Looking back at our outing last summer in Sarasota
📍300 Madison Dr, Sarasota, FL 34236
I was looking back at some fun places we explored last summer and I wanted to write a post about St. Armands Circle, since it was such a great visit!
The land was originally bought way back in 1893 by a Frenchman named Charles St. Amand. He snagged over 130 acres for just $21.71. Can you imagine? Somehow along the way, his name got misspelled on the deeds as “St. Armand” and the name stuck, which explains why it’s called that today.
Another interesting piece of information is that Sarasota used to be the winter home of the Ringling Bros. Circus, so right in the middle of the Circle is the Circus Ring of Fame. It's like a circus version of the Hollywood Walk of Fame, with bronze plaques honouring all kinds of circus legends, from The Ringling Brothers and Emmett Kelly to Cirque du Soleil. I’ve never visited a circus but would love to experience it after reading about all these circus icons.
An aspect that I really enjoyed about the area is that there are over 130 shops and restaurants, and there is so much to do. I enjoyed browsing the little boutiques that offered one-of-a-kind dresses and some really unique home decor items. I wanted to take everything home!
We had lunch at Venezia Italian Restaurant, a cozy place to eat which was exactly what we needed after hours of walking in the sun. Pro tip to myself: next time, I’m coming back later in the day or during cooler months, because the open-air setup is beautiful but it was boiling. Thankfully, there were plenty of places to grab ice cream. A cold cone under the palm trees? Yes please.
Overall, it was such a fun, laid-back day filled with history, shopping, and gelato.
The land was originally bought way back in 1893 by a Frenchman named Charles St. Amand. He snagged over 130 acres for just $21.71. Can you imagine? Somehow along the way, his name got misspelled on the deeds as “St. Armand” and the name stuck, which explains why it’s called that today.
Another interesting piece of information is that Sarasota used to be the winter home of the Ringling Bros. Circus, so right in the middle of the Circle is the Circus Ring of Fame. It's like a circus version of the Hollywood Walk of Fame, with bronze plaques honouring all kinds of circus legends, from The Ringling Brothers and Emmett Kelly to Cirque du Soleil. I’ve never visited a circus but would love to experience it after reading about all these circus icons.
An aspect that I really enjoyed about the area is that there are over 130 shops and restaurants, and there is so much to do. I enjoyed browsing the little boutiques that offered one-of-a-kind dresses and some really unique home decor items. I wanted to take everything home!
We had lunch at Venezia Italian Restaurant, a cozy place to eat which was exactly what we needed after hours of walking in the sun. Pro tip to myself: next time, I’m coming back later in the day or during cooler months, because the open-air setup is beautiful but it was boiling. Thankfully, there were plenty of places to grab ice cream. A cold cone under the palm trees? Yes please.
Overall, it was such a fun, laid-back day filled with history, shopping, and gelato.