With mostly sunny days and warm weather virtually year-round, it’s no surprise that many of the activities in Naples are centered around the water. If lazing on the beach is too tame for you, sailing, kayaking, canoeing, and paddle-boarding are popular alternatives, and there are plenty of bays, estuaries, and inlets to explore at your leisure.
The nationally accredited Naples Zoo at Caribbean Gardens offers plenty of fun for the whole family. It houses more than a dozen animal exhibits, including Alligator Bay, which features gators in their natural environment, and Black Bear Hammock, the largest black bear exhibit east of the Mississippi River. Other exhibits spotlight cheetahs, giraffes, tigers, lions, and leopards, as well as the rare striped hyena. The zoo also stages live shows and film presentations daily.
Another fun option for a day’s outing is Everglades National Park. The 1.2-million-acre park – the largest subtropical wilderness in the United States – offers a multitude of activities, including hiking, biking, and tram and airboat rides. Also worth a visit is Big Cypress National Preserve, a sprawling freshwater swamp that is essential to the health of the neighboring Everglades. The preserve is easy to explore via scenic drives, and the rangers lead free hikes, canoe trips, and night-sky astronomy programs.
So, if you’re the type who gets tired of lying on the beach, rest assured that there’s plenty more to do. In fact, to take advantage of everything Naples has to offer, you may be forced to schedule a return visit – or maybe two or three!