Sarasota's malls feature plenty of places for indoor shopping, dining, and entertainment.

As the months get warmer in Florida, several residents are quite thankful for the respite of air-conditioned shopping. Yet the malls in Sarasota aren't just for shopping. Featuring a variety of restaurants and eateries, as well as entertainment venues, Sarasota malls have a little something for everyone.

Our oldest mall is Westfield Sarasota Square. First built in 1977, Sarasota Square received a 7-million-dollar facelift in 1986, followed quickly by another 15-million-dollar expansion. The mall saw more major renovations when Westfield purchased the property in 2005, instituting a 60-million-dollar remodel.

With its most recent addition of a Costco store,

Wherever you live in the Sarasota area, you have year-round access to fresh produce. With snowbirds flying home for the summer months, not all of the area farmers markets are open year long. However, there are still plenty of options to get locally grown and organic produce.

SEASONAL MARKETS

Phillippi Farmhouse Market

Every Wednesday from October to May, Phillippi Estate Park at 5500 South Tamiami Trail hosts a farmers market from 9am-2pm. In addition to fresh produce, more than 40 vendors gather to offer plants for home gardens, prepared food, and other specialty items.

Englewood Farmers Market

Also from October to May, the Englewood Farmers Market takes place on Historic Dearborn Street on Thursdays from 9am-1pm. With over 50 vendors,

There are a number of great places in Sarasota to listen to live music. Over the years, venues have changed hands and changed names, but there are a few standouts that consistently offer places for musicians to share their songs and for music fans to enjoy the experience. If you're looking to either kick up your heels or to sit back and soak in the tunes, these are the places you should most consider putting on your list.

Blase' Cafe - Siesta Key's Blase' Cafe offers upscale dining and live music seven nights a week. Located on Ocean Boulevard in Siesta Key Village, the restaurant features indoor and outdoor dining, where diners can enjoy some of Sarasota's local bands while under the stars. It's also just a few steps away from the Siesta Key

Often called “Florida's Cultural Coast,” Sarasota is well known for its many theatres. Each offers a wonderful variety of shows where audiences have been delighted for decades. With so many standout area theatres, residents are almost guaranteed a new show every week.

Historic Asolo Theater – America's only 18th century European theatre, the Historic Asolo Theater is one of the most beloved objects in The Ringling collection. Crafted in Asolo, Italy in 1798, it was brought to Sarasota, piece by piece, in the early 1950s and painstakingly restored in 2006.

Asolo Repertory Theatre - A world-renowned acting company known for producing the highest quality professional theatre in true rotating repertory, the Asolo company started performing in

With the summer blockbusters out of the way, the next few months will see the release of a good number of the films that will be nominated for Oscars and other awards. The question is where you should go see them. Here is a little rundown on Sarasota's movie theaters and what you can expect from your visit.

Galleria Stadium 12 - If you're down in Venice, the Galleria is the go-to theater, largely because it's the only one. If you're looking for something a little more modern, you're going to have to come north.

AMC Sarasota 12 - Opened after the $50 million expansion of the Sarasota Square Westgate in 2006, these twelve theaters have stadium seating, large screens, and they're located right next to the food court if you'd like to sit down for

The Easter season is upon us again, and there are a number of ways to get out and celebrate the coming of Spring with the family this year. Here in Sarasota, we're especially fond of Easter egg hunts and Easter morning sunrises.

Things kick off at the First Church on March 18 with their Easter Egg-stravaganza. In addition to the egg hunt, this free event will also include free lunch, crafts, stories, games, face painting, and more fun activities. Find out more at www.firstsrq.com.

Also on March 18, Harvest UMC will host their Easter Egg Hunt from 11:30-1:30 while also collecting canned goods for the Food Bank of Manatee. Food trucks will be on hand for people to buy lunch, and there will be bouncy houses, face painting, crafts, and Candy Land

Often called “Florida's Cultural Coast,” Sarasota is well known for its many theatres. Each offers a wonderful variety of shows where audiences have been delighted for decades. With so many standout area theatres, residents are almost guaranteed a new show every week.

Historic Asolo Theater – America's only 18th century European theatre, the Historic Asolo Theater is one of the most beloved objects in The Ringling collection. Crafted in Asolo, Italy in 1798, it was brought to Sarasota, piece by piece, in the early 1950s and painstakingly restored in 2006.

Asolo Repertory Theatre - A world-renowned acting company known for producing the highest quality professional theatre in true rotating repertory, the Asolo company started performing in the

With the summer blockbusters out of the way, the next few months will see the release of a good number of the films that will be nominated for Oscars and other awards. The question is where you should go see them. Here is a little rundown on Sarasota's movie theaters and what you can expect from your visit.

Galleria Stadium 12 - If you're down in Venice, the Galleria is the go-to theater, largely because it's the only one. If you're looking for something a little more modern, you're going to have to come north.

AMC Sarasota 12 - Opened after the $50 million expansion of the Sarasota Square Westgate in 2006, these twelve theaters have stadium seating, large screens, and they're located right next to the food court if you'd like to sit down

As Valentine's Day approaches, couples start to look for that place to have the perfect romantic meal. While everyone has their own idea of what “romantic” means, there are a few things that are pretty standard for everyone. Fortunately, Sarasota happens to have a broad range of possibilities, and if you're wondering where you should go for your perfect dinner out, you may want to consider a few of these.

Indigenous – If you’re looking for local flair, you can't do better than Indigenous. The ambiance is quiet and quaint, and the food is delectable. Located in charming Towles Court, your meal of locally sourced food and sustainable seafood can be followed by a nice stroll, window-shopping the art galleries.

Shoogie Boogies – Also in Towles

As Plato said, “He was a wise man who invented beer.” It would seem that Sarasota is doing its best to increase in wisdom. Of course, this trend could also be considered a statewide movement now that Florida boasts over 150 craft breweries, yet Sarasota does have its standouts.

Sarasota Brewing Company was the first, and for a long time, it was the only brewery around. An anchor of Gulf Gate Village since 1989, this micro-brewery has also received a number of awards for its food, namely the burgers and Chicago beef sandwiches. Always a great place to catch a game, there always at least 5 unique brews on tap and 20 seasonal beers that rotate throughout the year. 

JDub's Brewing Company doesn't have the kitchen, but their taproom is often visited