Warmth, Retreat and Renewal in Sunny Florida
Englewood, Florida, lies on the Gulf Coast 18 miles south of Sarasota. While close to the cultural benefits of Sarasota (opera, symphony, museums, night life, etc) and within easy traveling distance from airports in Sarasota, Tampa (1.5 hours), and Clearwater (1.5 hours), Englewood is a bit off the beaten path and still retains old Florida charm.
Live Oak at Forked Creek, our Florida rental property, lies on a salt water creek just a mile from Englewood Bay and the Inland Waterway. A five minute drive through quiet neighborhood streets brings you to Manasota Beach on 9 mile long Manasota Key. This state beach, one of three on the key, provides splendid facilities for parking, picnicking, boat launching and recreating.
There are more than fifty fine restaurants in Englewood and neighboring Venice with menus that astound those used to New England dining prices. Over sixty golf courses are nearby. Additionally, Englewood has a superb library and a fine arts center with many exhibits and classes in everything from sculpture to oil painting. Take a stroll in Olde Englewood on Dearborn Street for its many galleries and shops, or, if nature is more to your liking, there are many parks offering opportunities for birding and investigation of native plants and wildlife.
We enjoy walking in the neighborhood, but if you’d rather bike, there are two five speeds at your disposal. Launch the kayak or the bright yellow Old Town canoe and paddle a half mile from our dock to a bird rookery amidst two mangrove islands. Keep watch for manatees, gentle half ton creatures that swim alongside and then, without a sound, disappear into the outgoing currents. If fishing interests you, scores of anglers cast off the beaches and, we are told by locals, the fishing doesn’t get any better than in the waters right off our dock as the tide turns and the waters begin flowing back to the bay.
There are many spaces at Live Oak for creativity. For journaling, there’s a writing table with great morning light. The spinet piano is used for musical composition whenever we stay. The home is decorated with original art designed to inspire. For your own endeavors, a portable drafting table in the front hall closet can be set up in the Florida room. (You’ll find good supplies at the Englewood Art Center store.)
If quieter recreating appeals, the Florida room offers many choices for comfort, including a pair of ice cream parlor chairs at a small glass table, perfect for a light lunch. Out back, there’s seating for four on the patio, and two comfortable chairs on the dock. Or, take folding chairs from the shed out under the live oak beside the driveway. It’s a landmark tree, and the source of the home’s name.
Live Oak has all the amenities we would want in a rental property. There are two bedrooms and baths, one with a walk-in shower. The laundry has a washer, dryer and good space for ironing. The home is centrally heated, air-conditioned and has sparkling terrazzo floors throughout. Cable and WiFi are provided, there is a stereo as well as books and games.
Live Oak is designed to provide relaxation, recreation and retreat. Most of our renters come back year after year. The property is available for periods from a week to five months, October through May.
How to Find It
Englewood in a Nutshell
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