Food Festivals in the Gulf
For many boaters, the only thing better than a food festival in the gulf is a food and music festival near a marina. Check off all three categories at mid-January events in Galveston, Texas, and Sarasota, FL.
Galveston
Galveston hosts Yaga’s Chili Quest & Beer Fest January 18-19 at Saengerfest Park in the historic Strand District. It features live music, of course, as well as chili and craft beer tasting, a margarita contest, and a 5K “Fun Run & Walk.” Galveston Yacht Basin is conveniently located within a short walk from the venue.
Sarasota
Downtown Sarasota’s Seafood & Music Festival January 18-20 is a couple of blocks from Marina Jack. Gulf-fresh seafood options include grouper, oysters, stone crabs, shrimp, and softshell crabs. Music venues include jazz, Caribbean, soul, rock, and R&B.
If you want to take a break, you have permission to slip away for a day or so and tour The Ringling, the state art museum of Florida. It has three centers of attention. One is John and Mable Ringling’s 50-room Mediterranean-revivalist palace on Sarasota Bay. Another is a circus museum, a historical testimonial to “The Greatest Show on Earth.” The third is an amazing 21-gallery art museum with sculptures and artwork by Rubens, van Dyke, Velazquez, and other European Old Masters.
By Bill Aucoin, Southern Boating January 2019