www.longboatkeychamber.com
www.longboatkeychamber.com
Longboat Key The Town of Longboat Key turned 58 on Nov. 13, 2013. But the island of Longboat Key has a rich history that predates the formation of the town. Longboat Key has been a tourist destination for hundreds — if not thousands — of years. Its earliest tourists were Calusa and Timucan Indians who lived on the mainland east of the island but traveled to the island to enjoy many of the same attractions that visitors treasure today: the beaches and bountiful seafood harvest. Spanish explorer Hernando De Soto led an expedition in 1538 to Florida in search of gold. His scout and treasurer, Juan Anasco, explored the area and is said to be the first white man to set foot on Longboat Key. It wasn’t until the late 1800s that Longboat Key got its first permanent residents. In 1888, Thomas Mann, a Confederate soldier and carpenter by trade, moved his family to a thatched hut he built somewhere on the north end of the Key. In 1891, Mann was awarded 144.47 acres in what is now the Longbeach Village neighborhood, as part of the Homestead Act of 1862. Communities developed in the early 1900s at the north end of the island and mid-Key, where an
» fast facts Longboat Key is most likely named for the longboats that Spaniards used once they reached landfall. According to local legend, explorer Juan Anasco believed the Indians were hostile when he and his companions reached land on the island and fled, leaving their longboat in the bayou.
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PICTURE OF PARADISE
Mary Lou Johnson
Outdoor Activities
Mary Lou Johnson
agricultural community of approximately 18 families flourished. The Mistletoe steamship transported visitors between the island and the mainland and also shipped produce from farmer Byron Corey’s dock, known as Corey’s Landing. A hurricane in October 1921 destroyed island farming activity and most existing homes. But a storm could not wipe out island life. Throughout the next 30 years, families continued to move to Longboat Key, and on Nov. 13, 1955, residents voted 186-13 to incorporate as a town. Arvida Corp. changed the course of the island’s history in 1959, when it bought waterfront property on the south end of Longboat and its surrounding keys for $13.5 million. Throughout the 1960s and 1970s, the company developed plans for condominiums and golf courses that would give the Key its current character today.
■ The pirate Jean La Fitte was shipwrecked in 1821 on or near Longboat Key for several months. ■ Longboat Key has not been hit directly by a hurricane since 1947. ■ President George W. Bush stayed on Longboat Key on Sept. 10, 2001, the night before the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.
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Jack Elka
Mary Lou Johnson
Today, Longboat Key is home to a year-round population of 7,000 and draws as many as 22,000 at the peak of season, usually considered to be Easter weekend. Just like Longboat Key’s original tourists, residents and visitors alike enjoy the beaches and weather — but today’s islanders also cherish the many recreational and cultural amenities, along with shops and restaurants located both on and off the island. Centuries after Calusa and Timucan Indians became Longboat Key’s earliest tourists, the island remains a tourist destination. Need proof? Longboat Key was voted the No. 2 North American island travel destination in the Condé Nast Traveler 2010 Readers’ Choice Survey. But Longboaters who enjoy warm weather, pristine beaches and many local offerings did not need a survey to tell them that their beloved island is a top-notch destination.
Longboat Key offers a plethora of outdoor activities — from biking, rollerblading and even recumbent biking up and down Gulf of Mexico Drive to a variety of watersports performed on our turquoise waters of Sarasota Bay and Gulf of Mexico. Sarasota Sailing Squadron anchors the Key to the south in the area known as City Island. Drive past Mote Marine Aquarium all the way to the water's edge and you will be greeted with a line of sailboats, along with an unforgettable view of the downtown Sarasota skyline. The squadron grew out of the youth sailing program at Sarasota Yacht Club in the late 1930s, but was disbanded during World War II. It was reorganized under the auspices of the YMCA in 1946 and obtained its own charter in 1947. Today, more than 800 families sail at the squadron, which is open seven days a week. Not only does the facility host many regattas a year, including the Labor Day Regatta, it also allows visiting sailors to dock for $20 a night during non-regatta days. The squadron is also the launch site for a different kind of race, the Sarasota SUP race series. SUP stands for stand-up paddleboarding, which requires only a longboard, a paddle and a healthy dose of balance. Some SUP yoga teachers lead yogisturned-water-sports-lovers in gentle moves while balancing on a SUP board in the waters off Longboat or Lido keys. Other outdoor activities for the area include kayaking through the mangroves, yoga on the beach, tennis, golf, boating and fishing. Call the Longboat Key Chamber of Commerce at 941-383-2466 for details.