Nature, Science, Flora & Fauna

Florida Gulf Coast Railroad Museum houses the area's railroad history and accounting of the region's subsequent development, providing an opportunity to understand the railroad's role in the county's growth. The museum also displays a collection of antique autos and a delightful collection of early music-makers. And while you're here, "all aboard" a World War II era train, which is open for kids of all ages to ride.

Manatee County is within easy driving distance to one of the state's most significant cultural assets, the John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art. Located on a 66-acre complex across from the University of South Florida's newest campus, it houses works created by some of the world's most renowned artists. Featured in its collection is a series of over-sized paintings by Flemish artist Peter Paul Rubens. The Ringling family's restored winter home is also located on the property. This home was completed in 1926 at a cost of $1.5 million and dubbed "Ca'd Zan", Flemish for "House of John." Thousands of visitors marvel at the rosy stucco walls and colorful marble terraces of the home. An amusing collection of circus art and artifacts is on display at the Circus Galleries and the neighboring Asolo Theater showcases an authentic Baroque-style structure brought over from Europe and meticulously reconstructed on the museum's grounds.

Another testament to the vital role restoration plays in Manatee County's appreciation of its heritage is the Powell Crosley Museum of the Entrepreneur, formerly known as Powell Crosley Estate. This magnificent example of Spanish revival style has opened its gates for visitors to view the intricately laid porticos, hand-carved woodwork, and oak-lined rooms. Resting on the shores of Sarasota Bay, the estate is registered on the National Register of Historic Places and is frequently the site of various private functions. Events at the Crosley include Shakespeare on the Bay (April), Poe at the Crosley (November), and the Dickens Festival (December.) In May, the Crosley will host the American Wind Symphony.

South Florida Museum is Florida's largest natural and cultural history museum, interpreting this regions from the Pleistocene to the present. Dramatic dioramas, exciting exhibits, fossil evidence of Florida's earliest marine and mammal inhabitants, and the world renowned Montague Tallant collection of prehistoric and early post-contact archaeological artifacts.

Local maritime traditions, turn-of-the-century medical facilities and early Spanish exploration in the New World are areas of popular interest, and the Spanish influence on this part of Florida can be seen in the museum's Spanish Plaza, with its full-scale replicas of a 16th-century manor house, chapel and conquistador Hernando DeSoto's birthplace.

Find living history at the museum's Parker Manatee Aquarium, home of Snooty, the oldest living manatee born and nurtured in a man-made, protected environment. The South Florida Museum is a unique and dynamic family learning experience!

City Island, located just south of Longboat Key, is home to one of the region’s true treasures: the Mote Marine Laboratory. This fascinating facility is ideal for those interested in learning more about Manatee County’s plentiful marine life. In addition to a 135,000-gallon shark tank and a multitude of other tanks occupied by native sea creatures, there’s also a touch tank that gives visitors a hands-on aquatic experience. By venturing across the street to the Ann and Alfred Goldstein Marine Mammal Research and Rehabilitation Center, visitors can grasp a better understanding of southwest Florida’s aquatic mammals, including Loggerhead Sea Turtles, Green Turtles and the famed West Indian Manatee.

For those who favor flora, there’s the Palma Sola Botanical Park, which fosters an appreciation of nature and landscaping, preserving our natural resources and promoting environmental education. In Sarasota, the Marie Selby Botanical Gardens feature a wide assortment of plants indigenous to this area's warm, tropical weather. Situated on the waterfront, these gardens also house a world center for the study and cultivation of orchids, a favorite pastime for many local horticulturalists!