Outdoor Activities ...
As we travel, we like to pursue some of our interests (such as astronomy and bird watching).
When in Matoaka, we use the following websites to find information relevant to Matoaka and the surrounding area.
- Weather ...
- Before heading outdoors, you should check the weather:
- The National Weather Service forecast for Matoaka
- 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 Matoaka:
- 27.403099, -82.530097
- 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 Matoaka
- 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 Matoaka is near Sarasota County and also Hillsborough County, we have provided a link to their eBird sighting reports:
- eBird sighting report for Sarasota County
- eBird sighting report for Hillsborough 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
Communities Also Named Matoaka ...
We found two communities that share the name Matoaka.
Within Florida, the name Matoaka is unique.
Beyond Florida, we know of another two communities that are located throughout in the United States.
- Communities Elsewhere In North America ...
- Oklahoma
- West Virginia
Curious and Interesting Names Near Matoaka ...
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
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the south) - Cedar Hammock
(5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cedar Hammock have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cedar Hammock
- Cedar Hammock is located in Manatee County
- Fordville
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast) - Foxleigh
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast) - Fruitville
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fruitville
- Fruitville is located in Sarasota County
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Fruitville <3>
- Fullers Earth
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Fullers Earth have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fullers Earth
- Fullers Earth is located in Manatee County
- Longbeach
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the west) - Longboat Key
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Longboat Key
- Longboat Key is located in Manatee County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 7,303 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Longboat Key <3>
- Lorraine
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the east) - Manatee
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the north) - Pinecraft
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pinecraft
- Pinecraft is located in Sarasota County
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Pinecraft <3>
- Siesta Key
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Siesta Key
- Siesta Key is located in Sarasota County
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Siesta Key <3>
- Sunnyland
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
How Far From Matoaka to ...
We spend a lot of time looking through Gazetteers that were published in the late 1800's and early 1900's. Many of the Gazetteers include the distance from a community such as Matoaka to various places of note, such as the White House.
With a nod to our favorite Gazetteers, the straight-line distance beginning in Matoaka and extending to:
- Bradenton, which is the Seat of Manatee County, lies just to the North Northwest.
- Tallahassee, which is the State Capital of Florida, lies 234 miles [376.6 km]<1> to the north northwest (NNW). If you could drive a straight line from Matoaka to Tallahassee, with an average speed<4>of 63 miles [101.4 km] per hour, it would take nearly four hours to make the trip. A comfortable walk of 2.2 miles [3.5 km] per hour would take 14 days. A horse and buggy averaging 3.2 miles [5.1 km] per hour would take 10 days.
- The White House (Washington, DC) is 854 miles [1,374.4 km] to the north northeast (NNE). Driving would take just about two full 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 6,647 miles [10,697.3 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<6>
- The distance to the Great Mosque of Mecca (specifically the Ka'bah - or Kaaba ) is 7,313 miles [11,769.1 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<7>
- The distance to Saint Peter's Basilica (The Vatican) is 5,214 miles [8,391.1 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<8>
Off-the-Road Links ...
Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Matoaka. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page.
The official website for Manatee County: www.co.manatee.fl.us/
The official website for State of Florida: www.myflorida.com/
Footnotes ...
| <1> | Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' distance. A straight line distance ignores obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Matoaka) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Matoaka. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 27.4031, Longitude: -82.5301 In this case, the coordinates for Matoaka have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS). |
| <2> | The location has been supplied by the Geographic Names Information System - which is maintained by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). While these values should be definitive, we found that accuracy can vary and you should double-check the location if accuracy is required. |
| <3> | While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program. |
| <4> | While we have tried to pick reasonable speeds, the rate of travel is very theoretical - obstacles like fences, hills, lakes, river crossings and rest stops have been ignored. When we say 'Days' of travel, we're assuming 8 hours of travel per day. |
| <5> | The shortest line can be visualized by stretching a string on a Globe from Point A to Point B - this is known as a Great Circle Route. Where you might expect the shortest route from Matoaka to the Middle East to be East and South, the Great Circle Route actually lies to the North and East. |
| <6> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to Jerusalem is 310.822 degrees. |
| <7> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to Mecca is 305.143 degrees. |
| <8> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to the Vatican is 310.023 degrees. |