Summer school

You finally can find that parking space just two-dozen feet away from the Longboat Key Publix entrance. But now, it’s so hot that the perfect parking space has more to do with shade than distance. You don’t have to wait for a table at Blue Dolphin Café. You can find a seat at the bar of Lazy Lobster Longboat Key. But when you leave, you’ll likely get soaked — either by the humidity or an afternoon shower.

Yep, it’s summer on Longboat Key — that time of year when the streets are empty, temperatures go from hot to hotter and residents keep their TVs tuned to the Weather Channel for word on afternoon showers. But while summertime is known as slow season, Longboat Key has plenty of activities — rain or shine.
Take advantage of the lack of crowds and the fact that the sun is (usually) shining during Longboat Key summers — and try out some of our favorite island summer activities.

1 Celebrate America’s birthday Longboat Key-style. The festivities kick off Saturday, July 2 with a “Boom Boom on the Bay” fireworks display at Mar Vista Dockside Restaurant & Pub and Moore’s Stonecrab Restaurant. Then, on Monday, July 4, a “Freedom Fest” parade takes place at 9 a.m. on Bay Isles Road in front of Town Hall. The patriotic parade is billed as the shortest and most charming parade in America. — and it absolutely is. So put on your best red, white and blue garb, decorate your trikes, bikes, wagons and pets and join the parade. Afterward, enjoy a breakfast of waffles and sausage, lots of fun games for the kiddies and a butterfly release.

2 Winters belong to the snowbirds, but during summertime, Longboat Key goes to the turtles. Turtle-nesting season begins May 1, and loggerhead turtles typically hatch after a 55- to 60-day incubation period. Two or three days after a nest hatches, volunteers excavate the nests to check for straggling hatchlings and to count the number of eggs that hatch. Longboat Key Turtle Watch is one of the few turtle-watch groups that holds public nest openings, usually during the evenings. The first excavations of the season will most likely occur in late June or early July, so keep an eye on YourObserver.com, where we’ll have the latest information about nest openings. But until the first nest hatches, learn more about turtles by attending a turtle walk led by Mote Marine volunteers beginning at 6:45 a.m. Saturdays, in June and July, at the Hilton Longboat Key Beachfront Resort, 4711 Gulf of Mexico Drive.

3 Bet you didn’t know that seahorses are the only species in which males become pregnant. That’s one of the many fun facts you can learn at Mote Marine Aquarium, 1600 Ken Thompson Parkway. Visit the aquarium or check out new programs such as a guided tour of the Seahorse Conservation Lab, which take place at 11 a.m. most Thursdays, or the narrated shark training sessions, offered at 11 a.m. Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, in which you’ll see staff members feed the sharks. And if you visit at the right time, you might just get a photo-op with Mote mascot Gilly the Shark.

4 Joan M. Durante Park, 5550 Gulf of Mexico Drive, is a 32-acre wetland park with lush vegetation and a beautiful view of Sarasota Bay. Take advantage of this local gem by enjoying a picnic under the gazebo. Then, explore the park by walking its nature trail and boardwalk. Plus, there’s a great playground, so bring the kids and grandkids.

5 Longboat Key restaurants are known just as much for their views as they are for their food, so take advantage of the warm weather and savor the delicious views of the Gulf. Waterfront (Gulf and Sarasota Bay), outdoor dining open to the public is available at the following locations: Bayou Tavern, the Chart House Restaurant, Dry Dock Waterfront Grill, Hilton Longboat Key Beachfront Resort, Mar Vista Dockside Restaurant & Pub, Moore’s Stone Crab Restaurant and Pattigeorge’s.

6 Try to spot the green flash — the blink-and-you-miss-it phenomenon that occurs at sunset when a green ray appears to shoot up from the sunset point — while watching the sunset on Longboat Key’s Gulf beaches. David Miller, who grew up on the island and estimates he has seen the green flash a half-dozen times, summarizes his advice for witnessing the phenomenon in a single word: “patience.” But even if you don’t catch the green flash, rest assured that any sunset on Longboat Key is nothing short of spectacular.

7 Longboat Key’s earliest tourists were Calusa and Timucan Indians. Pirate Jean La Fitte was once shipwrecked on or near the island for months in 1821. The island was once home to farming, along with John Ringling’s abandoned hotel that was rumored to be haunted. To learn more about Longboat Key’s history, visit the Longboat Key Historical Society Museum, 6826 Gulf of Mexico Drive, where you’ll find old pictures, postcards, books and more.

8 Stroll St. Armands Circle, where you’ll find world-famous stores and boutiques and a variety of restaurants. And, even if you’re not in the mood to shop, it’s a great place for people-watching and walking. As you stroll, be sure to check out John Ringling’s historic statues along with 21 new statues that were installed in 2008, including the “Seven Virtues of Sarasota.”

9 Check out the Longboat Key Garden Club’s Butterfly Garden at Bicentennial Park, located just outside of Longboat Key Town Hall. It’s home to a new butterfly house, along with plants that draw the winged wonders, creating a peaceful up-close experience with nature. Another bonus: It’s shady and cool.

10 There are plenty of fish in the sea on Longboat Key. According to Key fishing enthusiast Rusty Chinnis, tarpon, trout, red fish and snook are in season during the summer. (Although snook season is currently closed, catching and releasing snook is permitted.) Chinnis said that any of these fish are easily caught along Longboat Key beaches with grass flats or near structures such as docks. But be warned: You might get hooked.

If you must go…
We have one final suggestion for what you should do before leaving Longboat Key. As you’re packing your suitcase, place a copy of the Longboat Observer, along with your camera inside. Take a picture with your newspaper at your vacation spot. Then, go to YourObserver.com to enter our “It’s Read Everywhere” contest.

Contact Robin Hartill at [email protected].