- November 22, 2024
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I was in Sarasota for less than a year when COVID-19 hit. I had a fairly busy event coverage schedule and being something of a shut-in when not at work — there were large swaths of Sarasota I didn’t know about.
When everything shut down, I got to fixing where I could hike and explore nature as much as possible. There were plenty of trails and swampy areas I fell in love with, but I think the most surprising was Rothenbach Park, a community park with miles of paved area for biking, running and so forth.
It has an odd space for Sarasota — a former landfill turned hill-like locale where quiet and scenic trails wrapped around — and all sorts of wildlife that took me by surprise.
We’ll get to that.
The park’s sign brings it up so it’s not that clever to say, but it really is an area that’s turned trash to treasure. The site used to be the old Bee Ridge Landfill before being converted into a community park.
The revamped park was named after Walter J. Rothenbach Jr., the supervisor and director of Sarasota Parks and Rec from 1963 to 1998.
It’s that contrast of massive, wide open space overlooking a series of twisting, closed in trails that bring a good amount of variety to visitors. Driving into the park shows a massive space that isn’t really seen much in SRQ before you leave your car and see lush foliage while walking through the trails.
Early on in the trail is a picnic area as well as a couple benches that overlook a waterway — it's a good place to sit down and read.
Listen to the signs, by the way. I visited on a rainy day and almost slipped immediately onto the walkway. Of all the experiences you want at the park, a twisted ankle isn't one of them.
Rothenbach is a great place for cyclist and joggers, as they’re a number of running and paths both in the wide open space and within the more shaded areas near the water.
Visit on any given day and you can find people exercising, families looking at the different types of animals, and even a photoshoot or two (you’re not allowed to be up on the massive hill proper, but that hasn’t stopped some people from quickly grabbing shots at the edge).
Weekends can see a fair amount of visitors but it can also be fairly empty around sunset. Not a bad time to visit if you want some solace to end the day.
First things first, my most recent trip to Rothenbach introduced me to a hawk on a fence that was completely drenched by the rain. I’d never seen a bird so frazzled by rainwater, yet it stayed proud.
Dogs and other pets aren’t allowed at the park, which was a curious thing at first but quickly became obvious as to why.
It’s not the possibility of a dog getting loose and being snatched by a gator (though that could be an issue, I’ve seen massive gators resting on the banks at the water near the park).
It’s the deer. In a charming little touch that completes the area, there are small packs of deer that roam throughout the park’s massive hill and graze. It’s not the most common sight in our little area, and walking through the trails you can see the deer on the hilltop or sometimes much closer than that.
They stare back, by the way. Nothing is simultaneously as cute and odd as to be walking near some deer and have all six stop and stare at you like you’re interrupting their high school reunion.
On the way out of the park, I turned and immediately came across a mother deer and her very young fawn, who looked like something out of a Disney cartoon. They froze, I froze, we stared at one another, and they ran off.
It’s their park, really, and we’re just visiting it.
