Their visit to Sarasota was part of their big road trip around Florida. The Nomadic Boys are gay couple Stefan and Sebastien, who quit their jobs in London in 2014 to travel the world. Some of the best include O'Leary's Tiki Bar & Grill where there are live performers every day and Marina Jacks which also has live music (ticketed) shows. This area has been decorated with paved walkways, parks, lots of green spaces and cool bars to hang out. It is located near the Ringling Bridge in the downtown area, near the iconic “Unconditional Surrender” statue. The Bayfront Park and Marina is one of the coolest spots in Sarasota to hangout. There is also the Fabulous Independent Film Festival in September. In terms of Pride events, there is on in March called Manatee Pride (a neighbouring county north of Sarasota), the Harvey Milk Festival in May and the Sarasota PrideFest in October. In January to March check out the outdoor international “Embracing Our Difference” exhibit and competition.
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Handy tip: the Ringling is free on Mondays (otherwise entry is $25 pp).ĭespite its small size, Sarasota has numerous LGBTQ festivals and exhibitions taking place throughout the year. This replica alone is worth checking out and damn impressive: created by Howard Tibbals and comprises 42,000 pieces, built over 60 years, making it the largest miniature circus model in the world. It comprised of thousands of people working as performers, cooks, animal keepers, general staff, several tents, lots of equipment – enough to fill around 16 train coaches and 4 flat cars.Īt one of the circus museums in the Ringling the entire circus has been recreated in miniature form so you get an idea of how big it once was. The Ringling is a large complex which used to be the headquarters of one of the Ringling Bros – one of the largest circuses in the US in the late 19th and early 20th century.Īt its peak, it was a massive mini-city that moved around the US performing at different cities every day. Handy tip: the bottles are super strong and literally smash proof (as the enthusiastic bar lady demonstrated by smashing it down on the bar table), so you can easily transport a few souvenir bottles back home.Ĥ) Learn about the circus at the Ringling
Our favourite was the hand crafted Toasted Coconut Rum, which we highly recommend trying. We visited it and took their free guided tour, which went through the history of the rum, the many accolades they have won and the best part, the tasting session at the end. The distillery where it’s made can be found right here in Sarasota. Throb Night Club in Sarasota, FL 2201 Industrial Blvd., Sarasota, Florida Sadly, one of the few gay nightclubs in SRQ. 3) Try homemade rum at the Siesta Key Rum DistilleryĪnother claim to fame is the Siesta Key rum, popular throughout the States.