Historic Spanish Point on Little Sarasota Bay

Historic Spanish Point, a hidden 30-acre gem on Little Sarasota Bay in the Osprey area of Sarasota County, is one of the largest waterfront preserves showcasing native Florida plants in the state. With an archaeological record that encompasses approximately 5,000 years of Florida history, it's also is one of the largest intact and actively preserved archaeological sites on the Gulf Coast. Its earliest residents, the Manasota Culture, settled on the grounds and lived there for over 500 years, whose existence is evidenced by a burial ground at the park’s entrance, as well as a prehistoric shell middens which spans the majority of the grounds, which kept the area above sea level during storm season.

Similar to Selby Gardens’ downtown Sarasota facilities, Historic Spanish Point was owned by the homesteading Webb family in the 19th-century, who then sold it in 1910 to a forward-thinking woman of her time, Bertha Palmer, a Chicago native who became a Florida real estate pioneer. She also purchased 140,000 acres of swampland comprising one-quarter of what would eventually become Sarasota County. The extent to which Palmer transformed that land in the years before her death in 1918, and her lasting influence on Sarasota's development and Florida agriculture, is remarkable. Both the Webb family and Bertha Palmers homes and extensive gardens can be toured while visiting Spanish Point. Interestingly, it was Palmer’s family who both donated the property and helped it become the first site in Sarasota County to be listed in the National Register of Historic Places.

The museum also features one of the largest butterfly and native plant gardens on the suncoast, and hosts a rotating series of exhibitions throughout the year, with 'Clyde Butcher: Nature Through the Lens' currently on display throughout the grounds of Spanish Point the day we visited. Often called "the Ansel Adams of Florida," Butcher's exhibition featured large-scale prints on aluminum of Butcher’s beautiful images of plants, animals, and habitats of Florida, all photographed in their natural landscape. Spending a lovely sunny day exploring beautiful Spanish Point, enjoying a quiet lunch at the White Cottage Bayside Café, and being treated to a short history of the area from Caroline, a volunteer docent, made for a truly exceptional afternoon.

The Bayside Café (The White Cottage), operated by Michael’s On East, 

was built in 1884 by the Webb famiy, and offers a variety of sandwiches, drinks and snacks 

that can be enjoyed overlooking Little Sarasota Bay

A cold Stella on a hot day with temperatures hovering around 90°F

Grilled Turkey, Avocado and Tomato Panini with pickles

and Goose Island IPA Beer

Classic Beef Chile with warm homemade roll

Tomato Bisque with Grilled Cheese Panini

Cheese Quiche with freshly made Orange Marmalade on the side

Bertha Palmer's classical columns of her Pergola and sunken gardens

were restored from when she came to Sarasota in 1910 to establish a winter estate

Ponytail Palm outside the Bayside Cottage Café 

Clamshell Orchid 1, 2003 by photographer Clyde Butcher, who was an American large-format 

camera photographer known for wilderness photography of the Florida landscape

Matlacha Pass, 1991 in Charlotte Harbour, Port Charlotte

Wooden footbridge through the mangroves and overlooking the waters of Little Sarasota Bay 

Great White Egret nestled in the mangroves

Tangle of wild mangroves

Guptill House

The Guptill boatshed built in 1876

Guptill House Viaduct is so low one has to bend over to follow the path 

Wild fragrant Jasmin

Magnificent Magnolia blossom

Spanish Point Butterfly Garden

Wild flowers attract butterflies

White Peacock Butterfly

Julia Butterfly

Malachite Butterfly

While Peacock Butterfly on red blossoms

Little Hobbit-style homes in the woods

Trams are available to take visitors around the estate in the company of a knowledgeable docent

such as lovely Caroline, who drove us to the Bayside Cottage Café when we arrived

selby.org

Crab Cakes

Serves 4 (Makes 8 3-ounce cakes)

Recipe courtesy of Michaels on East

Crab Cakes:

1 tbsp lemon juice

2 oz Dijon mustard

2 tbsp cilantro, chopped

2 tbsp basil, chopped

1/2 tbsp garlic, chopped

1 tbsp fresh cilantro

2 oz mayonnaise

4 stalks celery, minced

1 Spanish onion, minced

4 3/4 cups panko breadcrumbs, divided

8 oz jumbo lump crab

12 oz lump crab

1 large egg

Herbed Tartar Sauce:

1 1/2 oz cornichons

2/3 ounces capers

Half a shallot

1 z fresh lemon juice

1/2 oz Dijon mustard

1/8 oz garlic

1/4 oz extra virgin olive oil

Process all of the Tartar Sauce ingredients in food processor. Cool until ready to plate and serve dish.

In a medium sauté pan over low heat, sweat the celery, onion and garlic, but do not allow them to brown as the low heat will take liquid out of vegetables. Set aside and allow to cool. Mix together all ingredients except the crab meat, then fold in the lump crab. Gently mix in the jumbo crabmeat, being careful not to break it up.

To portion each cake, use a 3-ounce scoop or mold into cakes with your hands. Coat the exterior of the cakes in Panko breadcrumbs. Set aside until ready to sauté and finish with the tartar sauce.