Photos courtesy of Discover Sarasota Tours, 1836 4th St., Sarasota, 941-260-9818.

Seek shelter in the colorful neighborhood on Fruitville Road for the brand new Vintage Sarasota Gift Shop experience inside the Discover Sarasota ToursTrolley Cottage. Apart from its entertaining, interactive and informative guided tours throughout our culturally rich metropolis—full of photogenic landscapes and stories of history, Founder and CEO Tammy Hauser wished to launch a coinciding retail outlet for locals and tourists alike to shop unique souvenir items and SRQ-inspired trinkets. Tour-goers and the general public can now browse “a curious compendium of collectibles and memorabilia curated to complement Discover Sarasota Tours’ interesting tour themes”. The quaint dwelling carries an array of cultural keepsakes from Ringling Brothers Circus, Ghost, Amish, Psychic, Sports, and Public Arts items. Additionally, you’ll find a bevy of Old Florida/Old Sarasota books, cards, t-shirts, magnets, flamingos, pins, art boards, drinkware, candles, vintage Florida tablecloths and tea towels, soaps, nostalgic food items and other vintage relics, “evoking Florida souvenir shops of days gone by,” says Hauser.

“Discover Sarasota Tours is my gift to Sarasota—I want to share my love of my new hometown with everyone who visits, as well as residents who may not know about her fascinating past.”

In addition to daily city sightseeing jaunts, Discover Sarasota Tours also offers special weekly tours, like Circus History tours, Ghost Tours of Sarasota, Psychic Sundays, Public Art Tours, Sarasota Sports History, The Amish Experience and an evening cruise called Happy Hour “Infamous Sarasota” tour, which includes complimentary beer/wine in the trolley cottage tiki bar. And currently, seasonal tours for the holidays are going on like the Love Stories of Sarasota tour for Valentine’s Week. The 90-minute tours are led by trained tour guides, most of whom have acting or entertainment backgrounds. Tour guide for Love Stories, Kathryn Chesley shares, “I will be telling stories of eight couples who have had a significant impact in the community. For each one of them I will be telling the story from the woman's point of view—dressed in character with a hat to go with each personality—like a personal tour given by eight different women from the community.”

Photos courtesy of Discover Sarasota Tours, 1836 4th St., Sarasota, 941-260-9818.

Tour tickets & information found here.