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SWEET SOUTH - Amelia Island
FRESH TAKE - Key West

BAREFOOT ELEGANCE
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FEW HAVE EVER HEARD OF Gasparilla, and we think that's a darn shame. When we first crossed the bridge onto this slender strip of bougainvillea-draped land nestled between Charlotte Harbor and the Gulf of Mexico in Southwest Florida, our mood changed instantly -- for the better. Then we found the beach. And went fishing. Then we played golf -- alongside the blue waters of the harbor. We were hooked.

A plethora of homes that could easily make the cover of Architectural Digest skirts Gasparilla Road, the thoroughfare that leads into the town of Boca Grande. Even the town's yellow fire station is stylish with its tin roof, white porch rails and wooden shutters to match its garage doors. Turn down residential side streets, and you'll find sandy paths leading to the Gulf; continue to the far southern tip, and you'll come upon the one-story 1890 lighthouse, a landmark for the fluffy beaches in Gasparilla Island State Park, where pieces of driftwood are strewn about like works of art. Wherever you go on this seven-mile-long island, chances are golf carts will zip past you. Along with a pair of flip-flop-clad feet, it's the preferred method of transportation here.

IN TOWN Three streets with red barrel-tiled roofs topping shops, art galleries and cafés make up Boca Grande. Crimson tables provide a cheery welcome to Boca Grande Bakery, where owner Shana whips up lattés when she's not busy baking wedding cakes. Nearby, a picket fence and porch mark Temptation Restaurant on Park Avenue, which is pretty much the main drag. Step into this old-time eatery at lunchtime, and you'll find folks dining on strawberry chicken salad topped with toasted pecans and Boursin cheese. More gourmet fare ? truffles, mousse pâté and sage blue and drunken goat cheeses along with a small wine selection -- lines shelves at the Grape Vine Gourmet & Gift Shop in the historic San Marco Theatre building.

NATURE'S SECRETS We discovered Sam Murphy Park nestled in between shops behind coconut palms. A red-brick path leads through a garden to benches surrounding a peaceful reflection pool. A few blocks south is Banyan Street, where 80-year-old banyans create a gorgeous canopy for walkers and cyclists who can't resist taking this road (it's also where scenes were filmed for the movie Hoot, based on the book by Carl Hiaasen). BIG FISH In 1885, New Yorker W. H. Wood landed a 93-pound tarpon at the mouth of the nearby Caloosahatchee River. Considered the first tarpon ever landed on rod and reel, it made world news. Eventually, tarpon fishing caught on, and the island, particularly the Boca Grande Pass at its southernmost tip, earned the moniker "Tarpon Fishing Capital of the World." To try your hand at tackling one of these big guys (average weight is 80 to 140 pounds), look for Capt. Mark Bennett (tarponsnook.com) at the Fifth Street docks. He knows the least crowded spots for hooking the prized catch. "Getting away from people is my specialty," he says proudly. When tarpon season (May to August) is over, Bennett takes anglers fishing for snook and redfish in the 24-foot flats boat he custom-built.

ICED TEA NOT INCLUDED The Gasparilla Inn & Club is for travelers who are seduced by clapboard shutters, porch swings and those who like to pause for tea in the afternoons. Public spaces are called parlors here, and in the main one, pastry chef Nancy Snyder arranges mini scones and buttery-rich cookies on silver trays daily. Furniture is shabby-chic comfy in sunny colors with hurricane lamps to set the mood for folks playing chess or table tennis on the screened porch. Most guests are regulars -- some even book a year in advance when they check out. First-timers David Kitcoff and Rochelle Berman from Miami recently celebrated their 19th wedding anniversary during the resort's Food and Wine Weekend (the next one is in January). "We were concerned it might be too quiet for us, but the amount of relaxation and fun was perfect," Kitcoff says.

Couples book rooms at the inn for its cozy feel. Ask for suites 201, 202 or 301, and you'll have a wide balcony overlooking a manicured green. Larger families should opt for the Old Florida-style cottages, with their screened porches and Florida rooms ready-made for sipping lemonade -- or mint juleps.

FRESH AIR Fairways at the resort's island golf course are set against water channels, where shiny yachts navigate their way into Charlotte Harbor. Next door at the croquet court, locals sartorially dressed in white park their golf carts, enter the quaint cottage known as the Gasparilla Mallet Club and return equipped to whack balls through metal wickets on a freshly mowed lawn. A few blocks away is the Inn's Beach Club, with its Gulf-front pool, intimate spa and lunch spot. But for those who prefer their beaches with wilderness undertones, rent a cruiser at Bike 'N Beach on Park Avenue and pedal to the state park. One warning: If you stop on the way to quaff a cold beer at the picnic tables on the sand at South Beach Bar & Grille, you just might end up hanging out here all day. the-gasparilla-inn.com, fortmyers-sanibel.com. -- PL