TravelAwaits
May.24.2021
As kids, how many of us said we were going to run away to the circus? Well, perhaps a trip to Baraboo, Wisconsin, with its circus history is the next best thing! This lovely Wisconsin town is located on Highway 12 North of Madison and is near the Wisconsin Dells. Visitors can stay at a mansion where one of the Ringling Brothers lived and tour another brother’s mansion. You can visit the Circus World Museum or walk by the Al Ringling Theater. All over Baraboo, there are historical markers and remnants of Circus life in the Birthplace of The Greatest Show on Earth.
Mary Jane Whitaker
Among the first of these was Mary Jane Whitaker, wife of William Whitaker, Sarasota’s first pioneer settler.
As gutsy as she was small she stood in at 5 feet tall the diminutive Mary Jane was fearless. Besides contending with the hardships inherent in surviving life on the frontier, she faced danger from marauding Seminole Indians who burned her Yellow Bluffs home down in a raid.
Later, she went toe-to-toe with Union soldiers during the Civil War who threatened to burn her second home down. Legend has it that Mary Jane handed the officer in charge a match, saying, “I want to look in the eyes of a man who can stoop so low as to burn the house of a helpless woman and her children.” He and his men rode off leaving the Whitaker home standing.
In Sarasota, “Money talks, history walks.” I remember when there was a push to save Sarasota High School, long before Dr. Larry Thompson raised the funds to engineer a fantastic makeover of the Collegiate Gothic school which served generations of locals, myself included.
A group of former students devised a bumper sticker that read, “History Cannot Be Bought.” I still have one. On the sticker attached to my car I crossed the “not” part. Indeed, Sarasota history CAN be bought. And has been often, and for quite some time.
But concurrent with the losses, there have been important saves. In Part 1, I mentioned the Sarasota Opera House, opened in 1926 as the Edwards Theatre, the Sarasota Terrace Hotel, built by Charles Ringling and opened the same year, the Orange Blossom Condominiums, built in 1925. All assets to the community also serving as reminders of our storied past.
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What are the best coffee shops in Sarasota-Manatee? Here s our guide
From artisan establishments to more casual, low-key spots, some of the best local places to grab a cup of coffee.
Whether it s a needed jolt of caffeine in the morning, or an inviting atmosphere to meet someone or spend some alone time while sipping a drink, the appeal of a good coffee shop is timeless. Thankfully, there are plenty of such standout spots to choose from in Sarasota-Manatee.
Sadly, we did lose downtown Bradenton coffee shops Oscura Café and Bar and Tellers last year. Yet in just the past few months, we ve also seen the openings of Cremesh Coffee and Bakery in Bradenton, Rise Coffee Co. & Nye s Cream Sandwiches in Sarasota and Tenth Street Coffee in Palmetto. Then there are all the long-running local coffeehouse favorites, ranging from artisan establishments to low-key, casual spots.