{image source} Walkscore.com, the top online evaluator of a neighborhood's walkability, has given Laurel Park a rating of 85 out of 100, good for 3rd place (mere percentage points behind downtown and the Rosemary District) among Sarasota's 31 ranked...
{photo source} Our apologies for being a bit tardy with this post, but we've had stars in our eyes! Now that the opening ceremonies, which included a performance at Van Wezel by Harry Connick and his orchestra as well as a film screening at the Sarasota Opera House,...
{photo source} Think you know Laurel Park? Take a stroll on the Laurel Park Historic Walk and discover little-known stories about the ground beneath your feet and the houses next door. Here's all the info you need, courtesy of This Week in Sarasota. WHEN: Saturday...
Looking for options for ringing in the New Year? Come celebrate in downtown Sarasota as the city of Sarasota begins its 98th year! Presented by the Downtown Sarasota Alliance, the Downtown New Year's Eve Block Party is a great place to meet your neighbors, bring the...
photo source Have you visited your friendly local liberal arts college lately? New College of Florida, located just off Tamiami Trail near Sarasota-Bradenton Airport, and within an easy bike, bus, or car ride from Laurel Park, hosts a large variety of events open to...
Enjoy a Sunday afternoon of great music and good people when the Suncoast Concert Band or Jazz Ambassadors Big Band play at Payne Park. Concerts cost five bucks, payable at the door, with refreshments provided for a dollar each. All concerts are presented in a casual atmosphere, with open seating. Two performances remain in the spring schedule: April 25th and May 9th, both at 3pm. Laurel Park Management encourages all residents to get out there and enjoy everything Payne Park has to offer.
Sarasota is many things to many people: a retirement community, an arts town, home to some of the best beaches anywhere. But a local movement is afoot that might just put Sarasota on the map as, of all things, a college town. New College of Florida is regularly ranked one of the top liberal arts colleges in the country. Ringling College of Art + Design has renowned animation and graphic design programs. East-West College trains students to become doctors of Eastern medicine. State College of Florida, formerly Manatee Community College, offers a vast array of affordable courses and programs that round out the local educational menu. Oh, and the Asolo Performing Arts Center is also home to Florida State University’s graduate theater arts program. This extraordinary post-secondary diversity has been gradually coalescing, and while I’m not sure any studies have been done to verify this, one gets the sense that more and more high school and college students and recent grads are deciding to stay in sunny Sarasota and put their stamp on the place.
