Study Shows Sarasota Is The Best Place In Florida To Spot Santa And His Sleigh On Christmas Eve

Good news for kids in the Sarasota, Florida area. You have a much higher chance of spotting Santa and his sleigh as he and his reindeer cruise over South Florida. A new study from Assurance broke down the chances of Santa spotting on Christmas Eve across the country, and Sarasota ranked higher than Fort Myers, Tampa, Miami and really anywhere else in Florida!

There's a lot of factors that they took into consideration. The first, is people from the area logging on to the Santa Tracker. By logging in on the NORAD site, kids know when to go outside and look. Elevation and light pollution also factor in. Obviously we have no elevation, but heading away from the city out to the keys around Bradenton, or Anna Maria Island, is a great way to see darker skies. Probably also explains all the UFO sightings out there. Rounding out the data includes average vision difficulties among the residents, and December cloud cover. It's certainly been a lot cloudier in Southwest Florida lately, but hopefully it can clear up for the weekend.

Colorado Springs, Colorado. It's all about the elevation. The city is more than a mile above sea level and if you've ever been out there, it's some of the most amazing stargazing you'll ever see. Once you get over the altitude sickness. Here's the top 15, including Sarasota at number 14.

So, Sarasota is the best place in Florida to see Santa. Lakeland also ranked pretty high, but not enough to crack into the top 15. If you really, really, want to have a chance at spotting Santa, going out west will increase your odds. No joke about that altitude sickness in Colorado Springs, though. Getting on a plane in Fort Myers at roughly 20 foot elevation, and then flying somewhere at over 6,000 foot elevation can mess with your body. Drink a lot of water.

So if you live in the Sarasota/Bradenton area, step outside this Sunday night and you might just catch a glimpse of Santa and his sleigh. Or it could be a UFO. Either way, keep your camera phones ready.

It's that time of year when we gather with family and friends to celebrate the holidays. There's a lot going on this time of year between Christmas parties at work, with friends and the overall hustle and bustle. The idea of cooking on Christmas might not be something you're looking forward to. I absolutely love the holidays. But hosting at my home in Fort Myers is just a little too overwhelming. The amount of food I would need to cook is a bit outside of my skill level. Sure, I could order in and have it catered, but that's a lot of planning too.

This year Christmas Eve arrives on Sunday and Christmas Day on Monday. You may be excited to see family and friends, sharing a meal and gifting, but what do you do if you don’t want to cook? The good thing, is that there are plenty of places this year where you can enjoy a delicious holiday meal with no prep and no dishes to worry about afterwards.

While Sunday and Monday are days that some restaurants are normally closed, some will open for Christmas. You'll definitely want to call and double check hours and availability, just in case reservations are required.

Thanks to News-Press, here are 10 local restaurants to SWFL, particularly Fort Myers, Cape Coral and Bonita Springs that are open on Christmas Eve and/or Day this year. You can see their full list here. Many restaurant chains and fast food spots will be open as well. Merry Christmas!

Front Porch Social will feature a special 3-course Christmas Eve dinner starting at 3pm. They'll have a limited a la carte menu as well.

4721 Vincennes Blvd- Cape Coral

Located at The Westin in Cape Coral, Marker 92 will have their regular menu on Christmas Eve. On Monday, they'll offer a Christmas Day feast from noon-7pm. Call for a reservation 239-541-5942.

Bruno's will offer a 3-course Christmas Eve menu with entrees including Dover sole filet francese, pappardelle frutta di mare, meatball parmigiano eggplant parmigiano or seafood fra diavolo from 5-8pm. Call 239-278-0211 for reservations.

2112 Second St- downtown Fort Myers

Il Pomodoro has a special Christmas Eve menu featuring braciole, osso buco and scallops in addition to their regular menu from 4-8pm. Closed Christmas Day.

9681 Gladiolus Drive- Fort Myers

Fresh Catch has some special offerings for Christmas Eve including prime rib and lobster in addition to their regular menu from 4:30-8pm. Happy hour is from 2:30-4:30pm. Closed Christmas Day.

4761 Estero Blvd- Fort Myers Beach

Both Fort Myers and Cape Coral locations will have special Christmas Eve specials (crab cakes, lobster francese, prime rib, etc) and full menus available. Both locations closed on Christmas Day.

8880 Salrose Lane- Fort Myers

1403 Cape Coral Parkway E- Cape Coral

Old Captiva House will have a Christmas buffet from noon-8pm that features chicken, pasta, seafood, a carving station, she-crab soup and more. Call 239-472-5161 x421 to make a reservation.

15951 Captiva Drive- Captiva

Roys is open both December 24 and 25. There will be a Christmas Day 3-course meal served from 11am-9pm.

26831 South Bay Drive- Bonita Springs

Snug Harbor will be open 11am-9pm on Christmas Eve with their regular menu and a special menu served. Closed on Christmas Day.

645 Old San Carlos Blvd- Fort Myers Beach

Nick & Stella's will be serving their full menu on Christmas Eve from 11am-midnight. Also open on Christmas Day from noon-midnight, plus a special prime rib dinner.

15271 McGregor Blvd- Fort Myers