Florida’s beautiful southwest coast is always ready to welcome visitors looking to avoid the winter chill (not to mention the crowds in Orlando and Miami). Naples and neighboring Marco Island provide a perfect blend of city attractions and natural retreats. Here’s our insider’s guide to the best things to do, see and eat.
Editor’s note: Please check the latest travel restrictions before planning any trip and always follow government advice.
Take a trip downtown
While much of Naples has a sprawling, suburban feel, its historic downtown is a whole different animal. This beautiful, European-flavored and highly walkable district is jam-packed with high-end luxury shops (Naples is one of the wealthiest cities in America) and a thriving bar and restaurant scene.
Fifth Avenue South is where most of the action takes place, although Third Street South is another lively sector buzzing with nightlife on the weekends. After enjoying delicious cuisine and drinks, stroll a couple blocks over to the Naples Pier and listen to the waves crash along the shore.
Oceanside eats
In Naples and Marco Island, sometimes the patio views are as much of a draw as the food. However, that doesn’t mean you can’t also savor a delicious meal at waterside institutions like Snook Inn. The grouper sandwich is a local favorite, and all meals come with a complimentary salad bar, where pickles are a must-have. Live music seven nights a week will surely get you in the mood to party.
Local favorite Dolphin Tiki Bar has a laid-back vibe and a refreshed look after a Hurricane Irma-driven renovation. Also, CJs on the Bay is another can’t-miss spot for lobster fries and margaritas enjoyed on a friendly outdoor gazebo.
Find a garden paradise
When visiting a seaside paradise like Naples, it can be hard to pull yourself away from the ocean. However, the Naples Botanical Gardens makes the journey inland more than worth your while, with 170 acres of beautifully manicured gardens perfect for a romantic stroll with your significant other, or some alone time to reflect.
Time your visit to enjoy special events like live music (with bands setting up on a small boardwalk over a lagoon), art exhibitions, or yoga classes. Alternatively, if you just want to spread out a blanket and relax in the sun, you won’t be alone in that decision.
Get out on the water
Dolphin tours, shelling excursions, sunset tours, and fishing charters are all popular with visitors, as are private boat rentals. You can select your own watercraft from rental companies like Rose Marina in Marco Island or Dreamlander Tours in nearby Goodland. There’s also thrilling activities such as parasailing, wakeboarding, waterskiing, and tubing to consider. Surfers should take note: wake surfing, a wakeboarding/surfing hybrid popular here, is about the most fun you can have on the water.
Go island-hopping
Marco Island is the region’s most well-known island, but there are hundreds of small islands in the area to explore. Take a local water taxi like Hemingway Water Shuttle to Keewaydin Island, a lesser-known spot off the coast of Marco where you can choose your own adventure via two diametrically opposed experiences.
The riverside of the island (where all the boats dock) is a spring-break styled party strip of sand with boats selling beverages and booming dance parties. Conversely, the ocean side just a short walk away provides the chance for long walks on the beach in complete solitude. Give both experiences a try.
Trippy dome homes
Sure, you could go on a home tour. However, for a real taste of local flavor, take a boat ride to the otherworldly Cape Romano Dome House located off the coast of a picturesque island south of Marco. This eerily domed, Star Wars-style igloo structure may have been abandoned as a vacation home in 1992, but it’s still an incredible place for snorkeling, walking along the nearby beach, and snapping exceptionally Instagram-worthy photos—although two of the original six domes collapsed during Hurricane Irma.
Cocktails, sunsets, repeat
The west coast of Florida is famous for some of the most eye-popping sunsets in the country. Consequently, the Naples area offers plenty of serene spots to take in the spectacular end-of-day colors as they were meant to be enjoyed: with a refreshing drink in hand. Although there are numerous great local bars in the vicinity, for fiery sunsets on the beach, the hotel bars are your best bets.
Sunset Beach Bar at the Naples Beach Hotel & Golf Club is hard to beat with a lively cocktail scene around sunset and some of the best blackened grouper in the area. Quinn’s on the Beach at the Marriott is another fantastic sunset oasis for mojitos and amazing fish tacos, while Sand Bar at the Ritz-Carlton Naples has perfected the whole tiki bar experience.
Golf capital of the world
Calling itself “The Golf Capital of the World,” the Naples area is brimming with approximately 90 golf courses, around one-third of which are open to the public. While it is best known for some of the most exclusive private clubs, quality rounds can be played at public courses like the Greg Norman-designed Tiburon Golf Club and Lely Resort, where the course’s Sam Snead’s Tavern provides the ideal spot to unwind on the patio after an enjoyable day on the links.
Small-town charm
Most visitors to the area see the sign along the main road from Naples to Marco Island, but few actually make the detour to the small hamlet of Isles of Capri just north of Marco. Nonetheless, this slight diversion yields extremely high rewards with a cozy collection of delightful waterside bars and restaurants including the Island Gypsy Café and Capri Fish House. Island Gypsy is the perfect venue to enjoy live music around fire pits. Before dining next door at Capri Fish House, take your drink onto their small beach patio and toast to your good fortune.
