Longboat Key is known as the Key that is so pristine that "they cut the grass with scissors and not a blade of grass nor flower is out of place!"
It is a barrier island streching north of St. Armands Key and south of Anna Maria Island spanning two counties: Manatee County and Sarasota County. Driving down Gulf of Mexico Drive, you can see the blue-green waters of the Gulf of Mexico on the west and Sarasota Bay on the east.
The area is popular among retirees and "snowbirds" and vacationers will find beautiful resorts such as the Longboat Key Club with two immaculate golf courses and The Colony with its top rated tennis club and private beach. The population of approximately 8,000 permanent residents more than doubles during peak tourist season
Longboat Key offers wonderful parks for all to enjoy.
Bayfront Park Recreation Center, located at 4052 Gulf of Mexico Drive, Longboat Key, FL 34228, offers programs for all ages including leisure and recreational sports, organized sports leagues and activities, educational programs, cultural classes and seminars, social functions, and special events.
Longboat Key Tennis Center, located at 590 Bay Isles Rd., has 10 soft clay courts, teaching professionals, and organized events. Come join the fun!
Bicentennial Park is a one acre park where you can pause to observe the native plants and trees and relax on one of the benches.
Joan M. Durant Community Park is an 18 acre site is located on Sarasota Bay two miles from the north end of Longboat Key. The park is full of native vegetation and exotic trees, such as Live Oaks, Red Cedar, Sabal Palms, Banyon, Mango, Green Buttonwood, Mahoe, Wax Myrtle, Mangroves, Sabal Palmetto, Seagrape, and Gumbo Limbo. The park has won a number of awards including "1998 Outstanding Ecosystem Restoration Award" from the Florida Urban Forestry Council, the "Public Landscape Award" from the Keep Manatee Beautiful organization, and the "Image Manatee Beautification Award" from the Manatee County Chamber of Commerce.
Quick Point Nature Preserve has both a man-made lagoon and natural lagoon. It is a wonderful place for birdwatching where you may see a Snowy Egret, White Ibis, Herring Gull, Great Blue Heron, Great American Egret and Osprey.
In the water, you may see whelks, conchs, juvenile crabs and many kinds of small fish, including mullet, black drum, and others.
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