Naples Florida

Wild and Natural

With the Florida Everglades in one direction and the sparkling Gulf of Mexico in the other, Naples and Marco Island are surrounded by outdoor activities of the unforgettable sort. Take an airboat tour to spy alligators, bald eagles, turtles, snakes and bobcats. Big Cypress National Preserve is an International Dark Sky Park – perfect for camping under a blanket of stars. Stroll the boardwalk and see North America’s largest old-growth bald cypress forest at the Audubon Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary. Kayakers can paddle the labyrinthine Ten Thousand Islands National Wildlife Refuge or slide through mangrove tunnels at Rookery Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve. If you’re traveling with kids, a dolphin-watching excursion or a trip to the Naples Zoo can fill the gaps between building sandcastles and playing in the surf.

Dazzling Beaches

Of course, you’ll be spending time at the beach – a lot of time. The beaches here are renowned not only for their beauty, but also for the range of experiences they offer. The seashell-studded sands of Delnor-Wiggins Pass State Park made it to Dr. Beach’s 2014 Best Beaches list. Here, you can snorkel, fish, kayak and paddleboard. Barefoot Beach Preserve County Park just north of Naples was crowned the second best beach that same year. Naples Municipal Beach and Pier, Vanderbilt Beach and Tigertail Beach on Marco Island all offer amenities such as equipment rentals, restaurants, playgrounds and restrooms. Want to get away from it all? Camp on a sliver of sand on one of the uninhabited Ten Thousand Islands, or slip away to Keewaydin Island, a barrier island with more than 12 kilometers of white-sand beach accessible only by boat.

Luxury Shopping and Dining

A destination this beautiful doesn’t waste a single centimeter on average attractions. Fifth Avenue South and Third Street South in Naples are luxurious shopping and dining thoroughfares. Art galleries and chic boutiques are interspersed with gourmet restaurants on immaculate, tree-lined sidewalks. Enjoy upscale shopping with an ocean view at the Village Shops on Venetian Bay. Luxury names including Gucci, Louis Vuitton, Tiffany and even Tesla fill the storefronts at Waterside Shops in Naples. Hungry travelers have nothing to worry about; Naples is in Condé Nast Traveler’s U.S. Best Foodie Cities list. To savor the city's international appeal and fresh-from-the-ocean seafood, try authentic Persian food at Bha! Bha! Bistro, Indian cuisine at 21 Spices by Chef Asif or homemade Italian pasta at Osteria Tulia. The stone crab claws at Truluck’s come straight from the boat to your plate, and you can’t miss the miso broiled sea bass at the always-busy USS Nemo Restaurant.