Things to do in Longboat Key

In case you missed it I recapped our stay at Zota Beach Resort on the blog yesterday (read here) and today I am sharing some things to do in Longboat Key (or close to it). We ate at some great restaurants and visited some beautiful places. Keep reading for a list of things to do in Longboat Key and Sarasota area!

St. Armand’s Circle

St. Armand’s Circle is about 15 minutes from the hotel and an area you could easily spend time in every day of your trip. It is full of restaurants, shops with plenty of dessert options like macarons and gelato.

I wore this beautiful midi dress on one of our night’s out in St. Armand’s circle. I am obsessed with the ties in the back and think it would be so cute tied in bows! Shop it HERE.

Green Zebra Cafe

This spot is in St. Armand’s Circle and has a hippie vibe to it. You can get juices, smoothies and plenty of other food options. We actually planned on going to the restaurant next door for breakfast but the line was too long so I told Ita we should go here. I am so glad we did because this was one of the best acai bowls I’ve ever had! The pineapple was so sweet and it was served so beautifully. We also had the avocado toast which had an orange glaze on it (so different but so good!) and Ita got a breakfast wrap that was amazing. Definitely a great healthy option and a spot I would go back to!

Columbia Restaurant

The Columbia restaurant is a large, beautiful restaurant in St. Armand’s Circle offering Columbian and Cuban food. From my understanding this is the oldest restaurant in Sarasota and does very well. The place is huge with plenty of outdoor sidewalk seating but our waiter said there is usually a line out the door! Considering I’m Cuban this spot was a no-brainer for us. We enjoyed the empanadas, Cuban sandwich and paella. It was weird to have salami on a Cuban sandwich for me but it was really good! I also hear they’re known for their sangria (I definitely regret not ordering some!).

Dry Dock Bar & Grill

This restaurant is right on the marina serving fresh seafood. You can sit on the patio right by the boats or upstairs overlooking the ocean. We ate upstairs then walked down to the marina so Mila could see some of the fish. The water is lit so you can see tons of fish swimming around probably just waiting for people to throw food in.

Sarasota Jungle Gardens

When looking for things to do in Longboat Key and Sarasota I came across the Sarasota Jungle gardens. I have mixed feelings about zoos and animals in cages but this looked like I giant jungle type property where the birds were not in cages and flamingos roamed around freely. I knew I wanted to take Mila here so she could experience seeing these beautiful creatures in real life!

We had the best time here and I will never forget how excited Mila was seeing all of the different birds! Her eyes were so big and she kept squealing. It was so cute!

Mote Marine Laboratory & Aquarium

We didn’t go here but this seems like another great place to take kids!

Siesta Key

I hadn’t been to Siesta Key since I was a kid so I knew I wanted to go there since it was only a 30 minute drive from our hotel. Siesta Key is known for having one of the most beautiful beaches in the U.S. The sand is like white powder and not hot like typical beach sand and the water is clear and calm. The best part is the shore line because it is so wide and clean. We had so much fun running around with Mila and even sitting in the sand and let the waves wash up to us. She’s not the biggest fan of the beach yet but she definitely liked it more after our day in Siesta Key.

The town is cute as well.

We ate at a French cafe and then got miniature donuts at a little stand on the corner.

I am sure there is plenty more things to do in Longboat Key and the Sarasota area but this was everything we did when we weren’t hanging out at the hotel beach and pool. If you have any spots you recommend leave them in the comments! I’d love to help spread the word of other great restaurants to visit or things to do in Longboat Key!

READ ABOUT OUR STAY AT ZOTA BEACH RESORT HERE

Thanks for reading!

Facebook | Twitter |Instagram | Pinterest