As a Home Watch provider, we want each of your return trips to Sarasota to feel as refreshing as the first. Our "Piece of Paradise" newsletters provide a brief glimpse into Florida homeownership, followed by a featured activity for your next visit.

Homeowner Insight

Did you know spring cleaning can actually benefit your health? If your Sarasota home lacks all the gadgets of your primary home - a pressure washer, leaf blower, lawn edger, etc. - talk to us about how we might be able to help. Or, if clutter in your home has taken away from its refreshing vacation feeling, give Ben a call to haul some items to a donation center on your behalf.

Look in the window - this isn't your typical house on the prairie! It's part of the décor at Smuggler's Cove Adventure Golf.

When you're entertaining friends and visitors, mini ("putt putt") golf is a classic past-time. Sarasota has several courses from which to choose, each offering its own advantages.

You may have noticed the Smugglers Cove pirate (ahem, BUCCANEER) ship while travelling US 41.

Smugglers Cove Adventure Golf takes the cake for a fun experience with the quirky obstacles of more memorable miniature golf courses. It weaves the pirate theme into every inch of the experience, making each hole a fresh adventure and adding a bit of wholesome entertainment. Rhymes for each station and extra activities like "What's Your Pirate Name?" earn this course extra points. Besides the golfing, Smugglers Cove offers snacks and adult beverages. But what really tops the experience is feeding the gators.

Kids will especially enjoy putting through the pirate-themed course design.

We're not claiming its Shakespeare - but it's cute.

Several members of our family share initials, so we had some repeat pirate names.

The PopStroke courses always look crowded, but we were able to walk right in on an overcast Saturday afternoon.

For a more sophisticated mini golf experience, check out PopStroke. Tiger Woods has opened these golf + restaurant enterprises at five locations in Florida and one in Texas. Additional locations are planned. In October, the Sarasota location was home to the chain's inaugural "PopStroke Tour Championship," which brought international pros and amateurs together to prove the best putter, competing for a total purse of $125,000. This venue is great for a casual afternoon with adult friends or a unique activity for Tiger Woods fans and golf enthusiasts.

We were relieved to see the "sand traps" at PopStroke were merely beige carpet - we're far from professional golfers, and didn't feel like getting messy before eating at the restaurant!

Evie's on Bee Ridge (pronounced Eh-veze) has a pretty good course, with LOTS of extras and a popular pizza restaurant. It is a highly frequented spot for parties. In addition to casual food, happy faces, and mini golf - there is also ice cream, a driving range, a children's sand box, cornhole, and a video game arcade. (And, an adjacent car wash.)

While we weren't super impressed by the mini golfing at The Fish Hole, they did have a good system for bonus prizes. Also, it's located in the heart of Anna Maria Island. It doesn't serve food on property but it is surrounded by some of the area's most delicious restaurants and scenery. The Fish Hole is a good place to tarry for an hour or so before heading to a special meal.

Learn more about our Home Watch services, Florida homeownership, and activity ideas in and around the Sarasota area on the Coastal Haven website.