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Get Away

Culture and critters

From museums to marine life, you'll find an abundance of interesting and educational places to explore.

By TIMES STAFF WRITER
Published August 17, 2006

Some attractions of note:

Ringling Museum of Art: The 66-acre grounds include the art museum, the Museum of the Circus and the Ca' d'Zan mansion.

The art museum's permanent collection includes paintings, sculpture, drawings, prints, photographs and decorative arts from ancient through contemporary periods, with an emphasis on the Old Masters. The current exhibition, "The Early Modern Painter/Etcher," etched works by Early Modern (15th through 18th centuries) period European painters, closes Sunday. "Master Drawings from the collection of the Yale University Art Gallery" opens Oct. 21.

The circus museum includes the Howard Bros. Circus, a miniature circus considered the largest of its kind in the world. Howard Tibbals spent 50 years building the replica of a Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus as it would have been during the "Golden Age" of the circus in the 1920s and '30s.

Ca' d'Zan, built between 1924 and 1925 at a cost of $1.5-million ($15.8-million in today's dollars) in the Venetian Gothic style, was the home of John and Mable Ringling. Another $400,000 was spent to pack its interior with imposing furnishings and decorative objects from the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries. The mansion reopened to the public in 2002 after a six-year, $15-million restoration.

The Ringling complex is at 5401 Bay Shore Road. (941) 359-5700. Hours: 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. daily. $15, $13 seniors; $5 students and children ages 6-12. Admission includes art museum, Ca' d'Zan mansion, circus museum and grounds. The art museum only is free Mondays.

Mote Marine Laboratory: The newest exhibit, Sharktracker, allows visitors to see how scientists follow sharks with high-tech sensors. Plus it features bonnethead sharks. Visitors can also see research labs, whale and dolphin rehabilitation areas, touch stingrays and see other fish, invertebrates, sea turtles, manatees and more. 1600 Ken Thompson Parkway. (941) 388-4441 or www.mote.org. Hours: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. $15, $10 ages 4-12.

Marie Selby Botanical Gardens: The garden has more than 20,000 tropical plants, including 6,000 orchids, in its 11-acre open-air and under-glass museum. The house often features art exhibits with a botanical theme. 811 S Palm Ave. (941) 366-5731 or www.selby.org. Hours: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. $12, $6 ages 6-11.

Sarasota Jungle Gardens: The 60-year-old attraction features plants, tropical birds, birds of prey, reptiles and other exotic animals. There's also a kiddie jungle playground and a shell museum. 3701 Bay Shore Road. (941) 355-5305 or www.sarasotajunglegardens.com. Hours: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. $12 adults, $11 seniors, $8 ages 3-12.

G. WIZ (Gulfcoast Wonder & Imagination Zone): Hands-on science museum with exhibits that allow children to learn about ecology, biology, energy, technology and more. Through Oct. 26, a special exhibit features dinosaurs, including a Pteranodon skeleton and a 46-foot Giganotosaurus skeleton. 1001 Boulevard of the Arts. (941) 309-4949 or www.gwiz.org. Hours: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday; 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday; noon to 6 p.m. Sunday. $9 adults, $6 ages 6-21, $2 ages 3-5.

Sarasota Classic Car Museum: Operating since 1953, the Sarasota Classic Car Museum features more than 100 collectible vehicles, including rare production models (a Cadillac station wagon) and celebrity wheels (John Lennon's Mercedes Roadster and Paul McCartney's Mini Cooper). 5500 N Tamiami Trail. (941) 355-6228 or www.sarasotacar museum.org. Hours: 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily. $8.50 adult, $7.65 senior, $5.75 ages 13-17, $4 ages 6-12.

Major performing arts venues:

Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall: The 1,743-seat hall in the purple waterfront building has long placed an emphasis on classical music programming, but plans more diversity this season with expanded Broadway and pop programming. The Broadway series includes Mamma Mia!, The Producers, Man of La Mancha, Wonderful Town, Altar Boyz and Riverdance. Among the pop and Las Vegas fare: Tony Bennett, Liza Minnelli, Johnny Mathis, Jackie Mason, Jo Dee Messina and Trisha Yearwood. 777 N Tamiami Trail. (941) 953-3368, toll-free 1-800-826-9303 or www.vanwezel.org.

Asolo Theatre Company: The repertory company performs at the FSU Center for the Performing Arts in the 1903 Harold E. and Esther M. Mertz Theatre, which was shipped from Scotland and reconstructed in Sarasota. The center also includes the smaller Jane B. Cook Theatre, which hosts performances by the Asolo Conservatory. The Asolo season features rotating repertory performances November through June. This year's schedule includes Amadeus, The Plexiglass Slipper, Expecting Isabel, Pride and Prejudice and Darwin in Malibu. 5555 N Tamiami Trail, near the Ringling Museum. (941) 351-8000, toll-free 1-800-361-8388 or www.asolo.org.

Sarasota Opera: The company performs traditional opera in a season that runs from January through March. This year's productions will be Madama Butterfly, Halka and Attila. 61 N Pineapple Ave. (941) 366-8450, toll-free 1-888-673-7212 or www.sarasotaopera.org.

[Last modified August 16, 2006, 10:56:49]