Two weeks ago we moved about 30 miles south to Venice (FL). We spent the previous 3 months at Winter Quarters Manatee in Bradenton. With the back and forth to New Port Richey, we didn’t do as much exploring as we would have liked, but here are a few places we enjoyed in the area.
Bradenton Riverwalk (no pics taken)
Most of our favorite places were in Sarasota which is still just a short drive away. I’m grateful for that as Ellie and I are able to continue Mom & Baby Yoga at Rosemary Court. We love the people and the class.
Our experience at Winter Quarters Manatee was good overall. We enjoyed our view of the water feature, but are loving the tree cover and shade even more at our current RV park.
Water feature at sunset. 
And in the moonlight.
The one mile loop around the water feature was a great way to get back into running and I did love having a “hill” even if it was man-made (as they usually are here in Florida 🙂 ).
“Hill!”
While the laundry facility was well-maintained, the bathrooms were severely outdated with black mold coating the wall in at least one of the women’s shower stalls. Both men’s and women’s showers did not seem to have hot water. We opted to utilize our own shower. In the past, George has enjoyed the showers at other RV park facilities for the higher water pressure.
Make-shift laundry cart. 
My little helper <3
Staff at Winter Quarters Manatee were pleasant and helpful; especially those that worked the grounds. Ultimately, we decided it was time to move onto another park when we continually received conflicting information about booking throughout the busy winter season coupled with an unwillingness to accept advanced payment to secure our site.
Winter Quarters Manatee had everything from Walmart to Publix and Costco all within a 2 mile radius, but it was in a very high traffic area, surrounded by multi-lane highways and the interstate.
Both George and I are feeling a mental boost from being in a more rural area. The green space is rejuvenating. I love city atmospheres, but only when conducive to walking. Suburban concrete jungles that are not walkable seem to squeeze the life out of me and make me want to stay inside. With the beautiful weather starting here in Florida, I am very happy to be in a place that draws me outside.
