Tampa invites visitors to Busch Gardens to sample its new Cheetah Chase, seventh in the theme park's roster of roller coasters. Considerably more peaceful: Tampa's Florida Aquarium, whose recently launched outdoor aquatic discovery zone for kids features a 24-foot pirate ship.

Small wonder that close-by St. Petersburg lures generations of snowbirds--it sports not only gorgeous beaches but 361 days of yearly sunshine. A don't-miss for art lovers: the Salvador Dali Museum and its knockout collection of art by the Spanish surrealist.

Another intriguing assemblage--this one focused on Florida's Native Americans--is on display at the South Florida Museum in Bradenton. It spotlights aboriginal artifacts of the region such as pottery, shell tools, beads, and metals. The Bradenton area, Anna Maria Island, and Longboat Key abound with outdoor adventures.

Nearby, postcard-pretty Sarasota is a tapestry of cultural attractions with its Ringling Museum of Art complex--a legacy from the 1920s when John Ringling chose the city to be winter quarters for his renowned circus. Under the umbrella are the 18th century Asolo Theatre (imported in its entirety from Asolo, Italy), a circus museum, and the Ringling home, an eye-popping 32-room mansion patterned after the Doge's Palace in Venice.

Along the alabaster sands washed by the gentle rollers of the Gulf, life is serene. Families search for prize specimens in such famously shell-strewn spots as Sanibel Island, and explore the one-time winter estates of Thomas Edison and Henry Ford at mainland Fort Myers. Naples and Marco Island, south of Fort Myers, abound with posh resorts, smart shops, and great golf courses.