This is a hands-on discovery center for young and old kids. You can dig for fossils, play with lasers, and get up close and personal with the slimiest members of the reptile kingdom at this center. G.W.I.Z is located in the Blivas Science and Technology Center.

Marie Selby Botanical Gardens is a must-see for horticulturists and garden enthusiasts. At the bayside botanical garden, you'll find more than 20 individual gardens, complete with waterfalls and terraced walkways. Special areas include the Butterfly Garden, Koi Pond, Cycad Garden, and Baywalk. Marie Selby Gardens is the only garden to specialize in air plants and is, perhaps, most famous for its collection of 6,000-plus orchids. A museum and plant shop are available as well.

Sarasota's Mote Aquarium is actually an open-to-the-public research facility. A visit here is an excellent opportunity to get up close and personal with stingrays, sea horses, manatees, and the occasional shark. The facility also offers visitors the Mote Café and the Aquarium Gift Shop. General admission includes access to Mote Aquarium, the Ann and Alfred E. Goldstein Marine Mammal Center and Immersion Cinema.#13;#10;

At nearly 30,000 acres, the Myakka River State Park is one of South Florida's largest tourist attractions. The park offers narrated airboat trips daily, which take visitors exploring throughout the park.

This is slowly becoming one of the Sarasota area's biggest attractions. Set on a waterfront compound in Ken Thompson Park, Pelican Man's Bird Sanctuary is a permanent home for injured pelicans, egrets, owls, hawks, and gulls, and it is a great place to get some pretty unique pictures. The park also has a covered boardwalk area for those guests who visit during rainy weather.