Historic Spanish Point of Sarasota

Near Sarasota, Historic Spanish Point provides a look back into Florida’s past with daily guided tours featuring many exhibits, gardens, restored pioneer era buildings and stunning views of Little Sarasota Bay. Also available to Sarasota hotel guests visiting the site, a museum is open seven days a week.
Located on the shores of Little Sarasota Bay in Osprey, Florida, Historic Spanish Point is an archaeological, historical and environmental site museum. This year (2007) marks the 25th anniversary of the museum being open to the public, but the history of the site goes back 5,000 years to Florida’s first people. To help Sarasota hotel guest visitors understand the area, the narrative of the site is divided into four distinct parts, the Four P's of the Point: Prehistory, Pioneer, Palmer and Plants.

Prehistoric people occupied Historic Spanish Point as early as 3,000 BC and lived along the shoreline for nearly 4,000 years. They hunted, fished, built villages, and made pottery as part of their daily lives. Evidence of this can be found in the prehistoric “middens” that comprise much of the landscape of Historic Spanish Point. Sarasota hotel guests are always amazed by the archaeological findings that remain.

Florida’s pioneer past is evident at Historic Spanish Point through the legacy of the Webb family from New York, who traveled to Florida in 1867. Sarasota hotel guests who visit the site today learn that the Webb family settled on the bay at the high point of land. Recommended by a Spanish trader they met in Key West, they named the homestead Spanish Point to honor that trader.

Turn of the century Sarasota was a place of growth, and Spanish Point became a part of the winter estate of Chicago socialite Mrs. Potter Palmer. She added her own touches to the landscape in the form of gardens and garden architecture, much of which has been restored today. Plant life here is breathtaking, and an incredible outdoor butterfly garden exists to Sarasota hotel guests’ astonishment.

When visiting Longboat Key Club and Resort, families and groups truly delight in Historic Spanish Point. From its impressive gardens to its on-site museum, the attraction takes Sarasota hotel guests back in time for an engaging and exhilarating experience.

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