Naples, Florida is the perfect spot to spend a long weekend absorbing the rays while lounging on beautiful tropical white sand beaches, dining at great restaurants, exploring high end shops, walking through beautiful surroundings, and catching a sunset from a catamaran excursion.
A few years ago, I visited some friends in the lesser known Naples, located on Florida’s southwest gulf coast at the edge of the Everglades. This part of Florida is commonly referred to as the Paradise coast, and it’s no wonder why. The upscale, but quiet enclave of Naples is a nice alternative to Florida’s more populated and hectic Atlantic coast, which sprawls for miles between Miami and Palm Beach and beyond. The area is home to some of the most beautiful white sand beaches and turquoise water in the U.S., and because of its location on the gulf coast, offers breathtaking sunsets.
Naples attracts its largest crowds of snowbirds and tourists during the winter, when the high temperatures reach in the upper 70s. A better time to visit is the shoulder season between March and May, when the crowds thin, temperatures reach the mid 80s, and the prices are lower. Because of its relatively small size, Naples is the perfect spot to spend a long weekend while absorbing everything it has to offer.
Besides the recommendations below, a number of tours of Naples can also be arranged through Viator, such as segway, bike and trike tours.
Old Naples
Fifth Avenue South is the primary shopping district in downtown Naples, also known as Old Naples. Fifth Avenue South runs about a mile east-west between the Gulf of Mexico and Naples Bay / Gordon River. Walking along this attractive boulevard, you’ll quickly understand the wealth that encompasses the Naples region. Here, you’ll be surrounded by high end boutiques, upscale restaurants, galleries, and jewelry stores while flashy Lamborghinis and Ferraris whiz by. During the high season (December – April), many of the shops stay open late.
Another popular shopping district in Old Naples is historic Third Street South, located seven blocks south of Fifth Avenue. This smaller, attractive and quaint shopping area includes several good restaurants, fine clothing stores, boutiques and galleries, all surrounded by older colorful homes and beach cottages.
The Third Street farmer’s market occurs each Saturday from 7:30 to 11:30am. You can pick up fresh produce, bakery items, coffee, flowers and other items sold by local vendors.
Tin City Waterfront Shops
Sitting along the Gordon River near Naples Bay, east of Fifth Avenue South, is Tin City, a colorful collection of a quaint rustic appearing buildings holding over 30 locally owned boutiques, antique shops, gift shops, seafood restaurants and marine related activities. You won’t find chain stops here. Tin City is so named because it’s location is where Naples’ fishing industry began in the 1920’s. The original corrugated tin-topped buildings were home to oyster processing and clam shelling, as well as boat construction and maintenance. A number of the buildings were restored in the 1970’s to become a marketplace, which was eventually transformed to today’s Tin City. A waterfront boardwalk follows the perimeter of the shopping district, providing a great spot to watch the maritime activities.
Celebration Food Truck Park
Celebration Park Naples is a food and drink destination that offers multiple food trucks and a bar overlooking the waterfront in the Bayshore District. Visitors can bring their pets and try a variety of eclectic foods from the dozen food trucks while listening to live music. Other activities, such as corn hole and board games keep the entertainment going. The food park is located off Bayshore Drive south of Highway 41.
Naples Beach
The most popular activity in Naples is beaching. Naples Municipal Beach is located just a few minutes walk from the shopping areas of Old Naples, and extends about ten miles along the Gulf of Mexico. Unlike many beach resort areas of Florida, Naples Beach is generally surrounded by lower density residences rather than mega resorts and high rise condominiums. This results in a quieter beach with more room to spread out.
The Naples Pier, at the end of 12th Avenue South, extends a thousand feet into the Gulf of Mexico, attracting anglers, sightseers, and sunset enthusiasts. Between April and June, there is a good chance of spotting dolphins and stingrays. Originally built in 1888, the pier was an essential part of settling and developing Naples as supplies and building materials came to the area by boat. In fact, the first post office in Naples was built on the pier, although it was destroyed in a fire in 1912. The pier itself has been rebuilt numerous times due to destruction by various hurricanes over the years. The pier offers restrooms and a concession stand.
We spent a day at pristine Lowdermilk Park Beach, located a couple miles north of the pier. This beautiful white sand beach is popular with both locals and tourists. It offers a café, volleyball courts, gazebos, a picnic area and playground, kayak and paddle board rentals, and restrooms / showers.
Parking for beach access in the City of Naples requires both residents and visitors to have a beach parking permit or to use metered parking spaces. The pier parking lot is closed from 11:00 pm – 5:00 am.
Naples Botanical Garden
The Naples Botanical Garden is a 170 acre paradise featuring plants from around the world. The gardens represent seven distinct natural habitats and ecosystems, featuring over 1000 species among interesting and varied sculptures. The gardens feature nine individual gardens as well as a visitor center. The various garden themes include Asian, Caribbean, Orchid, Water, a Children’s Garden and others. The gardens are located a few miles southeast of Old Naples, and also include a garden shop and café.
Boat Excursions
A boat cruise is a great way to get a feel for the Naples area, while viewing the many mega mansions along the bay and canals. There are a number of boat excursion operators in the Naples area, that offer a myriad of tours. Most of the tours leave from Naples Bay near Tin City.
Pure Florida offers a variety of boat tours, including sightseeing and sunset cruises, high speed jet boats, dolphin watching tours, and fishing trips. We took a sunset tour leaving from Tin City, exploring the many mansions along Naples Bay, followed by a perfect sunset over the gulf.
Sweet Liberty has a 53-foot catamaran that offers sightseeing and sunset cruises, and a beach island shelling cruise. They also have a 6 person floating tiki bar pontoon boat.
The Naples Princess is a luxury yacht that offers daily cruises including a lunch buffet cruise. They also charter special occasions such as weddings.
The Miss Naples is a 48-foot custom-built catamaran that offers sightseeing and sunset cruises, and shelling excursions to local beaches.
Getting to Naples
Naples is about a two hour drive west of Miami, across Alligator Alley (Interstate 75 which traverses through the Everglades), and a little over two hours south of Tampa via Interstate 75.
Commercial air service is available at the Southwest Florida International Airport, located thirty minutes north of Naples, near Fort Myers. Over a dozen airlines serve the airport.