Florida Real Estate & Lifestyle Blog

The best Halloween events in St. Petersburg for 2026 range from the massive, family-friendly Halloween on Central street festival to pumpkin activities at the St. Pete Pier, USF St. Petersburg's free Halloween Fest, Halloween-themed art programs at Imagine Museum and the 18-and-older Haunted Fest mu

October 2026 brings fall festivals, outdoor markets, live theater, Halloween celebrations and island events throughout Bradenton and Manatee County. Major highlights include the Bradenton Public Market every Saturday, the Hunsader Farms Pumpkin Festival and Dakin Dairy Farms Harvest Festival on sele

The best Halloween events near Lakewood Ranch in 2026 include BooFest on Lakewood Ranch Main Street, Trick or Treat on the Lake at Nathan Benderson Park, the Hunsader Farms Pumpkin Festival, Fruitville Grove Pumpkin Festival and Manatee County's Goblin Gathering. Families can find free trick-or-trea

Caribbean Village is a gated single-family home community in Venice, Florida, offering landscaped streets, a community pool, clubhouse, fitness facilities and association-provided lawn services within a relatively intimate neighborhood of fewer than 200 homes. Developed primarily during the mid-2010

The best public golf courses in Port Charlotte include Riverwood Golf Club for championship golf in a natural Florida setting and Kings Gate Golf Club for a shorter executive-course experience. Expand the search just beyond Port Charlotte and Deep Creek Golf Club in Punta Gorda becomes another stron

Some of the best golf courses to play this October on Florida's Gulf Coast are Bobby Jones Golf Club in Sarasota, University Park Country Club near the Sarasota-Manatee line, IMG Academy Golf Club in Bradenton and Jacaranda West Country Club in Venice. Golfers heading farther south can add Boca Roya

Some of the best parks and nature preserves to explore near Sarasota this fall include Myakka River State Park for a full day in wild Florida, the Celery Fields for birding and wetland views, Oscar Scherer State Park for hiking and Florida scrub-jay habitat, Red Bug Slough Preserve for an easy in-to

Some of the best biking trails to explore this fall on Florida's Gulf Coast are concentrated around Sarasota, Osprey, Venice, Bradenton and Lakewood Ranch. The paved Legacy Trail connects Sarasota with Venice, Venetian Waterway Park adds miles of Intracoastal scenery, Oscar Scherer State Park combin

October can be one of the most enjoyable boating months on Florida's Gulf Coast, especially around Sarasota, Venice and the surrounding Southwest Florida waterways. Sarasota's average October water temperature is about 81 degrees Fahrenheit, while fall begins bringing relief from peak summer heat an

The best places to live in Bradenton for golfers include River Strand for private 27-hole country club living, Waterlefe for championship golf combined with the Manatee River, Rosedale for an established gated community with separately available club membership, Heritage Harbour for residential golf

St. Armands Circle does not have its own golf course, but golfers staying on Lido Key or near downtown Sarasota have several options. The closest resort golf is at Longboat Key Club, where 45 holes are available to members and registered resort guests. For public golf, the restored Bobby Jones Golf

Library Mews is an intimate 11-residence townhouse community at 200 Cocoanut Avenue in Downtown Sarasota, close to Five Points, Main Street, Selby Public Library and Sarasota Opera. Instead of a conventional downtown high-rise, Library Mews offers a smaller-scale residential setting within Sarasota'

Aldea Mar condos offer Gulf-front living on the Island of Venice in Venice, Florida, within a low-rise condominium community known for tropical landscaping, direct beach access and a heated Gulf-side pool. Unlike a conventional beachfront tower, Aldea Mar consists of low-rise villas and condominium

Brightmore at Wellen Park is a gated, age-qualified 55+ community by Mattamy Homes in Venice, Florida, offering new single-story paired villas and single-family homes within the larger Wellen Park master-planned community. Its centerpiece is an 11-acre resort-style amenity campus with a lakefront cl

Capri Village East is an established 55+ condominium community in Venice, Florida, offering low-rise residences in the Capri Isles area near golf, shopping, historic downtown Venice and Gulf beaches. The community dates to the 1970s and provides a heated swimming pool, clubhouse, mature landscaping

Tidewater Preserve homes are part of a gated, master-planned waterfront community in Bradenton, Florida, along the Manatee River. The community combines detached homes with condominium and coach-home residences, marina access, pools, fitness and clubhouse facilities, tennis, nature-oriented recreati

Amora is a small, deed-restricted community of just 21 single-family homes on the Island of Venice in Venice, Florida. Developed primarily in the early 2000s, the neighborhood combines newer-for-the-island construction with an HOA-maintained approach to landscaping and irrigation. Homes are close to

October can be one of the most enjoyable months to explore Florida's Gulf Coast beaches, particularly around Sarasota and Venice. Summer's most intense heat begins to ease, Gulf water can remain comfortable for swimming, and the winter visitor season has not necessarily reached its busiest point. Fo

After a hurricane or major tropical storm, Florida real estate buyers and sellers should look beyond whether a property appears repaired. Roof damage, wind-driven rain, flooding, electrical problems, damaged windows and doors, drainage issues and unpermitted repairs can have consequences long after

Boca Royale Golf & Country Club is a gated residential and country-club community in Englewood, Florida, offering championship golf, tennis, pickleball, fitness, dining and a broad mix of established and newer homes. The approximately 1,000-acre community is in South Sarasota County near Manasota Ke