Sunday, Nov. 1 Sunrise 6:40 AM Sunset 5:46 PM Surf cams: Siesta Lido Venice AMI Englewood
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Season guide · checked Oct. 22

Welcome Back, Snowbirds

You're back. The traffic on 41 noticed before we did. Here's what happened while you were up north, where to find the local stuff, and the three things worth checking before you unpack the beach chairs.

First week back: the short checklist

  • Clocks fall back Sunday, Nov. 1. Sunset jumps an hour earlier, so the 6 p.m. beach walk becomes a 5 p.m. beach walk. Plan dinner reservations accordingly.
  • Check the water before you go. FWC's red tide status page is the official word (our live red tide check pulls its sample results beach by beach). In its latest report when we checked Oct. 22, red tide showed up only at background levels in and off Sarasota County. For a beach-by-beach look (smell, cough, flags, crowds), Mote's Beach Conditions Reporting System is updated by people standing on the sand.
  • Peek at the surf. The surf cam links live in the strip at the top of every page here: Siesta, Lido, Venice, Anna Maria and Englewood.
  • Saturday is market day. The Sarasota Farmers Market runs every Saturday, rain or shine, 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. downtown. More markets and U-pick farms are on Gigly.
  • Fishing again? Florida licenses are at myfwc.com/license. Your northern one doesn't count down here, and the officer will not find that charming.

What you missed (the good stuff)

Our newest stories, minus the overnight blotter. Start here and you'll be caught up by lunch.

  1. Yoder's Has a Weekly Food Schedule. Tuesday Is Pot Pie. Food
  2. The Sweet Spot: The Ice Cream Menu That Keeps Telling You to Sit Down Food
  3. Halloween Is Tomorrow. The Cookie Shop Wants Three Weeks' Notice. Food
  4. Out There: Manatee Viewing Center Reopens Sunday. The Manatees Want 68 Degrees. Out There
  5. Sam the Somm Wants to Put a Sommelier on Every Table (Via QR Code) Food
  6. Four Meetups, Four Dress Codes, One of Them Bans Flip-Flops Meetup Picks
  7. This Bradenton Company Holds Your Bike on the Car With Suction Cups. Yes, Really. Made Here
  8. Sarasota Grows Its Own Mushrooms, and One of Them Needs a Haircut Food
  9. Your Nov. 3 Ballot, Explained: Every Race and Every Candidate in Sarasota, Bradenton and Venice Community
  10. This Pickle Stand Plays Four Farmers Markets Every Saturday. At the Same Time. Food

The all-time keepers → · Everything, newest first →

Shop and eat local this season

Skip the chain you can get back home. These are independent Sarasota and Manatee businesses on Gigly, our local finder:

Looking for something else? Use the Gigly search at the top of the page.

Plans for this week

Know a snowbird who just landed? Send them this page. It's cheaper than picking them up at the airport.