Though it only opened two years ago, Passion Roots has already made a big splash on the Sarasota dining scene. This clean-food-focused cafe has received multiple honors, including recognition for Best Local Açaí Bowl and Best Local Juices + Smoothies at the Best of SRQ Awards. That quality all starts with the ingredients.

“We’re essentially 99% organic,” says owner Jamie Walsh. “If we can get it organic, we do.”

One perfect example of this is their Island Bowl. The foundation of this bowl is organic açaí, organic banana and organic strawberry, all of which have been blended with organic almond milk to create a luscious, creamy base with a subtle sweetness. That blend is topped with more organic banana and strawberry, organic blueberry, organic coconut flakes and organic housemade gluten-free granola. Some smoothies and bowls come with organic nut butters, all of which are free of seed oils.

Passion Roots also offers an array of iced matcha drinks, many of which can be made vegan-friendly, like the Strawberry Matcha. This iced delight features housemade vegan strawberry oat milk topped with a shot of ceremonial-grade matcha. It’s as colorful as it is tasty.

Looking for something savory? Passion Roots also offers an assortment of avocado toasts piled high with tasty ingredients. The Smash’d Avocado toast features mashed avocado on multigrain sourdough bread, flavored with everything bagel seasoning. That is topped with microgreens and fresh lemon. It’s flavorful and satisfying and will fuel you without weighing you down.

“We want you to feel good after you eat,” Walsh says.

Passion Roots, 7650 South Tamiami Trail, Sarasota, 941-706-1361, www.instagram.com/passionroots/acai.com. 

Pictured: The Island Bowl at Passion Roots is packed with organic ingredients. Provided photo.

The John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art (The Ringling) is proud to announce the upcoming exhibition, Ancestral Edge: Abstraction and Symbolism in the Works of Nine Native American Women Artists, curated by Ola Wlusek, Curator of Modern and Contemporary Art. This exhibitionbrings together works by nine contemporary Native American artists making significant contributions to the field of abstraction, including Teresa Baker (Mandan/Hidatsa), Natalie Ball(Klamath/Modoc), Kiana Bell(Seminole), Elisa Harkins (Cherokee/Muscogee [Creek]), Erica Lord (Iñupiaq/Athabascan), Sarah Sense (Chitimacha/Choctaw), Sara Siestreem (Hanis Coos), Marie Watt (Seneca/German-Scot) and Dyani White Hawk (Sicangu Lakota).Ancestral Edge will be on view in the Keith D. Monda Gallery for Contemporary Art in the Museum of Art from September 13, 2025,to April 12, 2026.  

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Play Music on The Porch Day started out as an idea… "What if for one day everything stopped... And we all just listened to the music?" Even though this seems like a simple idea, if it worked, it could produce profound results. In 2014 an idea was born. In 2018, thousands of musicians from at least 70 countries and thousands of cities participated and the movement continues to grow every day. Musicians from across the globe, regardless of their differences, are finding common ground through music. Play Music On The Porch Day knows that music is powerful and universal. It doesn’t matter if you play an Oud, a Guitarrón, a Nyckelharpa, or a Guitar. When you pick up your instrument and start to play, the world disappears and you get lost in the sounds. Music goes beyond words. It can transcend the most difficult barriers. It ties us together like a thread through our hearts.  The Bazaar on Apricot & Lime has joined the movement and invites everyone to join on Saturday, August. 30th from noon - 3pm. 

The Bazaar is located at 821 Apricot Ave in Sarasota. 

To learn more click here

Flock to Selby Gardens this summer for our newest exhibition, The High Life: Contemporary Photography and the Birds at the Downtown Sarasota campus. Organized by the Foundation for the Exhibition of Photography and curated by photography experts William Ewing and Danaé Panchaud, the exhibition features some 70 works by more than 50 photographers from around the world. The works are presented in the galleries of the Richard and Ellen Sandor Museum of Botany & the Arts and outside throughout the gardens, where art mirrors nature in unique and unexpected ways. 

To learn more click here

Forestar Group Inc. ("Forestar"), one of the largest residential community developers in the nation, announces the growth of the Star Farms at Lakewood Ranch luxury builder program with the introduction of Perry Homes. Perry Homes will open with 50’ to 90’ homesites and plans ranging from 2,011 square feet to 3,865 square feet. In addition, there will be models showcasing a variety of homesite and plan options. Visit www.starfarmslwr.com and join the VIP Club for the latest information. 

M/I Homes Preview Center is now open and selling SeaFlower’s first Village Homes and Row Homes product styles. The Preview Center is located just across the street from the community and will be open until on-site showcase homes are complete later this year.  Designed for carefree living, these homes offer easy walkability to SeaFlower’s Village Center, where a vibrant “Main Street” atmosphere includes an approximate 50,000-square-foot Publix store with a separate Publix Liquors, retail, restaurants and entertainment venues. Residents have access to all the community’s amenities, such as Lake Flores Park and the lakefront resident-only amenity center, The Garden Club featuring Plumeria Hall with inviting social spaces, a Fitness Center, plus resort-style pool with lap lanes, a Gathering Hall, event lawn, pickleball courts, children’s play area, fire pit, and more. To stay updated on the latest developments, visit SeaFlower.com or contact info@SeaFlower.com. 

Sarasota County invites the community to learn about and provide feedback on the Blackburn Point Bridge Project Development and Environment (PD&E) study on Tuesday, Aug. 19.The Blackburn Point Bridge in Osprey is undergoing a study using Florida Department of Transportation guidelines to determine a reasonable and feasible alternative for the bridge replacement. The replacement is being evaluated due to deficiencies and the possible incorporation of bicycle and pedestrian traffic in addition to marine and vehicle traffic in the design. Learn more about the project and the possible options at BlackburnBridgeProject.com.