Explore the Secret of the Seas at Mote Aquarium

For anyone visiting the Sarasota area, Mote Aquarium is a must-see. A local favorite, the Aquarium is on City Island located between the barrier island of Longboat Key on the North and Lido Key’s St. Armands Circle on the South.

This unique attraction is first and foremost, a research facility. Eugenia Clark founded the facility in 1955 primarily for shark research. It is now a world-renowned marine laboratory in the areas of aquaculture, coastal ecology, and marine mammal rehabilitation – to name a few.
Mote opened its aquarium in 1980, displaying Florida’s marine life for all to see. Mote allows you to explore the secrets of the sea with touch pools, shark, dolphin, manatee and sea turtle exhibits and over 100 other species of marine life.

Mote visitors can learn about the ocean’s top predators and shark research at the Shark Habitat, a 135,000-gallon tank with nurse sharks, bull sharks, blacktips, and sandbar sharks – among others. At Shark Tracker, visitors take on the role of Mote scientists and learn how sharks are tracked in the wild or find out what it’s like to be a shark in the exciting 12-minute movie at Shark Attack Theater.

A favorite for children, the Aquarium has two touch pools: at Contact Cove, get close to horseshoe crabs, sea stars, and sea urchins and at the Ray Touch Pool you can touch sting rays with no worries – their barbed tails have been removed.

Now the main attraction: The Ann and Alfred Goldstein Marine Mammal Research and Rehabilitation Center where visitors can see resident manatees Hugh and Buffett, loggerhead and green sea turtles, and resident dolphins, Harley and Moonshine.

When your visit to Mote Aquarium has ended, take a ride over to St. Armand’s Circle for some fine shopping and dining.

According to My Florida Regional Multiple Listing Service here are the figures for Longboat & Lido Keys:

Longboat Key Single Family Homes for Sale there are 164 Active Listings priced from $179,900 to $9,995,000. There are 15 Sale Pending and there have been 35 Single Family Homes Sold this year.

Longboat Key Condos for Sale there are 414 Active Listings priced from $48,995 to $5,000,000. There are 55 Sale Pending and there have been 101 Condos Sold this year.

Lido Key Single Family Homes for Sale there are 47 Active Listings priced from $475,000 to $9,800,000. There are 5 Sale Pending and there have been 16 Single Family Homes Sold this year.

Lido Key Condos for sale there are 102 Active Listings priced from $159,900 to $3,999,000. There are 4 Sale Pending and there have been 22 Condos Sold this year.

Nick Herron & Kathleen Herron of the Herron Group, RE/MAX Alliance Group would be glad to show you any of the properties listed on Sarasota’s Barrier Island of Lido Key, Longboat Key, Siesta Key, Casey Key, Manasota Key, and Island of Venice. Call 941.350.5035.

Beach, Bay or Back Nine…Live the Dream