Artsy, eclectic and colorful, Siesta Key offers the laid-back island
lifestyle with a carefree feel and no worries philosophy. Colonized in 1846
and home to a mere 300 residents in 1940, Siesta Key began as a collection
of fish camps for avid anglers and boating enthusiasts but today’s
vacationers come for the beaches. The award-winning white sand is 99 percent
pure quartz and as light and cool on the feet as talcum powder and there are
three different beaches to sample. Turtle Beach offers a distinct family
feeling with picnic areas, playgrounds, volleyball nets, horseshoe pits and
a boat launch. Crescent Beach is less crowded and features Point of Rocks, a
perfect spot for snorkeling and diving. Siesta Key Public Beach is the
happening place, with Fun Runs during the week, Drum Circle on Sunday
evenings at sunset, sand sculpturing contests, lifeguards and concession
stands. A shaded playground and picnic area draw a crowd and it is just a
short walk from the public beach to Siesta Key Village, with shops that
range from designer chic to hip and funky and restaurants that serve up a
diversity of dining experiences. Stroll past the sidewalk cafes and art
galleries with your hand-dipped ice cream cone and make reservations for an
elegant dinner. Outside venues are plentiful and flip-flops typically
satisfy the dress code. Pedestrian-friendly and casual, Siesta Key is an
artistic mecca for writers, watercolorists, jewelry designers, furniture
makers, potters and sculptors. Locals rub elbows with novelists and
playwrights while window shopping and painters are often spotted setting up
their easels on the beach at sunset. Author John D. Macdonald wrote his
Travis McGee detective series while a resident of Siesta Key and penned some
70 books during his time on the island. Mackinlay Cantor, winner of the 1956
Pulitzer Prize for his book “Andersonville” is another famous writer who
called Siesta Key home. Real estate ranges from small rental cottages to
waterfront condominiums and custom single family homes on canals, open bay
and the Gulf.
