1. Visit Selby Botanical Gardens to admire its remarkable collection of tropical orchids, then take your own orchid home from the plant shop. These beautiful plants with long-lasting blooms are surprisingly easy to grow, and the volunteers will help you determine which species fits your skill level. (Dendrobiums or phalaenopsis, anyone?) 811 S. Palm Ave., Sarasota. (941) 366-5731.

2. Discover our pioneer past at Crowley Museum and Nature Center, on 190 unspoiled acres near the Myakka River in east Sarasota County. Tour the homespun museum, with its collection of housewares and farm tools from the late 1800s. And on a clear, crisp day, the boardwalk that traverses Maple Branch Swamp and Tatum Sawgrass Marsh is a birdwatcher's Eden. 16405 Myakka Road, Sarasota. (941) 322-1000.

3. More than 1,000 alligators live in Upper Myakka Lake at Myakka River State Park. You're sure to see some of them on the world's largest airboats, the Gator Gal and Myakka Maiden. Your captain provides lively commentary about the slightly sinister beasts and lots of other wildlife, too. The boat is shaded, but we like sitting in the open air in front of the captain for the unobstructed view. 13207 S.R. 72, Sarasota. (941) 361-6511.

4. You'll love Venice Avenue, aka Venice Main Street, for what it isn't. There are no Gap or chain restaurants; instead you'll find homegrown retailers, antique dealers, an ice cream parlor and a park with a bandshell, where the Gentlemen of Jazz give free concerts every Thursday afternoon. "Cross the Bridge to Yesteryear" is Venice Main Street's slogan. It fits. (941) 484-6722.

5. Film cognoscenti have been flocking to Video Renaissance for 20 years, whether they're in the mood to rent a classic MGM musical or an obscure independent movie. The clerks are treasure troves of movie lore, and 25,000 films are stacked sky-high in this hole-in-the-wall hotspot. Some are so independent they've been purchased from the filmmakers themselves. 2243 Bee Ridge Road, Sarasota. (941) 925-2780.

6. If you're searching for a fabulously kitschy Florida souvenir, head to the Sarasota Jungle Gardens gift shop, where you'll find classic rubber alligators, seashell-encrusted curios and orange-blossom perfume along with more grown-up buys, like glass butterfly feeders and garden steppingstones. Aunt Edna back in Schenectady will surely want several of the tiny pink flamingo-shaped soaps. 3701 Bayshore Road, Sarasota. (941) 355-5305.

7. While away a pleasant hour on Sarasota Bay on Le Barge, the only tourist boat we've seen with a palm tree lashed to its upper deck. The morning tour is a dolphin watch; sightsee down posh canals in the afternoon; and sing along to an acoustic guitarist at sunset. Drinks and food available. Le Barge, which seats 140, leaves from the docks at downtown's Bayfront Park; reservations are suggested. 2 Marina Plaza, Sarasota. (941) 366-6116.

8. The anachronistic Mennonite community of Pinecraft, off Bahia Vista Street, is home to some of the best comfort food east of Indiana. If it's meat loaf, mashed potatoes and cream pies you're craving, head straight to family-owned Yoder's at 3434 Bahia Vista, a Sarasota institution since 1975, where kindly women in plain cotton dresses make sure you won't go hungry.

9. People gather by the thousands at downtown Sarasota's Saturday farmers' market for the vegetables, flowers, homemade jams, hippie-esque macramé potholders and beaded necklaces, and other crafts. But mostly it's a chance to grab some coffee, catch up with neighbors, pet a dog and harangue a city commissioner or two-in other words, to feel like you're part of the community. Priceless. Lemon Avenue between Main and First streets. (941) 951-2656.

10. Only one youth opera program in all of America both prepares youngsters to sing with professional companies and produces operas completely sung by them-and it's ours. At Sarasota Opera's Youth Opera performances, the voices are marvelous and the sets and costumes first-rate. In May: Aaron Copland's The Second Hurricane, featuring a cast of 60. 61 N. Pineapple Ave., Sarasota. (941) 366-8450.

11. You gotta experience Lakewood Ranch's annual Pug Parade to believe it: 150 or more pugs bedecked as bumblebees, Donald Trump and everything else imaginable, strutting down a runway in front of hundreds of fevered fans. They come from all over Florida to compete for awards like Most Physically Fit, Best Curled Tail and Miss Congeniality. Last year's top winner: a pug dressed like Lucille Ball in her famous candy company assembly-line episode. Sweet. (941) 487-1116.

12. Sarasota's famed luxury lifestyle can be yours without mortgaging the farm. Just grab a copy of the real estate section in the weekend Sarasota Herald-Tribune and start hitting the Sunday afternoon open houses. Lido Shores, Sanderling Club, The Oaks-all these swanky neighborhoods can be yours, if only for an hour or two.