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)