The first time my wife and I tried TreeUmph Adventure Course Bradenton, it really did feel like a trip “out in the sticks.” Back then, driving several miles east of I-75 along State Road 70 meant passing open land, cattle fences, and pine woods.

Today, that same stretch is packed with new neighborhoods and shopping centers — yet TreeUmph remains a one-of-a-kind outdoor adventure. Hidden among tall pines, it delivers a day that’s equal parts exhilarating, balancing, twisting, and pure laughter.

Tucked away just east of U.S. 41, Arlington Park Sarasota feels like an old friend. It’s surrounded by mid-century ranch homes and sleek new modern builds, yet somehow it’s remained the same — shaded by towering oaks, buzzing with laughter, and filled with familiar faces who’ve been coming here for decades.

When my kids were young, this was one of my kids’ favorite parks. We’d show up for summer camp mornings, where kids gathered around the picnic tables by the lone playset before darting off into the sunshine. Later, it was Saturday club basketball, sneakers squeaking on polished floors, parents clapping from the bleachers.

And in between? Countless walks around the winding paved trails, stops along the little bridge overlooking the lake and fountains, my daughter pointing and laughing each time a turtle’s long neck broke the surface.

I still remember when the National Cemetery Administration selected Sarasota as the site for a new national cemetery. Back then, the drive east on Clark Road (SR 72) felt endless — five miles past I-75 and surrounded by quiet farmland. It seemed so far from town.

A little more than a decade later, that “middle of nowhere” has filled in with new neighborhoods, golf communities, and winding sidewalks. But step through the gates of Sarasota National Cemetery, and the world slows. The noise fades. The solemnity remains.

Here, America’s service members and their spouses rest on hallowed ground — a place built not just for remembrance, but for reflection, gratitude, and pride.

Tucked quietly off 17th Street down a short dirt road sits one of Sarasota’s simplest pleasures — 17th Street Dog Park Sarasota. I’ve driven by that turn a hundred times without noticing it, a blink-and-you-miss-it entrance that opens into a wide, grassy field filled with wagging tails, fresh air, and shade beneath oak canopies that seem older than the county itself.

It isn’t fancy. There’s no café, no boutique pet spa, no splash pad shaped like a fire hydrant. But maybe that’s the charm. Here, it’s just dogs being dogs — running free, kicking up dirt, and making friends faster than most humans do.

Even after decades in Sarasota, I almost missed it. Nestled quietly at 1670 10th Way, just north of downtown, The Children’s Garden Sarasota hides behind trees and tangled vines. I actually drove right past it the first time — a place so unassuming that if you blink, it disappears into the greenery.

But last week, I finally made good on a long-standing promise to myself — to see what this little-known garden for children was all about. I’d always heard whispers of a whimsical place designed not for parents, but for kids themselves — a spot where adults must crouch, duck, and crawl to tag along through tunnels and vine-covered paths.

When my daughter was little, I always thought she’d love it. I was right.

Even the most dedicated beachgoers need a break from the sand. For my family, those “beach breaks” became the moments we remember most — the small adventures, the unexpected laughter, the stories that still come up around the dinner table years later.

If you’re searching for fun activities for kids Sarasota, this list goes far beyond the beach. These are the parks, museums, gardens, and adventures that have shaped my own family’s memories — places where every laugh, surprise, and shared moment turned into something lasting.

This is Sarasota beyond the shoreline. Fifteen places that shaped our family’s story — and maybe yours too.