The Hermitage Artist Retreat is offering historic beachside property tours, Friday, Sept. 7, at 10am, Friday, Sept. 14, at 10am and Friday, Sept. 21, at 6pm. These free, one-hour walking tours explore the property’s colorful history and offer up-close views of the 106-year-old main building and four other historic structures that now serve as live-work spaces for visiting artists. The Calusa Indians were the original inhabitants of the site, and their heritage lives on in the many middens and archeological sites in the area. In 1907, Swedish immigrant Carl Johansen bought a parcel to build a homestead for his family. The Johansens moved out in 1916; their house sat vacant into the 1930s, when it became a nudist resort called The Sea Island Sanctuary. The story continues from there. Reservations are required and only available through email at reservations@hermitageartistretreat.org.

Hermitage Artist Retreat