The main attractions on Anna Maria Island are the beautiful beaches and tropical weather. However, visitors can supplement their lazy days with shopping trips, strolls around the City Pier, and excursions to nearby Bradenton and Sarasota. Theater fans can take in a show by The Island Players, who put on a full season of comedies, mysteries and a special summer presentation of classic Shakespeare.

The Island Players
10009 Gulf Drive, Bradenton Beach
(941) 778-5755
www.home.earthlink.net/~islandplayers/

With comedies as their main staple, The Island Players offer up thespian delights throughout the fall-to-spring theatre season, with a special presentation of classic Shakespeare each summer.

Longboat Key Center for the Arts
6860 Longboat Drive South, Longboat Key
(941) 383-2345
www.lbkca.org

Budding artists young and old can test their skills with a brush at The Longboat Key Center for the Arts. Established in 1952, the center has become one of the state's premier facilities, providing studios for instruction and continually changing exhibits in three art galleries. The center also sponsors regular outdoor concerts featuring local budding musicians.

Circus Sarasota
(941) 355-9335
www.circussarasota.org

The circus is an important part of Sarasota's legacy, so a performance by the city's resident big top is a definite must see. The European-style one ring show offers non-stop entertainment with unique acts including the Russian Cossack Riders and a Roman rings and aerial act.

John and Mable Ringling Museum Complex
5401 Bay Shore Road, Sarasota
(941) 359-5700
www.ringling.org

Circus magnate John Ringling helped transform Sarasota into a cultural capital in the 1920's. Today his influence is still evident in the John and Mable Ringling Museum complex, affiliated with Florida State University. Stunning architecture and an expansive collection of works by baroque masters and American artists delight serious art aficionados. Innovative installations and object art help showcase the wall pieces by giving the viewer a sense of time and place. In addition, the estate encompasses Ca d'Zan (the recently restored 32-room Ringling mansion), the Circus Museum, Original Asolo Theater, Rose Garden and beautifully landscaped grounds overlooking Sarasota Bay.

Marie Selby Botanical Gardens
811 South Palm Avenue, Sarasota
(941) 366-5731
www.selby.org

Marie Selby Botanical Gardens is the perfect place for gardening enthusiasts and nature lovers to check out orchids, ferns, bromelaids and heliconias. The garden's biggest claim to fame is that it has more epiphytes than any other exhibit or display in the nation. What's an epiphyte - you ask? A breed of flower that seems to grow out of thin air. Not excited by obscure horticulture? No worries - nine acres of walking paths guide you through scenic gardens full of hibiscus, wildflowers, banyans, and tropical fruit trees.

Mote Marine Aquarium & Sarasota Bay Explorers Cruise
600 Ken Thompson Parkway, Sarasota
(941) 388-4441
www.mote.org

Mote Aquarium's informative exhibits portray underwater life in grass flats, rivers, and artificial reefs. The popular "touch tank" allows little visitors to get up close and personal with a variety of marine life while three working laboratories give budding scientists insight into the world of Mote's research projects. The brand new Sea Cinema allows theater-goers to experience life as a hungry shark, thanks to surround sound, a big screen and 3D objects. The Sarasota Bay Explorers Cruise, a fascinating extension of the aquarium, travels through the bay with a marine biologist on board to help passengers spot dolphins and manatees. A brief stop on an island rookery allows glimpses of pelicans, herons, ibises and egrets.

Myakka River State Park
13207 State Road 72, Sarasota
(941) 361-6511
www.myakkariver.org

Florida's largest state park gives visitors a sense of what the state was like a hundred years ago. 29,000 acres of primal wilderness surrounding the Myakka River teem with alligators, vultures, and wild boars. Guided tours by foot, canoe, and kayak offer nature lovers an interesting look at wild cypress swamp, mangrove forests, and marshland.

Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall
777 North Tamiami Trail, Sarasota
(800) 826-9303
www.vanwezel.org

Arguably the crown jewel of Sarasota's contemporary arts scene, the landmark Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall welcomes a broad range of performers. Set along the waterfront, the stately venue hosts world-class symphonies, premier dance companies, jazz artists, pop legends, and Broadway shows.