals who enjoy water sports, the park’s South Creek is available for canoeing or kayaking. Guests staying in Florida vacation villas can also go fishing or swimming in Lake Osprey, play on the playgrounds, have picnics, and much more.

The Oscar Scherer State Park also has a fully equipped campground for families from Florida monthly rentals who want to spend a night or two with nature. Guests from Florida vacation villas can camp in tents or RVs. At night, visitors from Florida monthly rentals can also enjoy campfires at the park’s designated campfire circle.

For more information about all of the amenities offered at Oscar Scherer, guests of Longboat Key Club’s Florida vacation villas should ask their concierge.