Summer fun for foreign tourists: international visitors love our summer sun and off-season rates. We asked tourism experts and local ex-pats what else they love and designed a guide just for them.Tiki TikiTick of Dow Jones Industrial Average component issues. Time Foreigners want water views, tropical drinks and a vacation atmosphere. Look no further. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] O'Leary's Tiki Bar and Grill at Bayfront Park. The biggest and busiest in town, O'Leary's attracts everyone from office workers to live-aboards. Live music, better-than-average food; jam-packed on weekend nights. 5 Bayfront Drive, 953-7505. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Spanish Pointe Restaurant and Marina. At this quiet spot on Little Sarasota Bay. you can sit under a shady thatched roof, at waterside picnic tables or on the dock. Great place for birdwatching and spotting manatees. Live entertainment on weekends. Fresh conch conch (kŏngk, kŏnch, kôngk), common name for certain marine gastropod mollusks having a heavy, spiral shell, the whorls of which overlap each other. fritters, too. 135 Bayview Drive, Osprey osprey (ŏs`prē), common name for a bird of prey related to the hawk and the New World vulture and found near water in most parts of the world. , 966-5746. The Kokonut Hut at Gulf Drive Cafe. This one-year-old tiki bar enjoys both sensational Gulf views, live music and a full menu from one of the island's best restaurants. 900 Gulf Drive. Bradenton Beach, 778-1919. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The Lido Key Tiki Bar. The oldest and still the best, this blissfully simple little spot is part of the Ritz-Carlton Beach Club but open to the public. Find a nearby parking spot, then reward yourself with the signature Green Flash. People dance on the sand to live music on weekends. No food, but with a setting like this, who needs it? 1234 Ben Franklin Drive, Lido Key, 309-2581. Casey Key Fish House Tiki Bar. You'll enjoy a nice view of the Intracoastal--and of three dolphins who show off so much that we suspect they're on the payroll. Live music on weekends, great Rum Runners and fresh seafood. 801 Blackburn Point Road, Osprey, 966-1901. International visitors love to shop St. Armands, and they'll love it even more on the first Wednesday evening of each month, when the new [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] "Buskers on the Circle" brings the European tradition of street musicians here. Performances start at 6 p.m. A Taste of Home Homesick? Here's where to head. Geier's Sausage Kitchen. Germans love this gemutlich ge·müt·lich adj. Warm and congenial; pleasant or friendly. [German, from Middle High German gemüetlich, from gemüete, spirit, feelings, from Old High German gimuoti (warm and friendly) market and deli, with authentic meats, breads, cakes, chocolates and even German magazines and CDs. 7447 S. Tamiami Trail, Sarasota, 923-3004. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Le Macaron. The famous French meringue confections come to colorful life in myriad flavors in this patisserie pa·tis·se·rie n. A bakery specializing in French pastry. [French pâtisserie, from Old French pastiserie, from pasticier, to make pastry, from *pastitz, , which also features croissants, pain au chocolat Pain au chocolat (pronunciation ), also called a chocolatine in South-West France and in Quebec, is a French pastry, consisting of a cuboid-shaped piece of puff pastry containing , authentic espresso and more. 382 St. Armands Circle, 552-8872. German Inn Bed and Breakfast. This charmingly renovated 1926 B & B and restaurant in downtown Bradenton used to be the London Inn, and they still offer traditional tea along with a new German kaffeeklatsch kaf·fee·klatsch n. Variant of coffee klatch. and dinner--and a brand-new beer garden, too. 304 15th St. W., Bradenton, 748-5658. Lynches Pub & Grub. Sisters Chris and Ethna have been beguiling locals and visitors for years with their authentic Irish menu and warm hospitality. 19 B. Boulevard of Presidents, 388-5550. White Horse Pub The White Horse Pub is a small public house situated in the Liverpool suburb of Woolton Village. It is known as one of the smallest pubs in Liverpool and was the first in the area of Merseyside to adopt a complete No-Smoking policy within the premises. See www.wooltonvillage.co.uk . It will feel like they've flown back across the pond at this cozy pub, beloved of expat Brits and featuring all sorts of English pints and plates, from Scotch eggs to surprisingly good Indian food. Billiards table, too. 6240 N. Lockwood Ridge Road, Sarasota, 358-1353. Tastefully British. Grocery store, gift shop and tea room, this establishment, owned by an English couple, offers a full menu of English specialties for tea or a meal. 2236 Gulf Gate Drive, Sarasota, 925-9682. Beach Adventures Work out on the nation's No. 1 beach with Nia Fitness, which combines martial and healing arts with dance. Tuesday mornings on Siesta Beach, 9-10 a.m. $10. (843) 860-6661. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Turtle Walks Summer is nesting time for sea turtles, and you can search for nests and learn about these endangered creatures on a sunrise "Turtle Walk" with Mote Marine experts. 383-2451. Foreigners adore Anna Maria Island's unspoiled beaches. They can learn more about the natural wonders there on one of Captain Kim's Charters' tours, which explore marine and bird life, shore environments, even nautical history, with lots of hands-on fun. 920-3307. Kids--and adults--from every country get excited about shark's teeth. The best place to hunt for them? Secluded Caspersen Beach in Venice (shark's tooth capital of the world!). You'll need a long-handled sieve ($12-$20). You can get one and view an awesome collection of fossilized teeth at Sea Pleasures and Treasures, 225 Venice Ave., Venice, 488-3510. Rent a beach pavilion for an all-American barbecue. Forget the fancy restaurants; burgers on the beach are what they'll remember. Pavilions are available on six county beaches, and you can often snag one at the last minute in summer. $80-$150 for four hours, depending on size. 861-7275. |
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