Best Festival or Special Event

Suncoast Offshore Grand Prix

Finalists: Arts Day, 4th of July

Organizers of the Offshore Grand Prix maintain that reports of their demise last year were greatly exaggerated and promise they'll be back with those roaring powerboats. We hope they're right. In the meantime, we have the cultural clout of Arts Day and major fireworks displays at the bayfront and Siesta Key Beach for the 4th of July.

Best Place to Watch a Performance

Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall

Finalists: FSU/Asolo Center, Sarasota Opera House

Performing arts lovers have embraced the renovated Van Wezel, especially since it staged such epic musicals as "Titanic" and "Ragtime" this season. FSU/Asolo Center is a comfortable as well as classy locale (check out that gift shop!) and the Opera House lights up downtown with big-city excitement.

Best Place for Live Music

Five O'Clock Club

Finalists: Gator Club, Mi Pueblo (Venice)

The "Five-0" really earned this award for bringing national talent to town while nurturing homegrown bands and singers. The Gator has one of the best house bands in town. For muy bueno mariachi music, head south to Mi Pueblo in Venice.

Best Nightclub

Gator Club

Finalists: Down Under Jazz Club, Five O'Clock Club

Two of our winners also scored for live music, but they know a good nightclub offers more than a great band. At the Gator, while crowds swing downstairs, others relax with a Scotch and cigar or billiard cue upstairs in the Victorian-era lounge. With its outdoor patio and friendly crowd, the 5-0 offers fun to even the tone-deaf, and Saturday's D.J. '70s Night at the Down Under is always standing-room only.

Best Place to Play Tennis

University Park Country Club

Finalists: Bath & Racquet and The Colony Beach & Tennis Resort (tie), Longboat Key Club

Yes, Sarasota is home to international tennis champions and the world's most famous sports academy, but the real reason we love tennis is all those hot little outfits. And the way our finely buffed tennis pros look in them when they bend over to pick up a loose ball.

Best Place to Play Golf

University Park Country Club

Finalists: Legacy at Lakewood Ranch, Longboat Key Club

Golfers travel from around the world to play the signature No. 5 hole at University Park and the No. 4 and 11 holes at the Arnold Palmer-designed Legacy at Lakewood Ranch. The course at Longboat Key Club reminds people why they visit Florida in the first place-water, sunshine, exotic birds and sailing ships.

Best Museum

The John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art

Finalists: G.WIZ, Historic Spanish Point

Once again, voters went for Baroque with the Ringling. But you also recognized that G.WIZ is a feast for the creative child in all of us; and Historic Spanish Point offers as much lush Florida beauty as it does education about old Florida and its ancient peoples.

Best Art Gallery

Galleria Silecchia

Finalists: Chasen Gallery, Paradise Gallery

Galleria Silecchia got raves for its evolving collection of art, furniture, bronze, ceramic and wood sculpture. Chasen houses fine contemporary art glassworks, and Paradise has an eclectic collection of paintings, sculpture, glass and jewelry.

Best Attraction for Kids

G.WIZ

Finalists: Mote Marine Laboratory, Jungle Gardens

We dedicate this category to the kid in all of us. The kid who loves to push buttons, touch wet, squishy things and pet an occasional reptile.

Best Place to Canoe or Kayak

Myakka State Park

Finalists: Midnight Pass, Peace River in Arcadia and Sarasota Bay (tie)

Sarasota's abundance of protected waters makes it a natural for paddlers. Your favorite is Myakka State Park-and why not, with all those 'gators and exotic birds to keep you company? Midnight Pass and Sarasota Bay are tops for saltwater fishing, but if you're in the mood for a lazy day of easy paddling, try the Peace River in Arcadia.

Best Beach

Siesta Key Beach

Finalists: Crescent Beach, Lido Beach

If you ask us, the best beach is the one we're lying on at any given moment. For sheer size and beauty, though, few can beat Siesta's blinding white quartz. Coming in close behind are Crescent and Lido Beach, where the sand isn't quite as bright but the chances of snagging a parking spot are even more so.

Best Scenic Drive

Longboat Key/Gulf of Mexico Drive

Finalists: Casey Key, Downtown Bayfront

Gulf of Mexico Drive runs the length of Longboat Key past a kaleidoscope of bright blooms, manicured lawns and dazzling sea vistas. Casey Key's meandering two-lane trail will take you past some of Sarasota's most exclusive homes. And wherever you may live in Sarasota, you can enjoy the downtown bayfront every day. In late afternoon, the water sparkles like diamonds against a sea of bobbing sailboats; at night, the skyline sparkles with a string of glitzy luxury condos and the new Ritz-Carlton.