Tram tours and airboat rides are alternatives for those who want to go beyond nature trails. Another place to get up close to natural wonders is the Lake Manatee State Recreation Area on Route 64 east of I-75 in neighboring Manatee County. It's a 556-acre setting surrounding a lake almost five times as large. It's estimated that 50 percent of the population of Sarasota and Manatee counties actually plays golf. While this sounds like an extraordinarily high number, when one considers the many well-heeled retirees who make Sarasota and Bradenton their home, it may not be too far off.
Tennis is popular, too.
Although a minor league baseball team, the Sarasota Red Sox, plays here from April through August, for most professional sports, spectators may wish to make the easy commute to Tampa or St. Petersburg. The Tampa Bay Lightning hockey team and the Florida Sharks of the U.S. Basketball League are convenient. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers of the National Football League and the Tampa Bay Storm of the Arena Football League provide football action. Many big-league teams train in the area, but for a Major League team of its own, the area awaits 1998 when the Tampa Bay Devil Rays throw out their first pitch in St. Petersburg. Opera season, sponsored by the Sarasota Opera Association, ushers in four operas renowned for high quality.