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Top Things Not-To-Be-Missed on the Paradise Coast

A list of the top activities and locations to see and experience during your visit.

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Naples, Fla. (July 3, 2008) – They call it the Paradise Coast. It’s the Southwest Gulf Coast area of Florida that includes the resort cities of Naples and Marco Island, along with Everglades City and several national, state, local and private parks and nature preserves. It’s all located in Collier County, the largest county in Florida and one of the most diverse.

So with everything from white sand beaches to the Everglades, what are some of the “not-to-be-missed” activities that locals recommend for those with only a limited amount of time to experience the area? Here’s a list from the visitors bureau, which maintains the official visitor information Web site www.paradisecoast.com.

Naples Beach & Pier
The white sands of Naples Beach hold obvious appeal, and the historic pier, open 24/7 for fishing as well as people, bird and dolphin watching, is the locally popular gathering spot for hundreds to watch the colorful nightly ritual of the sun setting into the Gulf of Mexico. The beach near the pier is in a high-end residential area with lush tropical landscaping and private homes, with no high rise buildings to block the view.

More Beaches
While stepping into the sand in front of your beach resort holds tremendous appeal, there are some other area beaches that are definitely worth a trip. One is Barefoot Beach Preserve, a Collier County park located just south of Bonita Springs and north of Naples. This natural beach features a back bay estuary for paddling canoes or kayaks and nature trails through scrubland, as well as a long stretch of natural beach stretching south to Wiggins Pass. Dr. Beach selected Barefoot Beach as one of the Top Ten Beaches of 2007. There are many nearby barrier island beaches accessible only by boat. Hire a private boat captain or hop on one of the many public boat cruises to visit Keewaydin Island, Kice Island or Cape Romano for fantastic shelling and beach walking, or take a boat or kayak to Pavilion Key or Indian Key in Everglades National Park, with beautiful white sand beaches approved for camping.

Shopping
Downtown Naples features two pedestrian-friendly shopping districts, Fifth Avenue South and Third Street South. Both streets are lined with boutiques, art galleries and restaurants with sidewalk seating. Find everything from high fashion to one-of-a-kind gifts and enjoy great dining. Waterside Shops, near the Naples Grande Beach Resort, is the spot for all the world’s leading high end retailers, from Saks Fifth Avenue to Tiffany & Co., Gucci, Hermes, Cartier and more. Nordstrom’s opens at Waterside in the Fall of 2008. The Village on Venetian Bay is another high-end shopping and dining area in the Park Shore area north of downtown. Bayfront features a collection of exquisite art galleries, restaurants, gift stores and a hotel, just steps from the center of downtown. Tin City offers souvenirs and resort wear along with several good riverfront seafood restaurants. Prime Outlets features designer shops with great savings, located halfway between Naples and Marco Island. Marco Island has several top shopping spots, including Marco Walk and Esplanade, as well as the Marco Island Center for the Arts. All of the area’s resorts have excellent gift shops with unique items not found elsewhere. And, since there are so many affluent residents in Naples, the local thrift and consignment shops are often filled with designer clothing, shoes, purses and high-end interior design pieces.

Family Attractions
Naples Zoo is located in a 52-acre old growth historic botanical garden and is a great spot for families. The zoo, accredited by the Association for Zoos & Aquariums, continues to add new exhibits that entertain as well as educate. The zoo’s primates all live cage-free in a large lake. A boat cruise takes guests up close to each island for excellent viewing of the primate islands, home to species including lemurs, gibbons, colobus monkeys, spider monkeys and more. Other popular family activities include the beach, resort pools, and the many sightseeing boat cruises to spot dolphins and other sea life. One, the Dolphin Explorer, puts kids to work on board as citizen scientists to assist researchers with their work to document the area’s resident dolphin population.

Golf
With around 90 golf courses in the greater Naples area, it’s obvious that golf is a major focus for residents and visitors. A lot of the courses are private, however, but many turn “semi-private” meaning they’ll accept non-members between May and December, since there are so many winter “snowbird” residents that are only here in the peak months of January through April. All of the resorts in the area have courses or can recommend area courses, so a good bet for visitors is to pick a resort with a course that appeals to their level of play.

Paddling
Southwest Florida is a paddler’s paradise. There are a few great paddling routes right in Naples, like the Cocohatchee and Gordon Rivers. Rookery Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve holds many thousands of acres of pristine mangrove estuary halfway between Naples and Marco Island. The Paradise Coast Blueway is a system of GPS-marked paddling trails from Everglade City to Marco Island, with one long and six shorter day trip routes for the more adventurous wilderness paddler.

Audubon’s Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary
The last virgin old growth bald cypress forest remaining in the United States is like a magnet for many species of birds and wildlife. The sanctuary features a 2.25 mile boardwalk through a variety of habitats, with countless opportunities to experience the serene beauty of the Southwest Florida environment. The sanctuary is home to an extremely rare ghost orchid that has bloomed within view of the boardwalk for the past two summers.

The Arts Naples Museum of Art is a world class facility with 15 galleries. Known as the #1 Small Art Town in America, Naples is also home to approximately 100 area art galleries featuring local artists as well as museum quality collections available at the retail level. One street downtown, Broad Street at Third Street South, is nicknamed Gallery Row. There is even a famous gallery in the Everglades – photographer Clyde Butcher’s Big Cypress Gallery located just past the Oasis Visitor Center in Big Cypress National Preserve displays his signature large format black and white nature photography. There are numerous excellent art festivals throughout the year in downtown Naples as well as excellent live performance art.

Dining
Naples has a strong local independent dining scene, with a variety of excellent restaurants unique to the area. There is even a group called Naples Originals, which promotes the concept of high quality dining at independent restaurants. Many area restaurants feature the bounty of fresh Gulf seafood and fresh Southwest Florida produce. There are several excellent restaurants located right on the beach in Naples and on Marco Island for romantic sunset dining.

Stone Crabs Florida stone crab claws are available each year in season from October 15 to May 15. Everglades City, which calls itself the Stone Crab Capital of the World, has several stone crab processing facilities with restaurants alongside, so you can enjoy fresh crab claws that are just hours old.
Everglades National Park Gulf Coast Many people don’t realize the Gulf Coast entrance to Everglades National Park, located in Everglades City, is the gateway to the saltwater portion of this expansive national park. Many say this is the most beautiful section of the park, and it is a favorite with sport fishermen and paddlers for its natural wilderness and quiet beauty.

Big Cypress National Preserve This enormous national preserve offers a wide variety of recreational opportunities, from wildlife drives to the Florida Scenic Trail for experienced hikers, along with a public boardwalk leading into a pristine cypress dome.

Florida Panther National Wildlife Refuge
This refuge’s purpose is primarily to preserve habitat for the severely endangered Florida panther, but there are now two publicly accessible hiking trails. Take a hike and tread on the same turf as this rare Florida predator.

The Naples, Marco Island, Everglades Convention and Visitors bureau promotes Southwest Florida’s Paradise Coast as a visitor destination and is the official destination marketing agency for Collier County, Florida. For more information visit www.ParadiseCoast.com or call 1-800-688-3600 for a free visitors guide.