🍦Music Center Update & A Summer House Visit

Happy Tuesday, Sarasota!

I hope you had a chance to check out some of the amazing events around our area. We have a few more weeks of the “busy season” before snowbirds start flying north.

I am working to document the best places, eats, cafes, and businesses across Sarasota. I figure these lists would be helpful for new residents and longtime locals alike.

As I jump into this endeavor, I’m asking you all to answer the below poll. What do guide do you want made first?

Or, maybe you think I should focus elsewhere. Either way, be sure to make your voice heard by voting below.

Thanks. Now back to regularly scheduled programming. In today’s edition of the Sarasota Scoop:

• Sarasota Orchestra unveils vision for Music Center

• Visit to the Summer House

• Tons of local events!

Thanks for reading,

Carson

📰 Local News

🎼 Sarasota Orchestra unveils vision for Music Center

What’s new: Sarasota Orchestra has released conceptual plans for its long-awaited Music Center, revealing a $175 million cultural campus on 30 acres in Payne Park.

Why it matters: The center aims to provide a permanent home for the orchestra, elevate Sarasota’s arts scene, and avoid ongoing conflicts with neighbors at Holley Hall.

🔍 The big picture: The proposed site is city-owned land northeast of downtown Sarasota. The orchestra has been working toward a new venue for over five years, with setbacks including a failed plan near Payne Park Auditorium due to neighborhood opposition.

🎻 Inside the concept:

• A 1,800-seat concert hall, designed with world-class acoustics

• A 700-seat flexible recital hall

• Rehearsal and practice spaces

• Educational spaces and outdoor gardens for community use

🛠️ Next steps: Sarasota Orchestra will seek city approval for a long-term land lease. The project will require rezoning and city commission support.

📆 Timeline: Pending approval and fundraising, construction could start in 2027 with an opening in 2030.

What they’re saying: Orchestra CEO Joseph McKenna: “This will allow the orchestra to fulfill its full artistic potential.”

Mayor Liz Alpert expressed excitement about the cultural and economic potential of the plan.

The bottom line: If approved, the Sarasota Music Center would mark a major leap for arts infrastructure in the region — and give the orchestra a home befitting its reputation.

Go deeper

🔦 Spotlight: Summer House

The Summer House is one of those spots that just works.

It’s polished but not pretentious, busy but never chaotic, and the kind of place you can count on whether you’re celebrating something or just don’t feel like cooking.

We went with a classic steakhouse lineup to share, and it hit the mark. We started with oysters rockafeller, carpaccio, and the wedge salad then rounded it out with a porterhouse. The meal felt comforting and familiar, but still thoughtful in execution.

The space looks great, the service is always sharp, and it consistently feels like you're in good hands.

Not much else to say if you’ve been before: you already know. And if you haven’t been in a while, it’s probably time.

Thursday

Wealth in America: From Vanderbilt, Carnegie and Rockefeller – to Gates, Bezos and Musk

📍The Ora, Fruitville | 🕦 10am | 🔗 details

Wellen Park Night Market

📍Wellen Park, Venice | 🕦 6pm - 9pm | 🔗 details

Open Jam Night

📍Big Top Live, Fruitville | 🕦 6pm - 9pm | 🔗 details

Into the Woods

📍Studio 1130, Southgate | 🕦 See details | 🔗 details 

Friday

Plein Air Painting: Maggie Bosco

📍The Bay, Sarasota | 🕦 10am - 11am | 🔗 details 

Sarasota Bradenton Spring Home Show

📍Robarts Arena, Sarasota | 🕦 10am - 7pm | 🔗 details 

Lakewood Ranch Block Party

📍Lakewood Ranch Main Street | 🕦 6pm - 9pm | 🔗 details

Waterside Movie Night — Mona 2

📍Waterside Park, Lakewood Ranch | 🕦 7pm - 9pm | 🔗 details 

Film Festival's Street Party

📍332 Cocoanut, Sarasota | 🕦 7:30pm | 🔗 details

Saturday

Local Author Book Fair

📍Bookstore1, Sarasota | 🕦 9am - 12pm | 🔗 details

Hunsader Farm Flower Festival

📍Hunsader Farms, Bradenton | 🕦 9am - 5pm | 🔗 details 

EGGstravaganza

📍7301 Island Cove, Sarasota | 🕦 9:30am - 12pm | 🔗 details

SCSO Block Party

📍Sarasota County Sheriff's Offic, Sarasota | 🕦 10am | 🔗 details

Venice Shark Tooth Festival 2025

📍Centennial Park, Venice | 🕦 10am - 5pm | 🔗 details

Family Fun Fair

📍Risen Savior Lutheran Church, LWR | 🕦 10am - 1pm | 🔗 details 

Historical Cemetery Tours

📍Manatee Village Historical Park, Bradenton | 🕦 10am | 🔗 details 

Les Miserables

📍Van Wezel, Sarasota | 🕦 Multiple Shows | 🔗 details

16th Annual Lucky Ducky Race for Pace

📍Bradenton Riverwalk, Bradenton | 🕦 11am - 2pm | 🔗 details 

Sarasota Film Festival

📍The Ora, Fruitville | 🕦 6pm - 7:45pm | 🔗 details 

Sunday

Sunday Polo

📍Sarasota Polo Club | 🕦 10am | 🔗 details 

SRQ Women's Expo

📍Grove, Lakewood Ranch | 🕦 12pm - 4pm | 🔗 details 

Camp Yonnie Open House

📍The Ora, Sarasota | 🕦 1pm - 3pm | 🔗 details

Easter Egg Hunt

📍Evie's on the Bay, Osprey | 🕦 3pm | 🔗 details 

Spring Season at Ananda Farm

📍Ananda Farm, Terra Ceia | 🕦 See details | 🔗 details 

PLAN AHEAD

Beethoven’s Ninth with the SCF Bradenton Symphony

📍SCF Neal PAC | 📆 April 17th | 🔗 details

Manatee's 4th Annual Taco Fest

📍Manatee County Fairgrounds | 📆 May 3 | 🔗 details

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