Sometimes the winter weather just gets to be too much for you and you need to go in search of warmth. This is what I did recently and found myself in Naples, Florida. I talked a friend of mine into going with me…tempting them with warm weather, wine, beautiful scenery, and fun restaurants. If you’ve never been to Naples, it’s a beautiful city on the west coast of Florida. Here are some fun facts about the city of Naples:
- Golf: It is known as the “Golf Capital of the World”. So many excellent courses for you to try if you are a golf enthusiast.
- Beaches: It has some of the best beaches in the country with over thirty miles of desirable beach front. The sand will melt under your feet!
- Retirement: One of the top and wealthiest retirement locations in the country. Beautiful homes and expensive cars everywhere.
- Nature preserves: Everglades National Park, Naples Botanical Gardens, Big Cypress National Preserve, Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary, to name a few.
- Art: There are over 100 galleries in the Greater Naples area and a community theatre right on 5th Avenue (The Naples Players at Sugden Community Theatre)
- Wine for a cause: Naples is home to the Winter Wine Festival. The festival is in January and has raised over $107 million for children’s charities since its inception in 2001. It is considered to be among the top 10 arts and entertainment events. (Next year, I’m there!)
Those are just some of the interesting things about Naples, in general. We decided to go away from the usual touristy stuff (for the most part) and explore this city.
We were looking for a “tiki bar” to get into the Florida vibe. Naples is not really a tiki bar kind of place, but we found some really fun places to try. The first place we went had a tiki feel to it, but it wasn’t on a beach. It was on 10th Street. We each got a delicious salad and a drink. Surprisingly, this place was really cool! You can sit at an out of the way, open-air bar and enjoy the afternoon weather. The name of the place is Sambusac Coney Island Café. Yes, Coney Island. The couple next to us actually got Coney Island hot dogs!
After a few days, we got acclimated to the city and found it easy to navigate. Hopefully you will have a better navigator than I am…I’m not very good at it (even with Google maps GPS). But we managed to get around just fine.
For food and drinks, there are some really great restaurants and bars along 5th and 3rd Avenues and down by the water. We pretty much stuck to these areas for restaurants. Fifth Avenue is a mecca for delicious food. Try to get a seat at the bar if you are so inclined. It is so much fun and interesting meeting the locals, the part-timers and the tourists. We got bar seats at almost every restaurant. Plus, there are happy hours everywhere you look! Half priced this and discounted that…completely awesome!
Here are some of the fun restaurants we tried:
5th Avenue S:
- Hob Nob (New American) Casual contemporary
- Osteria Tulia (Italian/wine) Casual chic
- Molto Tattoria (Italian) Relaxed chic
- The Vine Room (Speakeasy) Craft cocktails/wine/beer
Off 8th Street S:
- The Dock at Crayton Cove (Seafood) Casual
- A pitcher of Margaritas to share while sitting looking out on the water…yes, please!
3rd Avenue S:
- D’Amico’s The Continental (Parisian-inspired/wine) Stylish upscale
- Tommy Bahama Bar (Laid back bar) Island cocktails, music
Off the Tamiami Trail:
- The Cabana Bayfront (Canal side “tiki bar”)
- Pinchers (Seafood) Casual
- 2 for one Margaritas, $1.50 oysters, $.99 shrimp for Happy Hour
Mercato-Modern shopping and dining complex:
- Rocco’s Tacos and Tequila Bar (Mexican) Casual chic
Other sites and fun things to do:
Tin City – Funky waterfront shops
- Fun to walk around and explore. Lots of typical Florida souvenirs
Naples Botanical Gardens
- Absolutely worth your time. Beautiful, lush gardens and flora
Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary
- A bird watchers paradise. The trees and vegetation were cool
Vanderbilt & Naples Beaches
- Beautiful beaches. Even in the cooler weather of February, the beach was magnificent
These are just some of the highlights and pictures!
We did drive around a fair amount to check out the area. The homes…gorgeous!! Especially the ones on the canals. Just lovely! They gave me something to dream about…
I will definitely return to the beautiful city of Naples. There are so many more restaurants to experience, sights to see/explore, and interesting people to meet. Naples, you’ve stolen my heart! I’ll be back soon.
Check it out! https://www.paradisecoast.com
https://www.visitflorida.com/places-to-go/southwest/naples/
Cheers!