Best Things to do in Naples Florida: beaches, attractions and places to visit

If its name is Naples, it could only have at least one important analogy with Naples in Italy: the sea. Yes, because this town in southwest Florida is a destination for those who place the sea among their priorities for a trip to Florida.

With not even 22,000 inhabitants, it’s little more than a town, but other urban areas have developed around Naples, adding another 300,000 inhabitants to the hinterland. And among these inhabitants, wealthy people abound, and by wealthy we mean many millionaires. The reason is simple: Naples offers beautiful beaches, tranquility and relaxation, as well as many ways to have fun and pass the time.

But if the Italian Naples is located on the same parallel as New York, and it is definitely easier to find Italian immigrants in the northeastern United States, why is there a place in this corner of Florida that bears the name of the Neapolitan city?

The first trace of the village was founded in 1886 and the newspapers spoke of it comparing its beauty to that of the Bay of Naples, in Italy, with which it also had a mild climate and fruitful fishing activity in common. They liked the comparison so much that they made the name official.

Where is Naples in Florida ad How to Get There

Naples has its own airport, but you could land at Miami International Airport or at one of the other major airports in Florida, such as Fort Lauderdale or the Southwest Florida international airport: Fort Myers airport. The best way to travel to Naples from all the major airports is by car, considering that the Everglades and the other natural parks connected to them occupy a large part of the southern part of the state, thus reducing the connections with public transportation.

However, there are also bus connections: it is less than an hour and a half from Fort Lauderdale, about two hours from Miami and only half an hour from Fort Myers (in the latter case, however, the bus leaves from the city and first you have to go to the center of Fort Myers on the airport shuttle). You can check this website to see if there are any connections that are right for you.

In Collier County, where Naples is located, if you don’t have a car you can get around on the CAT (Collier Area Transit) buses, which connect all locations in the area. If you are taking a road trip but this is your first stop, you might want to take the bus from the airport into the city, take the CAT bus and then rent a car directly in Naples so you don’t waste your rental money until you leave for other places.

Visit Naples: Best Things to do

Naples is a purely tourist town and the beaches are undoubtedly its strong point. But this doesn’t mean that you should limit yourself to lying in the sun: a vacation here can be enjoyed in many ways. Let’s analyze together what we can see and do during our stay.

Old Naples: the Historic District

The heart of Naples is the neighborhood known as Old Naples: the oldest and most historic part of the city. In reality, you can’t expect a really old neighborhood, like in other cities, considering that we are in a town created in the late nineteenth century that initially had less than one hundred inhabitants and therefore with very few buildings at the start.

However, it is from this area that any visit to Naples should start: by walking along 5th Avenue South, the long central street where there are stores, restaurants, art galleries and a bit everything there is to do in the city.

3rd Street South can be considered the second most important street of the city: close to the harbor and full of colorful buildings. Here the old style houses, the numerous green areas and fountains make the walk really pleasant. The same goes for Cambier Park, the main public park in downtown. During the day it is the perfect place to seek shelter from the heat in the shade of the large trees, while in the evening you can attend various entertainment events under the stars.

Museum in Naples

Although Naples is small and its tourism is mainly based on beach life, it also offers its visitors some museums.

• Collier County Museum (3331, Tamiami Trail E.). As the name suggests, this is the museum that tells the story of the county, explaining its natural features and delving into its major chapters of history.
• Revs Institute (2500 Horseshoe Dr. S.). More than 100 historic cars are on display in this museum dedicated to the evolution of the automobile. Alongside the cars are books, documents, catalogs and photographs to enrich the experience.
• Depot Museum (1051 5th Avenue). In this case not only cars but a wide variety of means of transport that have alternated through history. Exhibits vary from Indian canoes to carriages, from cars to trains.

Parks and Gardens: Nature in Naples

Florida is a particularly lush state, where nature is the undisputed master in vast areas, such as the Everglades Park, which lies not far from here. Even the city of Naples itself has its beautiful parks and gardens, where you can immerse yourself in the natural beauty of the tropics. In addition to the aforementioned Cambier Park, here are three places to see if you want to add a dash of green to your vacation.

• Botanical Garden (4820 Bayshore Dr.). The Botanical Garden opened in 1993 and is a true explosion of nature within the city. It houses tree and flower species from around the world, a pond, a Balinese shrine and a temple. Admission is charged, but it’s well worth a visit.
• Naples Zoo at Caribbean Gardens (1590 Goodlette Frank Rd.). If you’re traveling with kids, a visit to the zoo is always a treat. Animals from all over the world, but particularly those from tropical climates, are housed here among exotic plants. In addition, this is a zoo run by a non-profit organization that uses ticket proceeds to keep the zoo alive.

If you want to immerse yourself even deeper in nature, the surroundings of Naples offer several options. One of them is to cross the mangrove forest in a canoe or on a paddleboard!

Mangrove canoe tour

Mangrove paddleboard tour

Best Beaches in Naples

You’ve already guessed it: one of the things that attract the most tourists to Naples is its shores overlooking the warm Gulf of Mexico, where we can find some of the most beautiful beaches in Florida. If you intend to live the beach life, this is the right place, but also a little relaxing break on an expanse of golden sand is not to be discarded during your road trip. The question of course is: where do you lay your beach towel? Here is some advice on the best beaches in the area.

• Naples Beach. Just in front of the town we find a long beach, obviously frequented by anyone who does not want to take the car to move away from the city. The proximity to all city services is its strong point, but it is also great for those looking for a place to take, perhaps, a romantic walk at sunset. It is from here that Naples Pier stretches into the sea water: the pier that is one of the symbols of the town.
• Lowdermilk Beach. A little more to the north of the previous one, we find this beach that even if it is also in front of the city area, it is bordered by greenery. Behind the strip of sand, in fact, we find Lowdermilk Park, where you can also use the picnic tables on the shore of the lake set in the shade of the trees.
• Clam Pass Beach. This beach is even more immersed in the green, and lies along the line of the giant Clam Pass Park. To reach it, you can take a shuttle that crosses the lagoon over a wooden walkway. Although it is much wilder than the previous ones, there are all amenities in the southern part, including a restaurant. In the northern part, however, you are more immersed in nature, a habitat for many birds.
• Vanderbilt Beach. Even further north, in front of the residential area of Naples Park, a series of large hotels and resorts are the backdrop to this beach. Very simple, without any particular amenities, is to consider if you are more comfortable and you have no special needs.

If you’re looking for a beach experience that goes beyond sunbathing, a good idea is to join one of the bay tours by boat, or perhaps a fishing trip.

All Naples Beach Tours

Nearby Excursions

If Naples is visited in a hurry, that doesn’t mean it can’t be a good base for a series of excursions in the surrounding area, where there are plenty of things to see, especially from a naturalistic point of view. You can go on excellent excursions either by car or on guided tours.

Keewaydin Island

One of the most recommended tours is the one to an island only 15 minutes away from the city. Elongated in shape, it actually constitutes a stretch of coastline about 8 miles long, separating the lagoon from the open sea. Keewaydin Island: a real sanctuary for wild flora and fauna. On one side of the island you can walk on the white sandy beach facing the sea, where it is easy to come across dolphins as well as fish of various species. On the other side, you overlook the lagoon, with its rich biodiversity.

Here we can also visit the Rookery Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve and the Rookery Bay Environmental Center. The conservation of life forms in this aquatic environment is the focus of the work of this nature reserve, a part of which you can also visit independently. Sea turtles lay their eggs on these beaches, while countless species of birds nest among the mangroves. It is a perfect place to immerse yourself in Florida’s nature. If you go to the Briggs Nature Center, between this area and Marco Island, you can walk along a boardwalk to see various animals in their habitat, including alligators.

Marco Island

South of Keewaydin Island is Marco Island, one of the most worthwhile places to visit around Naples. If you want to know more about it, read our article entirely dedicated to Marco Island.

Picayune Strand State Forest

Leaving the coast to move inland, we find the Picayune Strand State Forest, which we could define as a forest in the water. It is in fact a marshy environment where the forest mixes with marshes. Here various species of wild animals live: from birds such as eagles, kites and storks, to small rodents such as squirrels, and large mammals, especially black bears and rare Florida panthers.

Thanks to the trails, you can enter the forest safely. One example is the Sabal Palm Trail, about 3.7 miles long and practicable both on foot and by bicycle. A good alternative are the waterways: you can move around the various areas of the swamp by rowing boat.

Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary

We turn our attention northward, in the direction of Bonita Spring, to Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary. In this case the protagonists of the natural protected area are the cypress trees, but the variety of trees and animals that live in their shade is remarkable. Thanks to a two-and-a-half-mile-long trail, you cross the park’s various environments, which change from wooded to swampy. Waterfowl are also easy to spot here, but there are also white-tailed deer and aquatic animals such as turtles, otters and alligators. Through the official website, you can also arrange a tour with a guide.

Florida Panther National Wildlife Refuge

As the name suggests, Florida panthers are the animals for which this reserve was established. This subspecies of puma is now very rare and has been the flagship animal of the state of Florida since 1982. While spotting a panther is not easy, nor is it an encounter to be taken lightly.

In the Florida Panther National Wildlife Refuge, you can find many other animal species that are more docile and easier to see and perhaps photograph. The setting itself is also worth it, considering the wide variety of tropical flora that grows in the area. The reserve is located in Immokalee, east of Naples, to be exact.

Big Cypress National Preserve

Also east of the city we find a huge natural area, over 295,000 in size, which again sees cypress trees as the protagonists. The Florida panther also lives here. The Big Cypress National Preserve is a reserve where it is possible to go on tours accompanied by rangers, both on foot and by canoe. The visit becomes interesting right from the start, since next to the Visitor Center we can see alligators in a ditch. Entrance to the park is free and visits are possible throughout the year. The best period, as for most of the parks in this area, however, is winter. From November to April, in fact, being the driest period, we can move around the paths that cross these wetlands better.

Everglades National Park

When to visit Naples: Climate, and events

From a climatic point of view, we can state with certainty that winter and spring are the best seasons to visit Naples and its surroundings. In particular, all the months between December and May are preferable to the rest of the year, especially to avoid periods where the excessive humid heat can be annoying. We suggest you read our article on when to go to Florida since almost certainly this will not be the only stop on your trip.

Apart from the weather though, there are other reasons to choose one period over the other, for example the events taking place in the city. In February, the Greek community organizes the Greek Festival, which is held at Saint Katherine Greek Orthodox Church. Greek music and dances, typical Mediterranean island food, and Hellenic art transform a part of the city during this event, which usually also has charitable purposes.

In October instead there is the Stone Crab Festival: an event that has crabs as protagonists, cooked in various recipes. Using the gastronomic aspect as the central feature, the festival also develops entertainment in the form of music, activities for families, and shows. Also in the fall, in November the Old Florida Festival takes place, a historical reenactment that starts at the Collier County Museum. Lasting two days, you can relive a slice of local history from the time of the Seminole Indians to World War II, with tales of old stories, crafts, cuisine, and folk music.

Where to Eat in Naples

If you get peckish while visiting the city, there are many places to satisfy your appetite. Here are a few suggestions to make sure you don’t go wrong.

• Tommy Bahama Restaurant & Bar (1220 3rd St. S.). A great seafood restaurant in a beautiful location just a few steps from the harbor and high quality products. There’s Happy Hour every night, a great chance to try something if you’re not looking for a busy dinner.
• The Village Pub (4360 Gulf Shore Blvd. N.). Located right on the waterfront, overlooking Venetian Bay, this is a historic establishment where meals are accompanied by entertainment in a casual setting. Find a variety of dishes at average prices.
• Gumbo Limbo (280 Vanderbilt Beach Rd.). Inside The Ritz Carlton Hotel, there is this good restaurant and bar with an ocean view, serving mainly seafood dishes. The sea view during dinner is amazing.

Where to Stay in Naples Florida