Things to Do in Fruitville

Beneath a canopy of towering palms, visitors to Sarasota Children’s Garden trace a winding pathway around a koi pond and animal topiaries. The idyllic environs stem from owner Joan Condon’s vision to provide a playspace immersed in Sarasota’s natural beauty. Garden curators hone in on nature’s whimsical side, dotting the premises with fairy gardens and sculptures of mythical creatures. Beyond providing ample space for frolicking and befriending retired tooth fairies, the garden also strives to introduce stewardship to young minds with classes and events.

Art in the eyes of Cara Levitt isn't only about aesthetics––it's a powerful tool of personal expression that can be used to heal unseen emotional wounds. A board-certified art therapist with six years of experience working in the mental-health field, Levitt established Draw It Out Art Therapy to help visitors grapple with life's obstacles while learning to problem solve, regulate their emotions, and create original works of art as a tangible form of catharsis. Her programs for singles, groups, families, and children take on a variety of issues, including low self-esteem and anxiety, and encourage participants to redirect their energy into completing a number of projects such as paintings, worry jars, and piñatas made of papier-mâché pink slips.

When a family of five wanted to go on a kayak tour, they assumed their daughter with Down's syndrome couldn't come along. But Shan-T co-owner Michelle Thorpe assured them she could, and invited her along in her own tandem kayak. Once on the water, the girl immediately took charge, joyfully taking over paddling. Michelle and her husband Gary had always searched for a way to conduct fun, physical, outdoor activities that would accommodate people with special needs, including their daughter with Asperger's and their niece who is autistic. Taking advantage of the therapeutic nature of the area's calm waters, Shan-T provides a way for just about everyone to commune with nature. The couple operates their tours intimately, using no more than 15 boats per group so that wilderness smells and the sounds of lapping waves are prevalent throughout their adventures.

The pair leads their tours through secluded, often shallow waterways and wildlife-rich areas aboard ocean-style kayaks with open tops for easy boarding and egress. They sometimes allow participants to use the boats as standup paddleboards on which participants can stretch their legs or reach up to scratch head itches with overhanging branches. On each tour, guides stress the fragility of the local ecosystem, highlighting issues such as baby fish growing up inside discarded soda cans and dolphins consuming floating plastic bags. In response, participants often pick up any refuse they see, with tours in the past becoming scavenger hunts to help clean the secluded waterways and to see who can find the most Gene Simmons solo albums. On many of these trips, kayakers have encountered manatees up close, sometimes when they brush up against the boats to scratch their backs and bellies.

The instructors at True Blue Horse Farm instill the subtleties of horsemanship in students of all ages and abilities. Prior to each private lesson, students spend 30 minutes preparing for their time atop one of the many resident horses. They then review proper safety and grooming techniques before saddling the animal and memorize its life story to prevent awkward lapses in conversation.

Once settled, both the instructor and pupil lead hoofed vehicles out onto the farm's 2-acre grass ring, complete with a full jumping course. Students may choose to receive their instruction in the riding styles of hunting and jumping, which recall classic English foxhunting, or dressage, which involves commanding the horse to perform nimble maneuvers without having to yell at it or install a steering wheel.

With backgrounds as military and international-law-enforcement personnel, the instructors at Aegis Tactical know from experience that intense situations can challenge even the most experienced marksmen. That's why they teach a suite of classes and private lessons tailored to shooters of every experience level. NRA-sanctioned courses such as the FIRST Steps Pistol course, acquaint beginners with the basics of operating handguns. Alternatively, advanced training caters to law-enforcement and security personnel. Most courses take place at Aegis Tactical's outdoor training center, where instructors demonstrate proper attitude and firearms operations so students feel comfortable defending themselves, should aliens ever arrive.

Extreme Jetski School owner Dan Stein is something of a Renaissance man. Aside from enjoying a lengthy professional career as a standup jet skier, he has appeared on a Japanese sitcom and been featured on Mexican national television. But none of these accolades and achievements has ever diverted him from his first aquatic love. Today, Dan rides jet skis as much as possible, and teaching has become a way for him to share his passion for the sport with newcomers or intermediate or advanced riders. His lessons cover everything from basic balance to jet-ski tricks including flips, reentries, or having it roll over for a treat.