Florida: Visiting the Sharktooth Coast
Venice:
Venice, Florida is surrounded by natural beauty and splendor. Venice offers something for everyone including beautiful beaches, its quaint downtown shopping area and the old time Florida scenery, along the Myakka River. Caspersen Beach, the longest beach in Sarasota County, is located south of Venice Airport on Harbor Drive. It has been left in its natural state, uncultivated, windswept, and secluded. This is an exceptionally good area to look for pre-historic sharks teeth and enjoyable shelling. It is also site of the annual Sharks Tooth and Seafood Festival. Venice Municipal Beach is also an excellent place to find sharks teeth and other fossilized material. Just off our shore is our man-made & fossilized coral reef, which attracts divers and fisherman alike. Venice Beach is located at the west end of Venice Avenue one mile west of business Route 41. If you’re a SCUBA diver, a reef containing fossilized material is located a quarter of a mile offshore. You can also find fossilized sharks, mastodon and miniature horse teeth along our beaches.
* The beach’s amenities include:
* pavilion
* rest rooms
* concession
* picnic tables
* volleyball court
Brohard Park
Brohard Park is located in the southern most part of the City of Venice, on the Venice Airport property on Harbor Drive.
If you enjoy fishing, there’s a 700 foot fishing pier on the property for public use. The pier has rest rooms, a snack bar, and a bait shop.
Also located at the park are Sharky’s Restaurant and the U.S. Aux. Coast Guard Training Center.
The wetland area is known for bird watching. The Venice City Commission voted to allow dogs at South Brohard Park. There is a fenced area, a dune walkover, a drinking fountain and showers for dogs and fire hydrants and leash posts. At 300 feet of beach, is a dog beach for dogs and their owners. Dogs must be on leash or under voice control. Owners must clean up after their pets. Next to or adjoining The Dog Beach is Caspersen Beach; located south of the Venice Airport on Harbor Drive. Two thirds of the beachfront has been left in its natural state, offering a very secluded location.
Caspersen is known as a great place for collecting shells. It’s also the best beach for finding pre-historic sharks’ teeth.
* The beach’s amenities include:
* rest rooms
* 1,100 foot boardwalk
* picnic area
* nature trail
Northport:
Incorporated June 15, 1959, North Port is the second largest municipality, in land size in the State of Florida. It offers unlimited potential for growth over the next 50 years. The North Port area contains the City of North Port, the community of Warm Mineral Springs and other developments, like Myakka River State Park, from the eastern banks of the Myakka River to the northwest corner of Charlotte County. Some of your best fishing, in the state, can be found in the areas within its boundaries. Thirty-nine different varieties of fish can be found in the surrounding waterways of Northport, including favorites such as Spotted Gar, Tarpon, Yellow Cat, Brown Bullhead, Channel Catfish, Snook, Shellcracker,
Largemouth Bass, Speckled Perch, and Striped Mullet. When fishing inland, on the rivers, canals or lakes you need a fishing license.
Myakka River State Park is one of Florida’s oldest and largest state parks. The “Florida Wild and Scenic Myakka River” flows through 45 square miles of wetlands, prairies and woodlands. Myakka is popular for hiking, fishing, camping, and wildlife observation.
Nokomis:
Some call this North Venice; Nokomis has all the splendor and grace of an upcoming area on our Gulf. Known for its beach on Casey Key; directly west of the Albee Road Bridge. The park includes 22 acres with 1,700 feet on the Gulf and 3,200 feet on the Intracoastal.
There’s an on-site snack bar serving sandwiches, snacks and cold drinks. One of the few places on the beach you can get a sandwich and soft drink for fewer than five dollars! The beach’s amenities include:
* rest rooms
* concession pavilion
* small picnic shelters
* boat ramp
* boardwalk and deck
* dune walkovers
Also located within Nokomis is the North Jetty Park; located on the southern tip of Casey Key. The jetties there make it one of the best places on the west coast of Florida for Fishing. It’s a popular spot for picnics and there is good shelling as well.
Located on U.S. 41, two miles south of Osprey or just to the north after leaving Nokomis is Oscar Scherer State Park. A large acreage of scrubby Flatwoods makes this park one of the best places to see Florida scrub-jays, a threatened species found only in Florida. The park protects scrubby and pine Flatwoods that were once widespread throughout Sarasota County. Fifteen miles of trails through these beautiful natural areas provide opportunities for hiking, bicycling, and wildlife viewing. Canoeists and kayakers can paddle along South Creek, a black water stream that flows to the Gulf of Mexico. Canoe and kayak rentals are available, but motorized boats are not permitted in the park boundaries. Freshwater and saltwater fishing are available along the creek. Anglers can fish along the shores of Lake Osprey, which is also the parks swimming destination. Picnic areas along South Creek are equipped with grills; pavilions can be reserved for a fee. The park has full-facility campsites and a youth/group campground.
Englewood:
(Psst)also known as Floridas Best Kept Secret, Englewood, Florida is located on the Gulf of Mexico in Southwest Florida on Beautiful Lemon Bay. Home to at least fourteen Charter Guide Services, Englewood offers a great way to catch “The Big Ones”, at a reasonable cost. The barrier islands of Manasota Key and Knight Island separate the bay from the Gulf of Mexico. The Intracoastal Waterway passes through the center of Lemon Bay. Stump Pass Separates the Gulf to the West, Manasota Key to the North, Knight Island to the South and Lemon Bay to the East. Still used by local mariners, Stump Pass is tricky with its changing bars and channels. It is a great place to fish and shell alike. Englewood has much to offer in things to do from quaint dinning on the water to its Sports Complex. Indian Mound Park gives a glance into our own past, with Manasota Beach giving us Fun in the Sun and a place to take the whole family. From romantic walks on the beach at night, to shelling with the kids or surf fishing along its shores; there is plenty to do while visiting our community of Englewood on the Sharktooth Coast.
