villahappygator

Welcome to the Downtown Venice Craft Festival January 26 + 27

Birgit Laniewski Event , , , , , , ,
craft festival Venice

Downtown Venice Florida with its lovely historic buildings is the perfect setting for a Craft Festival. Along West Venice Avenue, some of the nation’s best crafters offer a wide variety of ceramics, jewelry, metal works and much more. Stroll along the numerous small stands and talk directly with the artists. Chances are good that you fell in love with something that seems to be perfect for you or your home.

There is also a Green Market with live flora and delicious food such as freshly popped kettle corn and spicy sauces.

Combine your visit with some shopping in the unique little stores and enjoy a rest at one of the cozy cafés, restaurants and bars within the charming downtown streets of Venice, the City on the Gulf.

12th Annual Downtown Venice Craft Festival

When:                       Saturday, January 26th, 2019 – 10:00am to 5:00pm

Sunday, January 27th, 2019 – 10:00am to 5:00pm

Where:                     401 West Venice Ave in Venice, FL

Cost:                         Free Admission

Info:                         artfestival.com

Where to Eat in Venice: “Croissant & Co” – The French Bakery

Birgit Laniewski Family, Kids, Restaurants, Venice Florida , , , , , , , , , ,
Croissant&Co Fruit Cake

Come and visit this cute cafe! Croissant&Co is a French patisserie in the boulangerie with a lovely lunch menu and delicious coffee choices. Everything is made with only the freshest ingredients.

You will love the croissants, tarts, cakes & loaves of bread to go from the bakery counter. Sit down in the cafe and enjoy the charming decor and wonderful artwork.

I would say, Croissant&Co is the best French bakery outside of France!

Go to their website for opening hours and directions. Croissant&Co is conveniently located on 323 W Venice Ave, Venice FL.

Croissant&Co Rolls-2Croissant&Co Toertchen

Best Beaches of SW Florida: Blind Pass Park Englewood

Birgit Laniewski Beaches, Family, Kids, Nature, Venice Florida , , , , , , , , , ,
Blind Pass Englewood

Blind Pass Beach, also known as Middle Beach, is a real local secret and absolutely worth a visit. The natural beach is situated between Manasota Beach and Stump Pass Beach and offers almost 3000 feet of beautiful sandy coastline with lots of shells, the water is clear and emerald tinted. With some luck, you will find a sand dollar or a few of the famous fossil shark teeth.

Across the street on the bay side, a nice little nature trail is meandering through the mangrove forest.

There are clean restrooms with outside showers, a pavilion, picnic tables, a playground, boat ramps and a canoe launch. As with each Park in Sarasota County, parking is free!

Blind Pass Park is only a short 15 minutes drive away from our Villa Happy Gator.

More info at Sarasota County Website.

Blind Pass Park Englewood

Travel Tip created by Birgit in association with Vacation Soup

12th Annual Buchan Airport Fly-In on March 3, 2018

Birgit Laniewski Family, Kids, Venice Florida , , , , , , , , ,
Buchanan Airport Florida

This is a great opportunity to meet flying friends and fun for the whole family. Enjoy breakfast under a tent with quiche and pastry. There will also be a variety of vendors.

View vintage, experimental, homebuilt and general aviation aircraft and watch the planes take off & land!

Event starts at 9:00 am and will take place until 12:00 pm. Admission is free!

For more info please visit eventbrite.com.

Buchan Airport is located on 1390 Olde Englewood Road in Englewood, FL 34223, only a few minutes away from Villa Happy Gator in Venice, your 5-star vacation home.

 

Travel Tip created by Birgit in association with Vacation Soup

Book Your Vacation in Venice Florida – Enjoy “Garden of Wonders”

Birgit Laniewski Event, Family, Kids, Nature, Venice Florida , , , , , , , , ,
Venice Arts Festival

Venice Florida is the perfect location for a perfect holiday: Miles of pristine beaches, close to shopping and nature parks and cozy cafés, bars and restaurants.

How about planning a stay in November and visit the Venice Chalk Festival November 9-12 with its motto “Garden of Wonders”? From start to finish, you can witness the largest gathering of renowned pavement artists perform using the road surface as a canvas to develop oversized masterpieces in chalk. (chalkfestival.org)

For your stay we recommend our Villa Happy Gator, a 5 star rated vacation home with gorgeous pool area and close to the beach, shopping and nature parks. Contact us and book your favorite time now! Still several openings in 2018.

Birgit, owner Villa Happy Gator in Venice Florida

Travel Tip created by Birgit in association with Vacation Soup

Fossil Shark Teeth on Venice Florida Beaches

Birgit Laniewski Beaches, Family, Kids, Venice Florida , , , , , , ,
Shark Teeth in Venice Florida

Venice Florida is the “Shark Tooth Capital of the World”. Nowhere else you will find so many of them so easily. Everything started 50 million years ago. Visit our site and learn interesting facts. Did you know that a shark can lose more than 10.000 teeth during his life? Read about the best beach for the hunt: VillaHappyGator.com.

Sarasota Balloon Festival March 8 – 11

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Balloon Festival Sarasota

Sarasota’s biggest event for the whole family!

On March 8 – 11, Sarasota will have a hot air balloon festival! The event  will take place on Lakewood Ranch, about 30 miles North of our vacation home in Venice, Villa Happy Gator and is a combination of mass balloon ascents, competition flying, static displays and tethered rides.

In addition to balloon activities the event features a large carnival, entertainment on stage, retail vendors, food vendors, an arts and crafts area plus many more activities for a family day out. Admission will be free.

More Info.

Travel Tip created by Birgit in association with Vacation Soup

Drum Circle at Nokomis Beach

Birgit Laniewski Beaches, Event, Family, Kids, Venice Florida , , , , , , , , ,
Drum Circle

Every Wednesday and Saturday Evening there is the traditional drum event at Nokomis Beach, a casual gathering of drummers, musicians and people from all over the world that want to have some fun.

Join this unique event, that is taking place for decades and enjoy sharing this special time with family and friends. Best is to bring a blanket and beach chairs.

The Nokomis Beach Drum Circle is taking place at 100 Casey Key Rd, Nokomis, FL 34275 – only a 20 minutes drive from our Pool Villa Happy Gator in Venice.

Read more on ospreynokomisflorida.com/events/nokomis-beach-drum-circle/.

Travel Tip created by Birgit in association with Vacation Soup

Rothenbach Park in Sarasota – only ½ hour from Venice Florida

Birgit Laniewski Family, Kids, Nature, Venice Florida , , , , , , , , ,
Rothenbach Park Sarasota

This beautiful community park with about five miles of paved recreational trails that are perfect for walking, jogging, or cycling is only a short 30 minutes drive away from our lovely pool vacation home Villa Happy Gator in Venice (VillaHappyGator.com).

2 playground areas are very much loved by the little ones. Runners, walkers and bikers enjoy 2 loop trails around a lake through tropical vegetation. You will see a lot of wildlife, even an alligator lives in the lake.

Rothenbach Park was built on an old county dump and is a true example of “recreational recycling”.

Address: 8650 Bee Ridge Road, Sarasota, FL 34241