FLORIDA: It’s a rare grey day in the Sunshine State

The sun isn’t shining in this part of the Sunshine State today, but Bev Fearis and family find there’s still plenty to see and do in Sarasota.

I’m up just after 7am and can’t wait to go for my morning jog. I love running along beaches, especially when they’re as stunning at Siesta Key. By the time I get back, a greyish cloud is making its way over so we decide it’s not a beach day, consult the guide book and head to the Marie Selby Botanical Gardens.

A keen gardener and nature lover, Marie and her wealthy husband William bought seven acres of land on Sarasota Bay and built their home here. Marie had a great desire to keep Sarasota a beautiful and green place and free of high-rise construction, so when she died in 1971 she left the property to the community as a botanical garden "for the enjoyment of the general public". Since then, it has doubled in size and has a plant collection numbering more than 20,000 greenhouse plants, plus thousands more in the outdoor gardens. The highlight for me was the incredible Giant Moreton Bay Fig tree, whose roots grow above ground and make it look like something out of Lord of the Rings.

We head to downtown Sarasota for lunch at Patrick’s on Main Street, but first do a bit of window shopping in the upmarket boutiques. I spend 20 minutes in a beautiful homewear store deciding how I would decorate my beachfront home on Siesta Key. A girl’s gotta have dreams!

It’s started to rain a little now, but we have promised Freddie that we’re going to see lions and tigers at the Big Cat Habitat, so we can’t let him down. By the time we arrive, the rain has stopped and we have a quick tour before 4pm closing.

The Big Cat Habitat is a sanctuary for animals, mainly lions and tigers but also bears and monkeys, who were once owned by private individuals who either lost interest or ran out of money to look after them properly, often because the animals simply became too big.

It was founded by Kay Rosaire, who has more than 30 years of experience working with and caring for exotic animals. The aim is to care for the animals for their life span, which is more than 20 years – double their normal life span in the wild.

I held on to Freddie’s hand more tightly that usual as we moved from enclosure to enclosure, while Warren checked for gaps in the wire fences. When we entered the ‘big cat viewing’ area, we found ourselves within a few feet of the caged animals, including a massive male lion making a thundering roar. I held Freddie’s hand a bit too tight.

It’s certainly the closest I have ever been to a lion or a tiger, closer than you’ll get at any zoo or wildlife park, and although it’s sad to see them behind bars, you have to admire the work the staff are doing here. Interestingly, there are no signs anywhere telling you the history of the animals or why they ended up here. Even the website doesn’t give too much away, but in a way perhaps it’s best if you don’t know.

On the way back, perhaps in need of a bit of consoling, we stopped off at the Der Dutchman Resturant, an Amish restaurant and shop on the outskirts of the city in the Pinecraft neighbourhood, home to Sarasota’s Amish community. It specialises in ‘comfort food’ with the most deliciously indulgent bakery section I’ve ever seen. My mouth was literally watering and I had to stop myself buying one of everything. The breads, the cookies, the cakes all looked amazing. Freddie immediately set his sights on a chocolate fairy cake, with sprinkles, and after much deliberation, Warren and I went for a box of ‘Heavenly Bars’, and heavenly they were. If I lived within easy reach of that bakery, I would be as big as a house – and by that I mean one of those big old beachfront houses in Siesta Key.

www.visitflorida.com

www.visitsarasota.org <http://www.visitsarasota.org/>