The Pointe’s neighborhood supports and enriches our quality of life. In less than 10 minutes you can walk to a major Gulf beach, three restaurants, and a marina. With a kayak or canoe, you can reach the Jim Neville Marine Preserve in about the same time.
A 10-minute walk from the Pointe’s gate brings you to Sarasota’s Turtle Beach Park located on the Gulf side of Midnight Pass Road. It features many amenities including ample parking, restrooms, playground equipment, several picnic shelters, and outdoor showers. There are, however, no lifeguards at Turtle Beach. Free boat ramps on Blind Pass Lagoon provide boaters easy passage to and from Little Sarasota Bay. Although the sand at Turtle Beach isn’t as fine as Crescent Beach farther up the key, it makes up the difference in privacy. Here you’ll be able to walk for miles, all the way to Casey Key to the south if you wish. On your walk, you may find prehistoric petrified sharks teeth that are millions of years old. (Better specimens can be found on Casperson Beach but you’ll have to drive to Venice to find them.)
Three restaurants are also within that 10 minute walk. All are located on the Little Sarasota Bay side of Midnight Pass Road. All are regularly patronized by Pointe residents. The Turtle Beach Pub is just a few steps across the road from the Turtle Beach entrance. The Pub features a sports theme, outdoor dining, and the expected bar food offerings. Its hamburgers are well received as are its grouper sandwiches. Immediately next door, directly across from the entrance to Turtle Beach, is Turtles, a full menu restaurant with outdoor dining on Little Sarasota Bay. Turtles is known for its Sunday Brunch and live entertainment several evenings during the week. The third restaurant, Ophelia’s, is a shorter walk from The Pointe by about 5 minutes. Recognized as one of the finer restaurants in Sarasota; Ophelia’s features a name chef, an extensive wine list, attentive service, outdoor dining on the Bay, and valet parking. Reservations are encouraged.
The Turtle Beach Marina is located on Little Sarasota Bay behind the Pub. The marina has a variety of boats for rent by the day. Services include inside storage, engine maintenance / repair, and fuel. There is a berth at the marina for boaters who wish to dine at Turtles or the Turtle Beach Pub.
The Jim Neville Marine Preserve is immediately to the east of The Pointe. You’ll need a kayak (or other shallow draft boat) to explore the Preserve and observe its abundance of birds and marine life. The Preserve is made up of several small islands technically known as the Bird Keys. All tolled there are 35 acres of islands and tidal shallows; so it takes a couple of hours to circle the islands by kayak. Because every residence at the Pointe has a lanai facing the Preserve, all residents (even those without kayaks) have abundant opportunities for unobstructed bird watching. Brown pelicans, great blue herons, cormorants, anhinga, ospreys, great egrets, snowy egrets, cattle egrets, kingfishers, wood storks, white ibis, night herons, and roseate spoonbills are commonly observed. Bird numbers and mix change daily and of course with the seasons. For this reason telescopes and binoculars are common accessories on Pointe lanais.