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Longboat Key, Florida: What to Do and Where to Eat

April 30, 2018 by A Savory Feast 5 Comments

Come soak up the sun with a relaxing island getaway on Longboat Key, Florida. This is your guide to where to stay, what to eat and what to do. Whether you are planning a family vacation, girl’s getaway weekend or couple’s retreat, Longboat Key is just what you are looking for.

Escape to Longboat Key, Florida for a relaxing beach vacation! Here is the ultimate guide to Longboat Key with where to stay, where to eat and what to do. Whether you are planning a family vacation, girl's getaway weekend or couple's retreat, this is the perfect location to visit. #longboatkey #vacation #travel #florida

This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase through these links, I will receive a small commission.

Longboat Key is just outside of my hometown of Sarasota, Florida. I grew up vacationing there and just returned from another trip with my husband and our son.

One of my favorite things about Longboat Key is how quiet the beaches are. Most of the beach accesses are private entrances for resorts or vacation homes. The public accesses don’t have much parking available, so the beaches are never crowded!

Today I’m sharing a few of my favorites on Longboat Key, starting with where to stay. Then get some ideas for amazing restaurants to try, fun things to do and a few day trip ideas as well.

Where to Stay on Longboat Key Florida: get an entire condo or beach house to yourself with Airbnb!

Where to Stay on Longboat Key

For this trip, we decided to get a condo through Airbnb. We were traveling with my brother and sister-in-law, so we needed plenty of space for all of us. The condo we found had a beautiful view of the bay from the balcony and there was a pool and hot tub on site. The beach was just a short drive away!

I’ve been loving using Airbnb for my travels lately. Especially since I have a toddler, it’s nice to get a whole house or condo. I love having a kitchen so that we can do some cooking, and it’s great to have more space than we would get in a hotel room.

If you are new to Airbnb, use this code to get $40 off your first trip!

What to Eat on Longboat Key

Toes in the sand dining at Mar Vista in Longboat Key, Florida
Waterside dining at Mar Vista in Longboat Key, Florida
What to order at Mar Vista Dockside Restaurant

Mar Vista

Eat with your toes in the sand at Mar Vista! This dockside restaurant serves seafood, burgers and more. It’s a great location for kids because they can play on the beach by water while you wait for your food.

What to order: Mar Vista Tater Tots appetizer and Crab Crusted Scallops for a main dish (pictured above).

Eat on the water at the Old Salty Dog on Longboat Key.
You have to try the grouper sandwich at The Old Salty Dog!

The Old Salty Dog

This is another great place to eat on the water. They are famous for their “Salty Dog” which is a 1/4 pound hot dog dipped in their batter and fried to a golden brown. They also have seafood, sandwiches, burgers and more. I was craving their fried grouper sandwich and it hit the spot!

What to order: Fried Grouper Sandwich (pictured above).

Euphemia Haye Dessert Bar on Longboat Key

The Haye Loft at Euphemia Haye

The Haye Loft is located upstairs above Euphemia Haye restaurant. It is one of our favorite places in the area to go for dessert! When you arrive, the host will take you to the dessert bar (pictured above) and name all of the desserts for you. They have some of the best cakes, pies and cheesecakes I have ever had! The portions are huge, too.

The Haye Loft often has live music and is a great place to relax after an evening on the beach! You can also get the dessert to go if needed.

What to order: Chocolate Ganache Cake.

The Donut Experiment on Anna Maria Island

The Donut Experiment

This one is actually located on Anna Maria Island, which is connected to Longboat Key by a bridge. It’s definitely worth the drive, though! If you have the time, you could make a day trip out of visiting Anna Maria Island.

The Donut Experiment features made-to-order donuts with tons of options for toppings! The donuts are pretty small so you can order several and try different topping combinations.

What to order: Caramel Glaze with Sea Salt or Maple Glaze with Bacon.

Oma's Pizza on Anna Maria Island

Oma’s Pizza

This is another one that is on Anna Maria Island, but it’s just a few minutes past the bridge from Longboat Key. They also deliver! Their pizzas are huge and so yummy. It was the perfect dinner for us one night after enjoying a day at the beach and the pool.

What to order: pick your favorite toppings!

Tyler's Ice Cream on Longboat Key

Tyler’s Ice Cream

Tyler’s has several locations in the Bradenton/Sarasota area, and I grew up going there after the beach. Their Longboat Key location was just a few minutes from our condo. You can’t leave a beach vacation without making at least one trip to get ice cream! Tyler’s Ice Cream is homemade locally. They have lots of delicious flavors and are always adding more.

What to order: Chocolate Peanut Butter.

What to Do on Longboat Key

Catch a sunset on Longboat Key

Catch a sunset

The sunsets on Longboat Key are stunning! You’ll probably want to spend a lot of time on the beach during your trip, and make plans to come back to the beach after dinner so you can catch a sunset. We did this a couple times during our stay and it was also nice to let my son play on the beach for awhile without worrying about sunscreen.

Mote Marine Aquarium

If you end up having a rainy day or just want to spend a couple hours out of the sun, check out Mote Marine Aquarium. They have lots of exhibits featuring manatees, dolphins, sea turtles and more. This is a great place to go with kids, but my husband and I also enjoyed going to the aquarium for a date before we had our baby.

Walking trails on Longboat Key

Go for a walk or bike ride

There is a wide sidewalk that runs the length of Longboat Key. It’s great for walking or bike riding! My toddler had a difficult time napping during our trip, so I ended up going for a walk with him each day and he would fall asleep in the stroller. I really enjoyed walking around and seeing all beautiful scenery and the gorgeous beach houses.

Joan M. Durante Park is a fun place to go on Longboat Key
Explore Joan M. Durante park on Longboat Key

Joan M. Durante Park

If you need a little break from the beach and the pool, Joan M. Durante is a fun place to explore! We spent a morning at this park walking around the trails. Most of the trails are shaded so it’s a good way to beat the heat. There is also a playground for the kids to play on.

St. Armands Circle

Located just before Longboat Key, St. Armands Circle is home to lots of great shops and restaurants. Spend some time shopping here or come for dinner. Some of my favorite restaurants on St. Armands are Crab & Fin, Venezia and Kilwins.

Day Trips from Longboat Key

If you are staying on Longboat Key for a longer trip, you might enjoy taking a day trip or two to one of these nearby areas.

Anna Maria Island

Anna Maria Island is right next to Longboat Key, and they are connected by a bridge. I love exploring Anna Maria by bike or by trolley! There are lots of great restaurants and shops to check out. Head to Pine Avenue or Bridge Street and spend some time walking around shopping or grab a bite to eat.

Sarasota

There is so much to do in Sarasota! Shop at the UTC Mall, visit Ringling Museum, explore Nathan Benderson Park or check out the downtown Farmer’s Market on the weekends. I’ve shared a couple posts about my favorite places to eat in Sarasota! Check out Where to Eat in Sarasota, Florida and the 2nd Edition with even more restaurants to try.

Tampa Bay

Visit Tampa Bay, about an hour drive from Longboat Key for even more fun things to do. There are lots of theme parks such as Busch Gardens, Lowry Park Zoo and more. I shared some of my favorite things to do and places to eat in Tampa Bay in this post.

Have you been to Longboat Key? What are some of your favorite things to do or places to eat?

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Filed Under: Travel Tagged With: beach vacation, Florida, longboat key

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Comments

  1. Denise says

    May 2, 2018 at 1:26 pm

    We leave in 10 days for our place on Longboat. Can’t wait! I have been going there since my parents bought a condo (which is now shared by my siblings and me) in 1985. We’ve been to nearly all of the places you listed. One of our favorites, too, is the Dry Dock. Their lobster tacos are to die for!

    Reply
    • A Savory Feast says

      May 2, 2018 at 2:39 pm

      Mmm lobster tacos? That sounds amazing! I’m adding the Dry Dock to my list for next time. I hope you have a great time on your upcoming trip to Longboat Key!

      Reply
  2. Discover Bradenton says

    September 3, 2019 at 9:22 pm

    These are all great suggestions. Thanks for sharing! We’ve been to most of these places, but you’ve given us a few new ideas. Thanks for sharing!

    Reply
  3. Mary Taylor says

    October 20, 2019 at 7:36 pm

    I second the Dry Dock!! Also add the new Shore restaurant at the north end next to Mar Vista and The Chart House at the south end just before the bridge to Lido Key.

    Reply
    • A Savory Feast says

      October 24, 2019 at 12:36 pm

      I love the Chart House! Shore is one I am needing to try next time.

      Reply

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