SARASOTA, Fla.—A report released by the Center for Responsible Travel entitled Transforming the Way the Word Travels, defines Nature Travel as travel to unspoiled places to experience and enjoy nature, and Sustainable Tourism as tourism that meets the needs of the present tourist and host regions while protecting and enhancing opportunities for the future.                 

No matter what you call these components of eco-tourism, Sarasota County has what the nature traveler is looking for in sustainable travel.

Situated along the warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico on a peninsula that boasts lush tropical landscape and animals indigenous to a sub-tropical environment, Sarasota County offers ample opportunities for the active and curious nature lover to explore by land and by sea.          

 By Land

Visitors can get a motor-free overview of Sarasota's lay of the land by hopping onto Sarasota's Legacy Trail, a 10-mile, multi-use paved trail that stretches from Sarasota proper to downtown Venice. It encompasses Oscar Scherer State Park and extends from its Venice trailhead to Caspersen Beach and Shamrock parks.  Hikers craving more natural surroundings will enjoy the trails at Deer Prairie Creek Preserve or Mary Thaxton Memorial Preserve.

Sarasota's parks offer a myriad of opportunities to explore beautiful flora, fauna and vistas while leaving responsible footprints behind.  Walking the boardwalks or riding the trails aboard a bike or on horseback in any one of Sarasota's 200 parks is bound to expose visitors to a variety of habitats, from scrubby pine flatwoods—home of the Florida scrub jay—to a hardwood hammock where oak canopies create cool shields against the tropical sun. Butterflies flock to Sarasota and its abundance of milkweed and asters. The area's eye-popping flora also includes a variety of fern, lilies, sunflowers, goldenrod, iris and black-eyed susans. Wildlife abounds with alligators, armadillos, eagles, eastern indigo snakes, bobcats, panthers, bears, sea turtles, gopher tortoises, deer, wild boar, blue jay, blue heron and egrets.

Much of this wildlife can be seen at Myakka State Park Forest and Preserve's vast prairie and woodlands. A walk across the park's Canopy Walkway provides a 25-foot aerial view of the park, and its Myakka Wildlife Tour offers nature lovers up-close encounters of the park's diverse wildlife in their natural habitats. The Florida Scrub-Jay is easily spotted along any one of the trails at Oscar Scherer State Park, along with bobcats, bald eagles, gopher tortoises, white-tailed deer, eastern cotton-tail rabbits and raccoons. Other parks include Jelks Preserve and Venice Area Audubon Society Rookery for bird watching, Carlton Reserve and Sleeping Turtles Preserve North for wild-animal sightings and Curry Creek  to enjoy wildlife in a marshland habitat.  The trails at the Crowley Museum and Nature Center take nature lovers through every habitat the Sarasota area has to offer: pine flatwoods, an oak hammock, swamp and marshlands. Classes and guided tours are available at Lemon Bay Park and Environmental Center and Shamrock Park and Nature Center. 

Those who have a heart for endangered animals will appreciate the Big Cat Habitat and Gulf Coast Sanctuary.  Founded by former circus performer Kay Rosaire and operated by her son Clayton, the Big Cat Habitat rescues cats and other exotic wildlife in need of a permanent home.  Visitors can see tigers, lions and a liger—a cross between a tiger and a lion—as well as bears, primates and other rescued animals.

By Sea

Sarasota's location on the Gulf of Mexico offers many opportunities to explore a variety of ecosystems, from the open waters of the Gulf teeming with fish to the barrier islands' mangrove rookeries to the warm bays and rivers where manatees roam.

A kayak cruise through a mangrove tunnel yields an intimate look at an ecosystem few see. Mangroves serve as nurseries for juvenile fish and other animals such as crabs, egrets and woodpeckers.

Sarasota's beachheads have created numerous barrier islands easily accessible by kayak such as Edwards Islands Park and Rattlesnake Island. Kayak vendors such as I Kayak Sarasota rent kayaks for single riders, double kayaks and stand up paddles. For those who would rather stand on the water than sit, Sarasota Paddleboard Company and Sarasota Wind and Water Adventures combine physical challenge with eco-friendly adventure.

Florida is referred to as the fishing capital of the world, and fishermen will find the rich estuaries that lie along the Sarasota coast abundant with bass, cobia, grouper, snapper, mullet, amberjack, sailfish, swordfish,  mullet, mackerel, and marlin. April and May are tarpon season, when the prize fish come to Sarasota waters to spawn.

Cruise along the shallow flats for snook and redfish with independent fisherman Capt. Brandon Naeve or charter a boat and captain for the day. Charters are readily available year round from such accomplished sea dogs at Fish 'N Addiction and Magic Fishing Adventures, to name just a few.

Several dive sites off Sarasota's coast offer a variety of underwater experiences, from fossilized shark teeth off Caspersen Beach to exploring the Regina Sugar Barge off Anna Maria Island.  In addition, many artificial reefs dot the Sarasota coastline, offering colorful and inspiring places to take in tropical marine life. These reefs, built to create and restore habitats lost to coastal development, are protected by stringent regulations for fishing and boating.  

For above-the-waterline sport, both experienced and novice sailors can ride the tropical breezes off Sarasota's Gulf waters and bays aboard a rented or chartered sailboat from any one of several charter companies.  Key Sailing boasts the newest and largest vessel currently leaving Sarasota slips: a 1989 14-foot Morgan Classic II Sloop. For those who would like raise their own mainsails, Sara-Bay Sailing offers instruction by ASA certified instructors aboard three vessels of varying sizes.

A world-class rowing facility at Nathan Bedersen Park is home to Florida's 2011 youth rowing champions, the Sarasota Crew, and hosts a number of national and international regattas as well as attracting kayak and canoe enthusiasts looking to hone their paddling skills.

Those interested in learning more about Florida ecosystems may visit The South Florida Museum's Environmental Wing, which offers a number of exhibits that showcase the area's bio-diversity.

For more information on discovering Sarasota County on Florida's Gulf Coast, call the Visit Sarasota County  at 800-522-9799 or visit www.visitsarasota.orgas well as www.discovernaturalsarasota.com.

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Contact:

LYNN HOBECK BATES

VISIT SARASOTA COUNTY

941.955.0991 ext. 103                                              

LHOBECK@visitsarasota.org