Walking through the numerous themed gardens at Selby is like taking a trip through the looking glass into nature’s wonderland. We live in a fertile part of the world…Selby Gardens provides an opportunity to leave our hectic lives behind for an hour or two and let our senses reconnect with thousands of varieties of local flora.
Sure, Laurel Park is a historic neighborhood known for its restored Arts & Crafts and Florida Cracker cottages and its proximity to Main Street and downtown Sarasota—not to mention Burns Square and the Sarasota Bayfront. And sure, as the epicenter of Florida’s cultural coast Sarasota is well known for its fine arts. But did you know that Laurel Park also boasts one of the best comics and gaming shops you’ll ever find? The Dark Side, located at 408 S. Washington Boulevard (in a small plaza alongside a yoga studio and barber shop, among several others) is both a comic book shop and the home of Sarasota’s biggest gaming community.
On most nights of the year the beautiful Florida skies provide stellar views, but for a week each April Laurel Park residents are given a front row seat to a different sort of stargazing. The Sarasota Film Festival is now in its 12th year, and the 2010 edition promises to be even better than last year’s. A vast assortment of films—from star-studded features to international documentaries to innovative shorts—are slated to show at nearby venues, including the Hollywood 20 Cinemas, Van Wezel Performing Arts Center, even Whole Foods! Most events can be reached on foot from Laurel Park Management’s downtown Sarasota apartments.
Walkscore believes that walkable neighborhoods are essential to the health of cities and citizens alike. We here at Laurel Park Management agree. Walkscore gives Laurel Park a rating of 92 out of 100, meaning that virtually everything one wants or needs is within arm’s (or in this case foot’s) reach. From any of Laurel Park Management’s Downtown Sarasota apartments, residents can walk to grocery stores, restaurants, shopping, movies, parks, services, and just about everything else. That’s why we call Laurel Park Sarasota’s urban village.
Some years ago, undocumented in the annals of history, five small wood frame old-Florida cottages were moved adjacent to the Silva Court apartment buildings. Altogether they provide four studio apartments, two 1BR/1BA cottages, and a 2BR/1BA bungalow, all lovingly restored. The ideal combination of charm, privacy, communal space, and proximity to downtown.
