From January to April, snowbirds flock to Longboat Key Club & Resort for a Florida beach vacation – that is, visitors from cold climates come by the thousands to enjoy the Gulf Coast’s warm temperatures while it’s still chilly back at home. But with beautiful beaches, sparkling waters, bustling wildlife, and a serene atmosphere, Longboat Key is also a perfect destination for a quiet Florida resort vacation in the off-season.

It’s easy to enjoy a relaxed Florida beach vacation on Longboat Key any time of the year. Even at the end of the year, temperatures stay warm enough to enjoy a quiet evening walk on the beach or a cocktail at your favorite Florida resort’s outdoor bar. Only 8,000 locals live on the key year-round, ensuring a laid-back feeling when the tourists are gone.

The absence of things like giant shopping malls and flashing neon signs allows the Florida beach vacation visitor to soak up the serenity of Longboat Key. The island is only 11 miles long and just a mile at its widest point, so you’ll feel secluded and comfortable at any of the Key’s Florida resorts. As you walk down the beach, you might see dolphins swimming off the coast or a great blue heron flying by.

For those on their Florida beach vacation looking for a little more action, St. Armands Circle is just a short drive away. Here you’ll find shops, dining, and entertainment to quell your craving for the action. You can take the time to sip a coffee and watch the people, with the comfort of knowing that your serenity and Longboat Key Florida resort is just a hop, skip and a jump away.

From October 15 through May 15, travelers on their Florida beach vacation can enjoy a favorite Florida dish: stone crab claws. The crabs are harvested daily, ensuring that visitors to Florida resorts receive the freshest seafood possible.

Stone crabs, which live mainly along the Gulf Coast, are harvested each year for their sweet and succulent claw meat. An interesting fact that travelers on a Florida beach vacation may not know is that stone crabs are a renewable resource: once their claws are removed, the live crabs are put back in the ocean where their claws will regenerate in one to three years. According to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, about 40% of the total harvest comes from the waters off of the Florida Keys.

Visitors on their Florida beach vacation will certainly enjoy eating stone crab claws in the traditional manners. Claws are generally cooked immediately upon being brought to dock by placing them in boiling water. When the claws are hot, restaurants at fine Florida resorts such as Longboat Key Club & Resort serve them with melted butter. When they are served cold, the traditional sauce served is something like honey mustard. Locals offer this advice to visitors on a Florida beach vacation: skip the shell crackers and just smack the shell with the back of a spoon to get a clean break!

The meat of stone crab claws is very nutritious and has a texture and flavor similar to lobster. Whether you want medium, large, jumbo, or colossal sized stone crab claws, you’re sure to enjoy this limited-time treat during your Florida beach vacation!

Florida resort guests will soon have the privilege of touring the luxuriously appointed private railcar of John and Mable Ringling, which will be on display in September in the Circus Museum at the Ringling Museum of Art in Sarasota, just minutes from Longboat Key Club & Resort, an exclusive Southwest Florida resort.

Built in 1905 by the Pullman Co., the 79-foot railcar originally cost $11,325. Its overhaul, funded by a grant from the Florida Department of Transportation, cost $400,000.

The reconditioned railcar was delivered to the museum complex in mid-August, where a wall had to be knocked down to get the car onto a piece of rail track and into the Circus Museum, so Florida resort guests could eventually get a view.

Christened the Wisconsin by John Ringling in 1905, the railcar’s interior includes an observation room, three bedrooms, a dining room, kitchen, bath and servants’ quarters. Fortunately, the original stained-glass transom windows of the car were intact. Florida resort guest enjoying a Florida beach vacation at Longboat Key Club & Resort will eventually be able to tour the Ringling’s opulent railcar.

Museum officials have set January 2009 as the official opening of the Wisconsin, which doubtless was the smallest of the Ringlings’ residences – a perfect bookend Ca’ d’Zan – the couple’s 66-acre estate and dream home on the Sarasota Bay – just minutes from Longboat Key Club & Resort, an exclusive Southwest Florida resort.

Visitors to Florida resorts during September 2008 will find a variety of exciting events taking place in the Florida Keys; and Florida resort guests enjoying a Florida beach vacation at Longboat Key Club & Resort may want to consider exploring some of these nearby adventures.

On Saturday, September 13th, Florida resort guests can drive down to experience the 2nd annual 1960s Bird Bash in Key Largo, which benefits the Florida Keys Wild Bird Center. Species from all over the world will be on display.

The weekend of September 19th-21st, motorcycle enthusiasts from around the U.S. will travel through the Keys to Key West to raise money for charity during the 36th Annual Key West Poker Run. We looking forward to thanking many of these bikers with a cause when that stop to enjoy a Florida beach vacation at Longboat Key Club & Resort along their way,

Also turning a Florida beach vacation into work and play, Some of the best bonefish anglers anywhere will participate in the Marathon International Bonefish Tournament in Marathon from September 25th-28th. You and your family can take a day tour from your Florida resort to come see the big ones that don’t get away!

These are all uniquely Florida events, and examples of why a Florida beach vacation is such an exceptional experience. Information about these and other area events is always available from the concierge to Florida resort guests at Longboat Key Club & Resort.

St. Armands Circle, just minutes from Longboat Key Club & Resort, is a favorite of our Florida resort guests. Distinctive in concept, history and beauty, St. Armands provides an unforgettable experience for Florida resort guests from all over the world.

St. Armands is an enchanting circle of boutiques, shops and gourmet restaurants set amidst lush tropical landscaping, courtyards and patios, antique statuary and contemporary architectural design, all of which creates an atmosphere of warmth, elegance and style. Florida resort guests can relax in the restaurants, explore the shops - from trinkets to treasures, gourmet snacks to candlelight feasts - or just sit in the sun.

Today, more than 100 stores on St. Armands Circle pamper Florida resort guests from all over the U.S. and many foreign countries, but in the early 1900s, the area was just a mangrove island too far from the small fishing village of Sarasota to attract much attention.

The key was first bought in 1893 by a French fisherman - Charles St. Amand - for $21.71. His name was misspelled “St. Armand” on the deed. Visionary circus magnate, John Ringling, purchased the St. Armands Key property in 1917 and planned a development that included residential lots and a shopping center in the form of a circle. Unfortunately, the depression got in the way and it took until the 1950s for St. Armands to begin to draw real business - and Florida resort guests.

John Ringling’s influence is still evident today in the planning and design of streets radiating from the circle at the island’s hub and the Italian statuary from his personal collection strategically placed around the key. This shopping circle that attracts Florida resort guests looks very much as Ringling originally envisioned it, with the palm lined medians, park-like setting, and tropical landscaping.

St. Armands Circle is an experience all Florida resort guests will want to include in their Florida beach vacation. From the exclusive shops to the cozy European-style cafŽs. It’s part of what makes your stay at Longboat Key Club & Resort all yours.

On the barrier island of Longboat Key, Florida – where you’ll find Longboat Key Club and Resort – are a number of exceptional fine dining restaurants. Read on to learn about a few top picks, and gain insight on where to dine during your next Florida resort vacation.

Pattigeorge’s restaurant, just minutes from our Florida resort, brings American, Italian, Asian, Caribbean and Latin American tastes and traditions to the table – all amid panoramic bay views. Preferred among Florida resort guests for great seafood from local waters, as well as grilled and barbecued meats, crisp greens and house-baked desserts, PG’s is designed to please modern palates.

Another favorite among visitors to our Florida resort, Euphemia Haye is a Wine Spectator award-winning restaurant where you’ll find such signature dishes as crisp Roast Duckling, as well as the ever-popular flambéed Prime Peppered Steak. Fresh seafood, homemade pasta and vegetarian dishes are available at this restaurant – ideal for Florida resort guests seeking a refined, romantic atmosphere – while sweetbreads and a Veal special are offered nightly.

These are only two of the many fine dining establishments offered on Longboat Key, and there are many more to explore on the island and in Sarasota. Plan your Florida resort vacation today, and treat yourself to the many flavors of our delicious tropical locale.

In February 2008, The Ringling Museum of Art announced that a donation by Howard Tibbals, a Longboat Key philanthropist and circus enthusiast, will provide the seed money for a new circus museum and learning center at the John and Mable Ringling Estate in Sarasota, Florida.

Combined with a state match of $4 million, the money will go toward the first phase of construction of a new circus museum that will eventually replace the 40-year-old structure – an exciting new attraction for guests of Longboat Key Club & Resort, an exclusive Florida resort on the southwest coast.

Tibbals’ long-term plan calls for 50,000 square feet of new space that will cost up to $32 million. It is an ambitious vision, but, as Mr. Tibbals’ says, “f you don’t dream, you don’t get there.”

The Tibbals Learning Center houses a handcrafted miniature circus that was built by Mr. Tibbals himself and has become the centerpiece of the museum. The model is a sprawling miniature show featuring thousands of tiny people and animals. Tibbals is still making new pieces to add to the project he has been working on for nearly 50 years.

“It’s one of a kind,” said Ringling Executive Director John Wetenhall. “Howard Tibbals created a massive model. It’s twice as large as many people’s homes.”

Florida resort guests have been astounded by the detail and imagination of Mr. Tibbals’ work, just as they have been drawn to The Ringling Museum of Art for decades.

And soon, this museum will have an even bigger “big top” venue. Staff members are excited about expansion plans made possible by a $4 million donation by Tibbals, which will also include a study center for circus historians.

Florida resort guests can find out more about visiting hours at The Ringling Museum of Art by calling Longboat Key Club & Resort at 888-350-7730.

Automotive museums are scattered throughout the South, where Nascar was born and still thrives. From antique cars to dragsters to Nascar racing exhibits, auto enthusiasts staying at Florida resorts should have no trouble finding exactly what interests them.

One such museum is located near Longboat Key Club & Resort, and guests of this exclusive Florida resorts have found it to be an exciting attraction. Built in 1952, the Sarasota Classic Car Museum (SCCM) – which recently completed a huge renovation program – opened its doors to the public in February of 1953 and is recognized as one of the oldest car museums in the world.

Located on U.S. 41 in Sarasota, Florida, the Museum’s 60,000 square foot facility sits on four acres of land near the Florida resorts and close to such other attractions as The Ringling Museum of Art and the Asolo Theater, home of the Sarasota Ballet Company.

The Museum features a “living” collection of over 100 automobiles, which is constantly updated through acquisitions, exchanges with other car museums, and through donations of vehicles from collectors. Some of the museum’s star attractions are John Lennon’s Mercedes Roadster, Paul McCartney’s Mini Cooper and a dragster belonging to Don Garlits.

Established as a non-profit organization in 1998 so that it could expand its role in the preservation of the cars of the 20th century and their history, the Museum’s mission is to educate and entertain visitors on these magnificent, mechanical works of art and their impact on society over the last 10 decades.

Florida resorts guests can find out more about visiting hours at the Sarasota Classic Car Museum by calling Longboat Key Club & Resort at 888-350-7730.

The island of Longboat Key, where you’ll discover Longboat Key Club and Resort, is rich in history, making it the perfect destination for Florida luxury resort guests seeking to explore the past. The story of Longboat Key involves the Calusa and Timucuan Indians, who resided there in the 1500s – when the Gulf of Mexico was six feet lower than it is today. Longboat Key was then settled by hardy pioneers, who were awarded land grants under the Homestead Act of 1862.

Guests to our Florida luxury resort are always interested in the extensive farming that took place in the area. Tomatoes, guavas, avocados and citrus crops were abundant. The steamboat Mistletoe, out of Tampa, put in at Corey’s Landing at mid-Key and Longbeach at the end of Broadway to load crops and debark passengers during the early 1900s.

Before Longboat Key became a Florida luxury resort and residential community, the 1921 hurricane flooded the Key and ended truck farming. That same year, Florida amended the Florida Constitution to include under it Sarasota County – and Longboat Key was divided in half: Manatee County in the north and Sarasota County in the south.

During World War II, the center of the island was a target range for Army Air Force pilots flying P-40s, B-26s and P-51s. Tourism rose in the 1950s, and Florida luxury resort guests flocked to the town, which was incorporated in 1955, with Condominium living beginning in the late 1970s.

Today, Florida luxury resort guests find about 1,500 single family homes, 7,000 condominium units and about 1,000 tourist accommodations on Longboat Key – a far cry from the fourteen families the Sarasota Times reported as residing on the Key in 1915.

Longboat Key is a barrier island on Florida’s west coast, where you’ll find Longboat Key Club and Resort – preferred among Florida Resorts.

The Florida Resort town of Longboat Key lies within two counties. The northern portion of Longboat Key lies in Manatee County, while the southern portion of the island is considered part of Sarasota County.

The island is encompassed by the Gulf of Mexico on the west and Sarasota Bay to the east. The area is popular among retirees and is also a famous Florida Resort and second home community. Longboat Key has a population of approximately 8,000 permanent residents, but it grows to around 20,000 during peak tourist season, when vacationers from all over the world head south to Florida Resorts.

Gulf of Mexico Drive, also referred to as State Road 789, is the only main thoroughfare and runs north-south through the island. The town is accessed by bascule (draw) bridges from the south by New Pass Bridge connecting Longboat Key and Lido Key. Longboat Pass Bridge on the north connects Longboat Key to Anna Maria Island.

Both bridges connect Florida Resort guests and residents to secondary roads to the mainland in each county. These secondary roads lead to major regional roads, including Interstate 75, US 41, and US 301. Likewise, these regional highways provide Florida Resort guests with access to Bradenton and Tampa to the north and Sarasota, Fort Myers, and Naples to the south.