The Things-to-do-in-Vadodara list

1. Take a guided tour around the Lakshmi Vilas Palace
2. Watch the sun rise from behind the dome of the Maharaja Sayajirao University (MSU) – the second-largest dome in India
3. Marvel at Raja Ravi Varma’s works at the Fatehsinh Museum at the palace and Baroda Museum and Art Gallery at Sayajibaug
4. Go to the zoo at Sayajibaug
5. Tee off at the Royal Baroda Golf Club
6. Catch a glimpse of Irfan or Yusuf Pathan at their residence in Tandalja
7. Dance at a Gujarati wedding
8. Dance in sync with 30,000 people in concentric circles at the United Way Garba during the festival of Navratri
9. Order a Gujarati thali at Mandap restaurant (Express Hotel, Alkapuri), Rasthal (Alkapuri), Govinda (ISKCON), Sasuji
10. Watch a cricket match at the IPCL Stadium or Motibaug   stadium
11. Marvel at the fine works on display at the Fine Arts Exhibition at the M S University
12. Bargain hard at a handicrafts exhibition at the Parsi Agiary grounds opposite Surya Palace Hotel
13. Browse through the antique collections at the MSU – the casket of Buddha’s remains at the Department of Archaeology, the palm-leaf manuscripts at the Oriental Institute near the University Press
14. For fafdas, jalebis and farsans, head to Payal at Alkapuri and Jagdish Farsan at Old Padra Road
15. Dig into South Indian fare (veg and non-veg) at Periyar
16. For cheap Udipi fare, go to New Alka at Alkapuri, Gotri, Nizampura
17. Watch the RamLila at the Polo Ground on Dassera
18. Flirt with speed on the National Expressway 1 on your way to Ahmedabad
19. Climb up the Pavagadh hill. If you can’t, you can always take the udan khatola aka the cable car.
20. Explore the fine Gujarat Sultanate architectural remains at the UNESCO heritage site at Champaner
21. Dig into the Baroda State Archives at the Hansa Mehta Library and the Central Library
22. Visit the four gates of the old city – Lehripura, Champaneri, Pani and Gendi and the colourful Mandvi square
23. Meditate at the Aurobindo Niwas
24. Attend the Kathak Festival at Kirti Mandir (February)
25. Shop for oxidised silver jewellery and chaniya cholis at Nava Bazaar
26. Check out the rangoli exhibition at Kirti Mandir during Diwali
27. Dance in a Ganesh visarjan procession near Sursagar Lake
28. Wake up early to buy vegetables at wholesale rates at Khanderao Market
29. Join in a Vishwamitri River clean-up drive
30. Go to the old city to fly kites during Uttarayan (Makar Sankranti) in January)
31. Feed a cow. It’s supposed to be your spiritual duty
32. Lose your way around the pols of the old city
33. Chat with Ayub Khan Pathan on history and shayri as he rolls a paan for you at his rickshaw-turned-paan shop at Old Padra Road
34. Attend the early morning aarti at the Kalyanraiji Temple
35. Go to the EME temple, which is made out of aluminium
36. Try a ‘goli’ soda at one of the many soda shops around the city
37. Find out what the fuss is about Raju Omelette at Kareli Baug
38. Buy bandhini and patola textiles/sarees at Alkapuri or Raopura
39. Get yourself invited to a farmhouse party
40. Get adventurous and go go-karting at Sindh Rot
41. Try the sevpuri opposite National Plaza Alkapuri
42. Attend a music concert at the CC Mehta auditorium
43. Catch a Gujarati play at Gandhinagar Gruha or Abhivyakti
44. Drive through the fields and wetlands to Anand to spot Sarus cranes, pelicans and lots of migratory birds (November-February). If you like big birds, check out the emu farms on the outskirts of Vadodara
45. For an ice-cream, it’s either Dairy Den or HavMore
46. Haggle for warm wollens at the Tibetan Market near Maharana Pratapsinh Gymkhana
47. Browse through second-hand books at the circulating libraries near the station
48. For a romantic evening out, consider a drive to Sindh Rot
49. Make weekend excursions to Dabhoi, Jambughoda, Vadhvana, Kayavarohan and Chandod
50. Play housie at a kitty party
51. Visit the churches: St James Church aka the White Church at Fatehganj, Mar Gregroios Orthodox Syrian Church near EME School, The Centenary Methodist Church, Dakbunglar  and Our Lady of Rosary Church, Pratapganj, Shrine dedicated to the Mother of the Forsaken at Nizampura
52. Learn about various tribal languages and communities at the Bhasha Research and Publication Centre at Dinesh Mills
53. Take a guided tour around the Pratap Vilas Palace aka Lalbaug that now houses the Railway State College
54. Visit the Tambekar Wada that has an outstanding collection of Maratha paintings
55. Ride ‘triples’ on a bike 
56. Run the Vadodara Marathon (November)
57. Order delicious evening snacks to go with your chai from Pyarelal Kachoriwala and Manmohan Samosa near Sursagar Lake
58. Get your funny bone tickled at a Comedy Factory show
59. Get creative with ceramics at the Pot-Tree studio at Padra
60. Tuck into a Lebanese meal at That Place, Sampatrao Colony
61. Make a trip to the forest inside the palace complex to buy the local Rajapuri and desi mangoes (they are the only mango sellers who have an electronic weighing machine)
62. Catch a Bhavai performance in a village on the outskirts of Baroda
63. Spend time with the children at Tandalja and Akota anganwadis 

Please feel free to offer your suggestions.