Attractions
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Collier County FL is the right spot for the Affluent vacation. Collier County FL is filled with fun attractions for all lifestyles and the whole family. Click on a name to be directed to the website. Have Fun!
Fishing Charters
For
more than 100 years, Collier County has been known as the ultimate
anglers' paradise. Fishermen regularly play their luck on the Naples
Pier (where a fishing license is not necessary), fish the surf off area
beaches, explore open waters or explore the famous back country
mangroves. Charter guides are based almost every Collier County coastal
town. After a tour with a local guide, you'll have insight on where and
how to fish in Southwest Florida – and maybe even a tarpon to mount on
the wall.
Conservancy Boat Tour
From
the Conservancy of Southwest Florida's Naples Nature Center, you can
take a guided boat trip down the mangrove-lined Gordon River and see
Naples from a whole new perspective. Tours run seven days a week during
winter, with boats departing regularly throughout the day, and six days
a week in summer.
Everglades City/Chokoloskee
A
short drive from Naples is the old Collier County seat, Everglades
City. In Everglades City, you will find an authentic Old Florida
experience at the 140-year old Rod & Gun Club Lodge, where the
miracles of taxidermy in the lobby announce that this was and is the
place for serious hunters and fishermen. Make sure to visit the Museum
of the Everglades, with an exhibit that shows how Barron Collier set
out to make a modern, planned city out of this slice of independent
wilderness. Then make the easy drive to Chokoloskee Island, once a
trading post for the local pioneers. The stilted building that is Ted
Smallwood's store, immortalized in the novel Killing Mr.Watson, serves
as a living museum from the tougher times of old Florida.
Big Cypress National Preserve
(239) 263-3532
U.S. 41 in Ochopee
The
National Park System’s first national preserve, Big Cypress has a mix
of pines, hardwoods, prairies, mangrove forests, cypress strands and
domes. White-tailed deer and bear are here amid the royal palms and
cigar orchids. Big Cypress, a hotbed of biological diversity, serves as
a supply of fresh, clean water for the vital estuaries of Everglades
City’s Ten Thousand Islands area. Camping, canoeing, kayaking, hiking
and birdwatching are popular, with explorers often lingering to watch
woodstorks feeding along roadside canals or search for the elusive
Florida panther.
Caribbean Gardens
(239) 262-5409
1590 Goodlette Road, Naples
Naples’
Caribbean Gardens is a nationally accredited zoo that has a nearly
mile-long path winding past lions, kangaroos, monkeys, African wild
dogs, Asian deer and more within a 52-acre jungle of exotic greenery
first planted in 1919. Children can play in three designated play areas
while adults relax in peaceful settings overlooking water.
Collier County Historical Museum
(239) 774-8476
3301 East Tamiami Trail, Naples
Collier
County museum showcases the daily life of pioneers who shaped Florida's
last frontier. The museum preserves and interprets history, archaeology
and development within a five-acre historical park. The Permanent
Exhibit Hall’s artifact displays, videos and dioramas trace 10,000
years of local history.
Collier-Seminole State Park
(239) 394-3397
3301 East Tamiami Trail, Naples
In
the early 1940's Barron Collier, a wealthy entrepreneur and pioneer
developer, planned a park. By 1947, his chosen acreage was turned over
to Florida for a state park named in part for Collier and for Seminole
Indians staking out the area as home. Collier-Seminole State Park is
located at the junction of southwest Florida’s great mangrove swamp and
Big Cypress Swamp. The park is open from 8 a.m. until sundown daily.
Conservancy of Southwest Florida’s Naples Nature Center
(239) 775-8569
1401 Shell Island Road, Naples
This
14-acre oasis just south of the Coastland Center Mall is packed with
recreational activities, including guided tours, nature trails, boat
tours, canoe and kayak rentals and a nature store.
Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary
(239) 348-9151.
375 Sanctuary Road, Naples
This
11,000-acre wetland preserve has a two-mile boardwalk leading to a
variety of wildlife, including alligators, whitetail deer, and the
endangered wood stork, the only stork native to North America.
Everglades National Park
Covering
the Florida peninsula’s southern tip and most of Florida Bay,
Everglades National Park is North America’s only subtropical preserve,
and the only place in the world where alligators and crocodiles exist
side by side. Everglades National Park has been designated a World
Heritage Site, an International Biosphere Reserve, and a Wetland of
International Importance. The Gulf Coast Visitor Center, in the park’s
northwest corner next to Everglades City, has park info and exhibits.
Fakahatchee Strand State Preserve
(239) 695-4593
State Road 29
Fakahatchee
Strand Preserve State Park, on Janes Memorial Scenic Drive, is part of
the Big Cypress Swamp. June is a popular time to visit Fakahatchee
Strand when the very rare Ghost Orchid begins blooming and park staff
conduct guided walks.
Florida Sports Park (of Swamp Buggy Racing Fame)
(239) 774-2701
8850 Collier Boulevard, Naples
Florida
Sports Park is home to the famed "Mile 'O Mud" oval race track for
Swamp Buggy racing every January, March and October. Every year,
thousands pack the grandstands to watch the unique Swamp Buggy event.
King Richard’s Medieval Family Fun Park
(239) 598-2042
6780 North Airport Road, Naples
King
Richard's Family Fun Park debuted in 1996 with the idea of providing a
place for go-cart, bumper boat and batting cages. Now family-oriented
King Richard’s has the area’s only permanent roller coaster, plus a
water play area called Merlin's Moat, and a dozen more rides for all
ages.
Naples Museum of Art
(239) 597-1900
5833 Pelican Bay Boulevard, Naples
The
Naples Museum of Art is adjacent to the Philharmonic Center for the
Arts. The Museum houses a glass-dome conservatory and offers an
eclectic collection of world-class art in 15 galleries. Entrance gates
are by renowned metal artist Albert Paley, and a spectacular entrance
chandelier is by acclaimed artist Dale Chihuly.
Naples Pier
West end of 12th Avenue South
The
Naples Pier is a popular fishing destination in Naples. The Pier is
open 24 hoursand doesn’t charge a fee for use. The pier is great for
fishing, walking, watching the sunset, and spotting birds and dolphins.
No fishing license is required to fish off the pier. Restroom and
shower facilities are located on-site, and midway out there’s a snack
bar and bait shop.
Naples Princess and Marco Island Princess
Naples Princess, 550 Port-O-Call Way. (239) 649-2275
Marco Island Princess, 951 Bald Eagle Drive. (239) 642-5415
The
Naples Princess is a 93-foot air-conditioned luxury yacht carrying up
to 149 passengers that departs from Naples. The Marco Island Princess
is a 74-foot air-conditioned luxury yacht that departs from Marco
Island. Both vessels offer daily sightseeing, lunch, sunset hors
d’oeuvres, or sunset dinner cruises.
Naples Trolley Tours
(239) 262-7300
1010 Sixth Avenue, Naples
Naples
Trolley Tours is a narrated tour that shows off more than 100 area
points of interest from an al-weather trolley. Trolleys make the rounds
of many attractions, top shopping centers and leading resorts.
Passengers can jump on and off at their own discretion.
Nautilus Boat Tours
(239) 597-4408
179 South Bay Drive, Naples
Nautilus
Boat Tours offers sunset cruises, nature cruises, private dinner
parties and other party events aboard two vessels, Nautilus I (a
40-foot catamaran tour boat with restroom, carrying up to 40
passengers) and Nautilus II (a 40-foot double-decker catamaran with two
restrooms, carrying up to 78 passengers). Both Nautilus vessels are
docked at the Vanderbilt Beach Marina, one block north of the Ritz
Carlton.
Philharmonic Center for the Arts
(239) 597-1900
5833 Pelican Bay Boulevard, Naples
The
Naples’ Philharmonic Center for the Arts has a 1,221-seat main hall and
a 200-seat black box theater that hosts more than 400 events per year
from opera to Broadway shows on tour. It is also home to the Naples
Philharmonic Orchestra, and is the west coast home of the Miami City
Ballet.
Seminole Gaming Palace
(239) 658-1313
506 South First Street, Immokalee
The
$4 million Seminole Gaming Palace features indoor gaming such as bingo,
low-stakes poker and video gaming machines, plus a continental dining
room.
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