Looking for things to do in Sarasota? She wrote the bucket list.

When she began writing the book “100 Things to Do in Sarasota Before You Die,” Kelly Stilwell wondered how she would find that many things to do. 

But once the journey was underway, she found herself swapping out some items in the book for others. 

“You can do outdoor things year-round, and there's just so much to do,” she said. “We're so lucky with all our arts and restaurants and the museums, the whole Ringling thing. It’s a pretty magical place.”

Reedy Press reached out to Stilwell, a Bradenton resident and the author of the blog “Food, Fun and Faraway Places” to write a book for the Sarasota/Bradenton area, part of a series that covers cities around the world. 

The book's contents aren't limited to the immediate area, also drawing from sites in Venice and North Port — any locations she felt were not large enough for a book of their own.

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Stilwell was given a year to explore everything the area had to offer and began venturing out every weekend with her husband, Tim Stilwell.

“I get the opportunity to see so many incredible places, and then, when I come home, I don’t want to leave,” she said.

One of the most difficult parts of the writing experience for her, a self-described foodie, was the limit of 28 restaurants.

After crowdsourcing ideas from friends, the options only grew. 

“I ate my way through a lot of restaurants that didn't make it, and I didn't just judge on the food, though, that of course, was No. 1,” she said.

She took the quality of service into account as well, and a poor experience — even if on the second visit — resulted in some establishments not making the cut. 

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Some of her top recommendations include The Sandbar Restaurant on Anna Maria Island, Café Gabbiano in Siesta Key and Sharky's on the Pier in Venice. 

The experience also gave her the chance to discover new corners of the area she hadn't known before. 

One of her favorites was behind an unassuming freezer door: the speakeasy at Dive Wine & Spirits on Clark Road.

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The owners of the site hope to keep the speakeasy, a space that seats only a handful of people, a cozy experience.

"It's shocking. You wouldn’t know it was there if someone didn’t tell you," she said. "The more they become popular, the more crowded it's going to be. I had to do it because it's just so cool.”

She also enjoyed her time during a full house at McCurdy's Comedy Theatre, with her husband and friends.

“It's so fun to have that right in our own backyard,” she said.

One place was indisputably the highest priority. 

“I knew of course, that Ringling was going," she said. "We love the circus museum, but also the art museum, the view and Mable’s rose garden, just so much.”

She also highlighted some more distance locations she found worth the trip. 

One was the Manatee Viewing Center at Apollo Beach in Hillsborough County.

She said after having trouble spotting manatees in Sarasota, she was able to find them at the site, to which the animals are attracted due to warm water created by a local power plant. 

Another site she found fascinating was Warm Mineral Springs Park in North Port, where the 85-degree water is said to be 2 million years old. 

“Here’s your chance to wade where saber-toothed tigers and giant sloths walked," the book states.

She hopes the book, which was released July 15, will succeed despite the current relaxing pace of life in Sarasota. 

“It’s one of the first books Reedy has ever released in the summer, which made me a little bit nervous, because summer’s not our season,” she said.

You'll find her in the community promoting the book, including the Jimmy Buffett Tribute at The Bazaar on Apricot & Lime on Aug. 31.