Restaurant #8 in Siesta Key

 I had gone to Turtles quite a few times with a friend and while we were here I decided to start the waterfront restaurant booklet. So this restaurant was the beginning!

Turtles Restaurant

8875 Midnight Pass Rd 
Siesta Key, FL
(941) 346-2207
www.turtlesrestaurant.com

There are very few restaurants that are on the water on Siesta Key. Turtles is one of those. You can have several choices of outdoor dining and , of course, indoor dining also. All have beautiful views of Little Sarasota Bay. There is always a lot of activity here with boating nearby and the birds. They boast the best prices on Siesta Key! Turtles is another beautiful wedding location. Serving lunch, dinner and a Sunday brunch.

Happy Hour: Daily 3pm-6pm in bar

Hours: M-Sa 11am-9pm, 
Su 10am-9pm

(Next: Tarpon Point Grill and Tiki in Bradenton)

Restaurant #7 in the Fishing Village of Cortez

The next restaurant is in a wonderful place called Cortez. It is one of the only operational fishing villages in  the entire area and has been for years. It sits on the intercoastal waters looking onto Anna Maria Island.

On the deck overlooking the fishing boats

The Swordfish Grill

4628 119th Street West

Cortez, FL

(941) 798-2035

www.swordfishgrillcortez.com

Swordfish Grill is one of my favorites. I visibly relax here. I could stay for hours. The birds are amazing. There are white and brown pelicans, roseate spoonbills, herons, egrets, seagulls.... mostly because of the

View of the intercoastal waters

fisherman! The fishing boats are entertaining. Boats are being put in and taken out. Fisherman are unloading fish with the birds trying to get to them. The folks here are laid back and friendly. They serve lunch and dinner.

Hours: Daily 11am-10pm

Happy Hour: M-Sa 4pm-6pm

(Next: Turtles in Siesta Key) 

Today's Beach Finds - the Birds!

Florida has shells and it has birds! I fell in love with them from the moment I went to the shore. It was important to me to learn what I could about them all. I will share some of what I have learned here! 

Great Blue Heron

Pelicans, gulls, ......Coquina Beach

The Great Blue is fun to watch. They are very patient birds for it takes quite some time to get that fish in the water or lizard in the bush. They are large with up to a 6 foot wingspan. They favor all the fisherman and are usually treated with a morsel from them.

I have some favorite areas on my morning walks and the piers of Coquina Beach are truly beautiful and usually remote. Birds galore as well as shells and fishing boats. There is always something to see.

Turkey Vultures on the beach?!

Turkey Vultures are scavengers. They find food using their keen eyes and sense of smell, flying low enough to detect the gases produced by the process of decay in dead animals.
I am sure there must have been something dead on the beach that they were after or they would not have been there!

American Oystercatcher

The American Oystercatcher was a surprise bird! I wondered what it was when I took the picture. It is large (18"-19") and skittish. It has a bright red beak and a red ring around its eye. It uses its bill to pry open shellfish and dig in the sand for insects and worms. They can actually shatter a shell with their bill!

Hope you are enjoying all of my shared tidbits! I would like your comments and followings. Please take time to join or follow this site.

Restaurant #6 in Nokomis

We are back in Sarasota county for this next restaurant and it is a wonderfully relaxing place to spend an afternoon or evening. 

View in back of the intercoastal waters

Beautiful garden area with stage for entertainment

Pop's Sunset Grill

112 Circuit Road Nokomis, FL
(941) 488-3177
www.popssunsetgrill.net

We love the view from the outdoor bar overlooking the intercoastal waters. The other side is Casey Key. The gardens are gorgeous with an entertainment stage and fire pits for warmth in season. There is indoor and outdoor seating available. They serve lunch and dinner.

Hours: Su-F 11:30am-9:30pm,
Sa 11am-9pm

Happy Hour: Daily 3pm-6pm

(Next: The Swordfish Grill in Cortez)

My Beach Finds for the Day

Anyone that knows me knows that I walk the beach almost every morning! It is something that is a daily routine most days.
Part of my Waterfront Escapades booklet is the wonderful appendices in the back that include shells, plants, birds, and other creatures found in the waterfronts. I will share with you some of the wonderful photos that I have taken of my finds on the beaches and waterfronts.

Sand Dollars 

Walking yesterday morning on Anna Maria Island I had a wealth of finds.

Sunray Venus, Sand Dollar, and Lightning Whelk

There were quite a few sand dollars. You have to have a good eye because they are generally right at the water, coming in or out.









I also found several large Sunray Venus shells and some smaller Lightening Whelk. 

I am finding that Whelks are snails and Sunrays are clams. They are all part of the group Mollusk. The clams have 2 (or more) parts that make up what is called a bi-valve. 

2 Sunray Venus and 2 Calico Clams

Restaurant #5 - In Ellenton on the Manatee River

Front view of Woody's

View from the docks

Woody's River Roo 

15717 18th St E
Ellenton, FL
(941) 722-2391
www.woodysriverroo.com

If you have ever driven on US 75 near Ellenton over the Manatee River and looked down over the bridge, Woody's River Roo beckons from below looking very inviting.
A local favorite as well as for visitors, we enjoy the friendly and relaxing old Florida ambiance here. There are several different decks along the waterfront to choose from. Come by water and park your boat at the docks.There was an added bonus of an osprey nest in the signs above the water! It is a busy place with regular entertainment. They serve lunch, dinner and inexpensive drinks!

Hours: Daily 11am-2am

(Next: Pop's Sunset Grill in Nokomis)

Restaurant #4- Sharky's on the Pier in Venice

Hi, I am back down in Sarasota County now with this next restaurant. I hope you are all enjoying the blog and trying these establishments out. There is a beauty and ambience with all of the places that are on the water that is really just Florida. I myself have many favorites and for different reasons. 
I would love to hear your comments, especially if you have been to any of these restaurants. 
Don't forget, you can download the whole pdf for just $4.75.

Sharky's Interior Dining area

Sharky's on the Pier

1600 Harbor Dr Venice, FL

(941) 488-1456

www.sharkysonthepier.com

View from Tiki roofs looking out at the water

Sharky’s is a special place right on the beach at the pier in Venice. It is at the south end of the island, not far from Casperson Beach. Watch a sunset and watch the fishing. There is a bait shop for fisherman. Perfect view of the Gulf waters with manatee, birds and fishing activity all around. A lot of shark have been caught on the pier. 
It is co-owned with Snook Haven.
Serving lunch and dinner.

Hours: Su-Th 11:30am-10pm, F-Sa 11:30am-12am

(Next: Woody's River Roo in Ellenton)

Restaurant #3 on Anna Maria Island

Since I have been a bit behind in publishing my blog, I am doing another one today! Hope you are enjoying this! 
Following along as I mentioned last week, this week will be back up in Manatee county on Anna Maria Island - a wonderful place called the Rod and Reel Pier.

View looking up the pier toward the restaurant

Rod and Reel Pier Restaurant

875 N Shore Dr,
Anna Maria, FL
(941) 778-1885
This restaurant and pier is at the tip of Anna Maria Island. It is a fisherman's favorite. There is a bar in the downstairs level and the restaurant is in the upper level. Nothing fancy but good, relaxing and entertaining fun. Just walking down the pier for the view is a favorite thing to do. Many times shark are caught, dolphins and manatees are spotted as well as manta rays and birds galore. They serve breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Hours: Daily 8am-9:30pm

NOTE: As of this posting, this restaurant is temporarily closed due to renovations but will be reopened soon.

(Next: Sharky's on the Pier in Venice)

Restaurant #2 - In south Venice

Today I decided that, in order to be fair, I would do the 2 county map alternately from top of the map to the bottom of the map and back again. In other words, I started at the top with Sea Hut's Crab Trap in Palmetto and now will go to the bottom of the map to Venice with Myakka River Oyster Bar. Next week, I will be back up north again and will cover another in Manatee County.

Back view of the beautiful Myakka River 

Myakka River Oyster Bar in Venice

21 Playmore Dr. Venice, FL
(941) 423-9616 
www.myakkariveroysterbar.com
Located on the very south edge of Venice, this restaurant is the furthest on my list of restaurants that are covered in the waterfront booklet.

They have regular specials like kids eating free on Saturdays and Sundays, and working people lunch specials.There is a great happy hour with prices and times that can't be beat.
Enjoy the view!

Hours: M-Th 4pm-9pm, F-Sa 11:30am-9pm, Su 11:30am-8pm

Happy Hour: Daily 11:30am-5pm, 
Su 11:30am-8pm

(next week: Rod & Reel Pier)

A little history

It started out with my friends and I trying to find new places on the waterfront to explore and especially because we were always on a budget!

I created a booklet from all these wonderful discoveries called Waterfront Escapades and it is a guide for the Bradenton and Sarasota Florida areas. It comes complete with illustrations, informational tidbits and even appendices with birds, shells, plants and sea creatures found in the areas. This booklet is unavailable at the moment pending completion of a few details and tourism marketing. I will have a downloadable PDF version of it available soon.

On this blog I will attempt to share my personal information and views of the places that I have visited by covering one restaurant at a time. I hope you will enjoy the visits to each of these wonderful places. I will not cover the foods that are offered at the locations as I am not a food critic but if you want to add comments of your own as we proceed through the restaurants, please do! I would love to hear from you. It will be quite helpful and fun!

Map of Manatee and Sarasota County Areas

For the moment, I decided I am choosing which restaurants to start with by going down from the top of the map that includes Manatee and Sarasota counties in Florida. This will be better than alphabetical and a little more random. However, I may jump around a bit to profile certain restaurants as needed by circumstances or events. It will be fun!

Front view of Sea Hut's Crab Trap

Sea Hut's Crab Trap

5611 Us Highway 19

Palmetto, Fl 

(941) 722-6255
www.crabtrap1.com
This is the first restaurant that I am going to add to the blog! This restaurant is the furthest north in the county borders.

Beautiful interior view

Sea Hut's Crab Trap is in Palmetto and looks onto a channel going to Terra Ceia Bay. They are in name transition and will eventually be called Sea Hut but for now it remains Sea Huts - Crab Trap. It has been in this location since 1976 and began as a little thatched roof restaurant on the tip of Snead Island. It has wonderful dining rooms decorated in nautical bamboo and seafaring items. There is a bar area for lounging, a large dining area and outside deck area looking onto the channel. Our time there was relaxing, friendly and good on the pocket book also!

Hours: Daily 11:30am-9pm