A favorite of “snowbirds” escaping winter weather, the adjoining areas of Naples, Marco Island and Ft. Myers get top ratings for beaches and sunsets, dining and shopping. But there’s another side of this appealing destination that includes nature, wildlife and history. Here are some of the most interesting things to add to your Naples/Marco Island itinerary.
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The great estate
Let’s start with some history. Two of America’s most famous snowbirds were longtime friends and business associates Henry Ford and Thomas Edison, whose combined Edison & Ford Winter Estates is a must-see for anybody interested in technology and science, including botany, since the 25-acre estate includes a vast garden. The houses are lovely, of course, filled with Victorian furnishings. For most of us, the real appeal is Edison’s actual laboratory, where everything is just as he left it, from the test tubes and calculation books on one side to the machine shop on the other, all lit by 1880s filament bulbs. And then there’s the museum. It’s full of inventions and products created by both men, including vehicles and early phonographs, which docents will play for you. There’s also a hands-on section just for kids.
Other things to see and do
Naples Botanical Garden is 170 acres of trees and blooms, laid out in a unique group of regional gardens, each with plants you would find there. The Brazil Garden has a lemon bacopa plant that smells like a spa treatment, the Caribbean Garden features cacao trees that smell good enough to eat, and the Asia Garden has a rice paddy area and orchids as tiny as fingernails. All around, wetland birds dot the ponds, walkways often are paved with bits of broken local seashells, and there are plenty of shaded benches, and even hammocks, to relax and enjoy the serenity.
For something a little more wild, make your way to the Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary, an Audubon Society outpost that’s part of the western Everglades, and one of the best birding spots in Florida. Many of the birds are here year-round, including egrets, ibis and anhinga, huge black birds with striking bright blue eyes. Some of the massive giant cedars date to the time of Columbus. Stick to the two-mile boardwalk to safely view alligators dozing in the sun, unless you take one of the guided swamp walks, which will have you knee-deep in a remote part of the sanctuary filled with old-growth cedars.
Also on the edge of the Everglades is Big Cypress National Preserve, where the delicate ecosystem is being changed by Burmese pythons that were released here years ago, most likely by smugglers dumping their illegal cargo before a law enforcement raid. The pythons, who can have 20-40 babies at a time, have been dining on everything from small birds to deer, which is affecting the survival of the endangered Florida panther and even the more abundant alligator. Your visit includes a brief lecture by Park Rangers, or by a licensed python hunter, about the importance of controlling the snakes and rebalancing the eco-system. There’s also a boardwalk here to walk past colorful tropical bromeliads and acres of palms.
Back in civilization, you could opt to take a dinner cruise aboard the Naples Princess. On the way to a brilliant sunset in the Gulf of Mexico, you’ll sail past a gazillion dollars worth of mega mansions in Port Royal and Royal Harbor, many with huge yachts docked in front. This is the high rent district, and it really is fun to chat with your friends, or even strangers aboard, about the relative merits of a particular home or its pool, or which one you would buy if you won the lottery.
For a little sun and fun, Lowdermilk Park is a public beach area with sand volleyball courts, children’s playgrounds, food concessions and unmetered parking, which make it popular with locals. Get there early in the day to claim one of the thatched roof palapas for a shaded picnic, or rent a kayak or SUP (stand-up paddleboard). There also are free children’s safety vests to borrow for the day.
Where to dine
Sea Salt, in Naples, is popular with both locals and visitors for its fish-centric menu and more than 100 varieties of salts, from pink Himalayan to some that are infused with spices. The salts are displayed in jars along one wall, and a trio of different ones, along with olive oil, arrives with your pre-meal bread for dipping. Caught-that-morning fish and seafood is displayed in a huge ice tank, where you can pick out your lunch or dinner, or let the kitchen staff do it for you. Leave room for salt-infused chocolate bon bons for dessert!
Meanwhile, Petite Soleil on Marco Island is famous for its feather-light Belgian waffles topped with a gob of real whipped cream and sliced local strawberries.
True Food Kitchen, back in Naples, offers only all-natural, anti-inflammatory dining, including grass-fed beef, served on sustainable plates made of bamboo. The most popular menu items include a roasted cauliflower appetizer with a spicy dipping sauce, and housemade drinks such as a pomegranate limeade.
Where to shop
Take a stroll along 5th Ave South and 3rd Street South, which are lined with upscale boutiques and jewelry shops. The bargains are a few blocks over along 10th Street, which locals call the Trail of Treasures. Here’s where you’ll find consignment and thrift shops filled with clothing and furniture that snowbirds leave behind each spring when they head back north.
Where to stay
Can’t decide whether to stay downtown or at the beach? Do both, and split your getaway. In the heart of downtown Naples, you’ll find The Inn on Fifth, an elegant boutique hotel featuring a rooftop pool to refresh your tired feet and body. Upgrade to the Suites section for complimentary breakfasts, day-long champagne, open bar and a happy hour spread that can pass for dinner.
Or you could spend your nights along a three-mile stretch of beach—and some of the best seashell hunting on the planet—at JW Marriott Marco Island Beach Resort. There’s also an 18-hole golf course and a spa, if you can tear yourself away from the gentle Gulf of Mexico breezes and waves. A favorite activity each evening is the free nightly Fire Dancer show on the beach, with nimble and athletic performers dancing with spinning flaming torches. The night I saw the show, one of the dancers told me he learned the skill from a master fire dancer from Samoa.
Evelyn Kanter
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