Outdoor Activities ...

As we travel, we like to pursue some of our interests (such as astronomy and bird watching).

When in Longboat Key, we use the following websites to find information relevant to Longboat Key and the surrounding area.

• Weather ...
  • Before heading outdoors, you should check the weather:
  • The National Weather Service forecast for Longboat Key

• Astronomy & Satellites ...
  • Whether using binoculars, a small telescope or the naked-eye, the Heavens-Above website can help you to find your way around the night-time sky. In addition to detailed sky charts, their website will help you find planets, asteriods, comets, satellites and their tracks across the sky.
  • To give accurate results, Heavens-Above requires the latitude and longitude of your location. As a starting point, when we link to Heavens-Above, we pass this GPS location for Longboat Key:
  • 27.368349, -82.627411
  • Once you're on the Heavens-Above website, you can improve its accuracy by giving a more precise longitude and latitude as your actual position.
  • The Heavens-Above Website, centered on Longboat Key

• Bird Watching ...
  • We enjoy finding new spots for bird watching and we use the eBird website for local sighting reports and to help identify hotspots.
  • The eBird website is organized on a county-by-county basis. We have selected Manatee County as the starting point when you click on the link below:
  • eBird sighting report for Manatee County
  • Since Longboat Key is near Sarasota County and also Pinellas County, we have provided a link to their eBird sighting reports:
  • eBird sighting report for Sarasota County
  • eBird sighting report for Pinellas County

• Waymarking ...
  • Looking for somewhere out of the ordinary? Find a unique place and want to share it with others? Then it's time to visit Waymarking.com:
  • Waymark.com

Curious and Interesting Names Near Longboat Key ...

As we travel, we always see a community with a name that gives pause. While there are names which are interesting or familiar, some catch our attention or strike our fancy. We always wonder about such a name. If time permits and the community is not too far, we'll usually try to make a side-trip.

• Bee Ridge
  (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
  • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bee Ridge have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bee Ridge
  • Bee Ridge is located in Sarasota County
• Cedar Hammock
  (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
  • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cedar Hammock have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cedar Hammock
  • Cedar Hammock is located in Manatee County
• Fruitville
  (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fruitville
  • Fruitville is located in Sarasota County
  • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Fruitville <2>
• Longbeach
  (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
  • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Longbeach have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Longbeach
  • Longbeach is located in Manatee County
• Manatee
  (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
  • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Manatee have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Manatee
  • Manatee is located in Manatee County
• Pinecraft
  (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pinecraft
  • Pinecraft is located in Sarasota County
  • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Pinecraft <2>
• Siesta Key
  (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Siesta Key
  • Siesta Key is located in Sarasota County
  • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Siesta Key <2>
• Sunnyland
  (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
  • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sunnyland have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sunnyland
  • Sunnyland is located in Sarasota County

How Far From Longboat Key to ...

We spend a lot of time looking through Gazetteers, Almanacs & Directories that were published in the late 1800's and early 1900's. Many of the Gazetteers include the distance from a town such as Longboat Key to various places of note, such as the White House.

With a nod to our favorite Gazetteers, the straight-line distance<3> beginning in Longboat Key and extending to:

• Bradenton, which is the Seat of Manatee County, lies 9 miles [14.5 km]<3> to the north northeast. If you could walk a straight line from Longboat Key to Bradenton, with an average speed<4> of 2.2 miles [3.5 km] per hour, it would take four to five hours to make the trip. A horse and buggy averaging 3.2 miles [5.1 km] per hour would take a little over three hours.
• Tallahassee, which is the State Capital of Florida, lies 234 miles [376.6 km] to the north northwest (NNW). Driving, with an average speed of 63 miles [101.4 km] per hour, would take nearly four hours, a buggy would take 10 days and walking would take 14 days.
• The White House (Washington, DC) is 858 miles [1,380.8 km] to the north northeast (NNE). Driving would take most of two days, a buggy would take 34 days and walking would take 49 days.
• The shortest distance<5> to Jerusalem (specifically the Temple Mount and the Dome of the Rock) is 6,653 miles [10,707 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<6>
• The distance to the Great Mosque of Mecca (specifically the Ka'bah - or Kaaba ) is 7,319 miles [11,778.8 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<7>
• The distance to Saint Peter's Basilica (The Vatican) is 5,221 miles [8,402.4 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<8>

Off-the-Road Links ...

The official website for Longboat Key: www.longboatkey.org/

The official website for Manatee County: www.co.manatee.fl.us/

The official website for State of Florida: www.myflorida.com/