Siesta Key is a three and half square mile sub-tropical island just off shore from the cosmopolitan City of Sarasota on the Intracoastal Waterway. The Island’s western shore is on the Gulf of Mexico and it has three of the best of what beaches are supposed to be. Siesta Key is the northern most of the three and it is famous for having forty acres of sparkling white sand. South of it is ‘Point of Rocks’, a limestone formation that extends into the Gulf. It is midway between Crescent Beach to its north and Turtle Beach to its south.

For centuries ‘Point of Rocks’ was a landmark starting point for maps of burial places of treasure plundered by pirates. On page 269 of Grismer’s ‘The Story of Sarasota’ a well researched history of the area, the following paragraph appears: “Back in 1924, a slovenly, shiftless fellow and his wife moved into a shack on Siesta Key. They lived and dressed like tramps. Neither liked to work – and neither did. But one day in October, the man showed a neighbor a handful of gold coins and hinted mysteriously about having found a buried treasure chest. A few days later, he bought a new automobile and many clothes for himself and his wife – and then he disappeared.” Did he find a buried treasure chest? Could it still be there?

Some who visit enjoy the many outdoor activities, such as fishing, bicycling, boating, kayaking, snorkeling, scuba diving, shelling, sail-boarding or even parasailing! You can collect shark’s teeth and shells in the surf, or just sit and bird-watch.

Siesta Key is home to the egret, a white three-foot tall bird that eats fish, insects and more. You can see these spectacular birds sitting outside many of Sarasotas al-fresco restaurants waiting for a handout. You can watch the sandpipers dash toward the receding surf looking for morsels of seafood and running back to stay dry as the next wave rolls in.

More than just a beach community, the Island has homes designed by Frank Lloyd Wright and Paul Rudolph. At last count there were a dozen restaurants on Siesta Key, spanning the range from deli to discriminating; hot dogs to lobster. You can dine in air-conditioned comfort, or al-fresco. Beach attire is acceptable at many of them. Singles, families and retirees return again and again to Siesta Key. Two bridges connect it with Sarasota with its’ Ringling Museum, theaters, the world famous Marie Selby Botanical Garden, and much more. It is an ideal vacation spot, a paradise on which to live and it’s only 12 miles from the Sarasota-Bradenton International Airport.

Come and enjoy; you will return.