It's Saturday afternoon and I am about to "cross the bridge to yesteryear." On the other side of the Intracoastal Waterway lies historic Venice, Florida, and its charming MainStreet area.

But Venice is not so much about traveling back in time as it is about traveling to a place that might never have existed, a dream hometown deep in the American imagination. Designed by the renowned city planner John Nolen in the 1920s, Venice became known for its northern Italian renaissance architecture and beautifully landscaped open spaces before Nolen's dream of a thriving, sophisticated small town came to an end with the Great Depression. Today, city- sponsored revitalization efforts have brought the dream back to life, with small, locally owned businesses booming up and down the avenues, warm and welcoming service in any of the shops and restaurants and a genuine community feel. Art festivals, parades, sidewalk sales and an annual Easter egg hunt all add to the feeling of being "at home" here.

Venice Avenue, the heart of MainStreet, is a broad boulevard lined with palm trees, shops and boutiques, restaurants and small sidewalk cafes. Children skitter around outdoor tables and umbrellas while couples stroll slowly past. The air is warm, the sky is clear and nothing is hurried. Just another afternoon on MainStreet.

After stopping in for a peek at The Soda Fountain, "a small taste of the past" opened by a former real-life soda jerk at the west end of Venice Avenue, I browse through vibrantly colored bags and belts, jewelry and chic home accessories at 2 For Me, 1 For You. Languorous black-and-white photos of Marilyn Monroe and Frank Sinatra grace the walls.

Stop for refreshments at one of Venice's outdoor cafes

Past the Truly Delicious Gourmet Food Company, where chef Paul and his wife Karine oversee a lunch bistro, catering service and gourmet food-to-go, I wander through Sea Pleasures and Treasures, piling a basket full of dyed starfish, king helmuts, golden whelk and hand-painted shells of Venice. On my way out I ogle bright beach jewelry and colorful 4x6 wood sandal frames.

Next to Fraser's on the Avenue, a smart boutique with an old-fashioned candy store in the back, a cobblestone pathway invites me to explore Miami Avenue one block south. This street is as gorgeous as the one before, with sleepy, flower-ringed courtyards opening onto intimate outdoor eateries and a small antique district. Shelves of colored glass fill the windows of Buttercup Cottage Antiques, with Lucia and Paula Treasures tucked off yet another courtyard and more antiques a few doors down. I realize I've hit the jackpot, though, at Nifty Nic Nacs. From the Woolworth's shopping baskets and full wall of vintage dinnerware to the Art Deco Bakelite and Heywood-Wakefield furniture, owners Jeff and Tom have created a haven for all things vintage and retro.

In the Venice, Florida, version of MainStreet U.S.A., art plays a prominent role, whether it is the simple beauty of antiques, the clean design of retro pieces or the bold, sweeping canvases in the Collectors' Gallery around the corner. The mild climate has also made outdoor public art possible year 'round. The delightful "Pigs in Paradise" exhibit, a fundraiser for the Venice Art Center, had local businesses and artists team up to sponsor and gleefully decorate a total of 56 large fiberglass pigs that can be spotted all over downtown, usually surrounded by children. As I turn up Nokomis Avenue and see Swine Connoisseur, who is being examined by a bright little girl up ahead of me, I hear her ask, "How come his legs are so big?" Other pigs around town include Elvis Pigsley, Miss Piggy Bank and Captain Will B. Cooked.

It's late afternoon and the air is cooler; clouds slide in off the Gulf, half a mile west, and the wind has picked up. I step into Venice Wine & Coffee Company, meeting with the strong but pleasant smell of fresh coffee beans. The ceilings are high and raftered, and wine bottles line the walls, grouped into small clusters with recommended bottles tagged and reviewed by the owners. At the long oak bar I am handed a cup of Kenyan coffee - warm and full-bodied - and decide to take it with me into the series of narrow rooms off the bar, reading a little about Sauvignon Blanc, investigating the small but carefully selected range of Syrahs. To my surprise, I wander into another, larger room, with wine accessories, all sorts of delicious foodstuffs and a storefront window looking out onto Centennial Park. Outside, cafés are setting tables for the dinner hour. It's warm in here, though, and inviting. I think I'll stay a while.

If you go:
Parking is easy - just past the first block of shops and restaurants, soft stretches of grass surround neat rows of free four-hour parking. Centennial Park also has clean, well-marked public restrooms; a gazebo for outdoor performances and meetings; and an information kiosk with events listings, posters for upcoming performances at the award- winning Venice Little Theater and a public art map.

Venice MainStreet, 941-484-6722, www.venicemainstreet.com
Venice Area Chamber of Commerce, 941-488-2236, www.venicechamber.com
Venice Pigs in Paradise, http://www.veniceartcenter.com/public/department25.cfm
Venice Art Center, 941-485-7136, www.veniceartcenter.com
Venice Little Theater, 941-488-1115, www.venicestage.com

Originally posted 3/10/05