Naples Botanical Garden is a botanical garden in Naples, Florida, the Garden consists of 170 acres of cultivated gardens and preservation land, representing seven distinct natural habitats and ecosystems, and featuring over 1000 species.
In 2000, the late Harvey Kapnick, Jr. donated $5 million for the purchase of 170 acres of open space 3 miles from downtown Naples. In January 2010, The Florida Gulf Coast University Harvey Kapnick Research and Education Center, a shared use facility, opened. Later in 2010 the Garden opened the Scott Florida Garden, Buehler Enabling Garden, Garden Club of Naples Idea Garden, Lea Asian Garden and the Water Garden. Located just 4 miles southeast of downtown Naples, Naples Botanical Garden offers nature-loving visitors access to a wide variety of flora (and even some fauna). The nature sanctuary showcases more than 1,000 species of plants throughout its nine tropical themed gardens and untouched 90-acre preserve, as well as different educational children's activities monthly in the Smith Children's Garden. When visiting be sure to budget ample time to peruse the grounds; recent visitors recommend at least a few hours. Spend a peaceful afternoon enjoying the exotic species and visual spectacle of this large and dynamic parkland. Take some time to absorb the colorful landscapes and ambiance of this multifaceted parkland, made up of seven distinct sections, each with its own charms, is a great place for a walk, a relaxing picnic or study of rare plant species. Explore each of the botanical garden’s diverse sections. Browse the Florida Garden to find some of the most beautiful grasses, flowers and trees of the area’s landscape. Highlights include a circular design in the center of the garden lined by sabal palms, the state tree of Florida. See exotic species alongside tobacco and cocoa plants in the Caribbean Garden. This section includes a themed Explorers’ Garden that showcases the importance of these plants to the development of the American nation. Continue on to the Asian Garden where you’ll see bamboo forests, water terraces and Thai-style temple gardens. For a look at South American plant species and designs, visit the Brazilian Garden Cross boardwalks over river-dwelling grasses or enjoy one of the frequent shows on an island stage at the Water Garden. Take a full-day or half-day tour of the lively Children’s Garden that provides fun for both kids and parents. Longer tours will take you around the butterfly gardens, through water jets and to an herb garden where you’ll learn about the uses and health benefits of incredible plants. If you get hungry, choose from a range of meals at the garden café.
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The historic Naples Pier is located on the Gulf of Mexico at the West end of 12th Avenue South. The Naples Pier is a favorite location for sightseers and fishermen with plenty of space to cast a line. Fishing from the pier does not require a fishing license, as the City of Naples has purchased a bulk fishing license for the pier. The region is well-known for its great opportunities for shark fishing and the area is populated by a number of magnificent sea birds. Be sure to stay alert since these birds may attempt to steal your catch. Try night fishing with a friend for a peaceful experience in the temperate Florida climate.
The beach at the pier also features volleyball nets, and is one of the best places to catch a spectacular Naples sunset. This beloved Naples destination to experience the simple charms of the beachfront on a dock that has served the city for more than 100 years. This lengthy wooden dock extends out into the Gulf built in 1888 as a dock for receiving goods and passengers. Though it has been damaged over the 20th century by fire and numerous hurricanes, it was reconstructed and remains a symbol of the town’s resilience, history and beauty. Take a leisurely stroll down the pier and join the hundreds of visitors who come here for spectacular views and a breath of the fresh sea air. Purchase ice cream or a cool drink and venture to the end of the pier for a panoramic look out over the ocean and back onto the exquisite Naples coastline. A gazebo provides benches and shade on hot days so you can linger and experience the ambiance. Though diving off the pier is prohibited, you can enjoy the cool ocean waters from the adjacent beach. Work on your tan in the summer sun or join an exhilarating game of beach volleyball with local residents. Have a meal with a view in one of the many restaurants along the promenade. The soft sounds of water lapping onto the beach and the picturesque horizon provide a calm, romantic atmosphere. For those visiting during June, it also acts as an ideal location to view the city's 4th of July fireworks show. . The beaches range from thriving mid-city beaches with full facilities and water sports rentals galore to quiet natural preserves and a state park, where observing wildlife and chilling take precedence. Broken only occasionally by passes and inlets, they provide long stretches for walking and communing with the sea. Whichever variety of beach beckons your inner beach-bum, you are sure to find one that pleases. Or try a different one each day to experience the vast variety Naples has to offer. While Naples is known for its pristine beaches, the Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary - known for its ancient cypress forest and colony of nesting American woodstorks. Nature lovers will find plenty to like at this preserve. Located 30 miles northeast of the 11,000 acres of marshland is home to 600-year-old trees, otters, alligators and a beautiful collection of endangered birds. A boardwalk cuts through the sanctuary on which you can take a self-guided tour and get a feel for what Florida was like before it was developed. Naturalists are stationed throughout the boardwalk to answer questions. Recent visitors say it takes about three hours to walk the sanctuary's nearly 3 miles.
The Sanctuary’s is within the Big Cypress Swamp and they contain the country’s largest remaining stand of 400 to 700 year-old virgin bald cypresses. A two-mile long boardwalk passes through the sanctuary and through distinct environmental areas including pinelands, freshwater marshes and wet prairie, cypress swamps and hardwood hammocks. The main attraction here is the boardwalk, constructed of sustainable wood. If you have ever wanted to experience the Everglades, but were too scared to venture out for fear of disturbing a sleeping alligator or stepping on an unsuspecting snake, then the walkway wanders through habitats that include prairie marsh and pine flatlands and continues into the heart of the old-growth forest, offering a taste of primeval Florida. Today, the boardwalk of a little under 2 miles provides walking access through (actually 'over') pine flatwoods, wet prairie, pond cypress, bald cypress, and marsh ecosystems within the sanctuary. If you spend a couple of hours to take theself-guided tour along the boardwalk, A nature center educates you about this precious, unusual habitat with a dramatic re-creation of the preserve and its creatures in the Swamp Theater. The sanctuary is a 'gateway site' for the Great Florida Birding Trail. It is an important breeding area for the endangered wood stork and other wetland birds. It also has wintering passerines, including the painted bunting. Numerous wading bird species can be found in the wetlands of the sanctuary, including the yellow-crowned night heron, black-crowned night heron, tricolored heron, great egret, and snowy egret. Specialist birds include limpkin, barred owl and, in summer, swallow-tailed kite. The sanctuary visitor center is a Living Machine demonstration site. There are plenty of charter rentals for boats around the naples area, There is so much to choose from that you may have to plan ahead before actually taking the plunge, charters are normally an hour long and can be a luxury ferry, Deep sea fishing boat, littoral coastal speed boats, airboats, kayaks, etc. You also have a choice of destination whether a dolphin viewing tour, fishing tour, mangrove, swamp lands, coastal cruise, jetski (yes Jet ski), para gliding and many more.
You have a choice of hundreds of charter services across the naples coast, The services and prices vary, we can recommend a few if we are informed on what kind of boat tour clients would like to take. Lowdermilk Park is one of Naples' premier beachfront parks. The park has plenty of metered and unmetered parking spaces, picnic tables, benches, restroom and shower facilities, and two gazebos for rent. The beach park offers 1,000 feet of pristine beachfront, plenty of picnic tables for a lunch with your family and friends, a playground for the kids, volleyball court, and a wonderful duck pond. Lowdermilk Beach Park is also a popular Naples Florida Beach for watching the sunset, and who knows you may even see the legendary “green flash”.
For your convenience, there are restrooms available at the beach, as well as outdoor showers, and a handicapped beach wheelchair ramp. There are approximately 125 parking spaces available. The beach is open from 8:00 am to sundown. The Concession Stand is open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and offers food and beverage for purchase. Offers handicap access and beach wheelchair rentals. Arrive early if you want one of those prize Tiki Hut's. It does get hot in the summer. Another reason Lowdermilk is one of my favorite Florida beaches is this park is so usable. Grass area provides a playground for the kiddies, sand volleyball courts, and a bathhouse People getting together for a beach party or picnics. Lots of shade for protected lounging. There are two gazebo’s located at Lowdermilk Park for rent. One is located at the north end of the park and the other is located at the south end of the park. Both gazebos are the same size but there is more land available around the south gazebo for larger rentals. The north gazebo is next to the sand volleyball courts and the childrens playground. Lowdermilk regularly hosts small-boat regattas with participants ranging from kids to the retired. This popular destination boasts one of the most pristine stretch of beach in the world. Every day, this tropical beach paradise beckons visitors to partake in vast peaceful views of the Gulf of Mexico, and experience the many shorebirds and wildlife that gather here. Visitors arrive to this park to sunbathe, snorkel the reef, hike, bird-watch, fish, picnic and search for seashells.
There are specific areas designated for anglers to drop their lines in the northern areas of the park for trophy catches. Boaters will also find the launch area into Turkey Bay easily accessible for most vessels, in order to experience the delicate natural estuaries of the Cocohatchee River, leading out to the Gulf of Mexico. A concessionaire, Naples Beach Adventures, offers food / beverages and rentals that include paddleboards, kayaks, canoes, umbrellas and beach chairs. Beach wheelchairs are also available for reservation by the park Kayak the mangrove-lined waterways of Wiggins Pass and the Cocohatchee River, While the kayaking is pleasant enough, the beach at Delnor-Wiggins Pass State Park is what’s truly special here. – a good kayaking spot, outstanding surf-fishing and a one-mile-long powdery-white sand beach with clear water, shells and shaded picnic tables nearby. The 166-acre park is squeezed by urban development but is so thickly canopied by tropical vegetation that it’s easy to lose yourself in nature here. A short nature trail leads to an observation deck over mangrove forests and the sweep of beach, where terns and gulls gather in groups. It’s easy to find pretty seashells along the shore if you arrive early. Bring a picnic and spend the day! At the north end of the island, behind the picnic pavilion, a tower gives visitors a bird's-eye view of Wiggins Pass and the surrounding coastal habitat. Undeveloped barrier islands are simply ‘the best’ and hard to come by in south Florida. There is much to be said for a nice sandy beach on a barrier island with a lush tropical backdrop, gently shelving into crystal clear water. There is yet more to be said when this beach area is also teeming with wildlife such as shorebirds, ospreys, dolphins and the protected gopher tortoises. Finally, it seems too good to be true when it also boasts a reef that can be snorkeled off the beach. Fish and shorebirds are not the only creatures you will see on the beach. Apart from dolphins that are very common here, there are sea stars, of course sand dollars (when they are gray, they are alive, please toss back in!), and other ‘live shells’ such as the Florida fighting conch. The park has plenty of gopher tortoises to look at, and we were guaranteed to see more of these cute creatures. As there are so many of them, you do well to check your car when you leave the park so as not to crush a resting gopher tortoise. Pay close attention to the sides of the road and you are sure to see a tortoise or two munching on fresh shoots. Mangroves also buffer the mainland against destructive storms, prevent erosion with their specialized root system and filter the water to maintain quality and clarity. The natural coastal area of Delnor-Wiggins provides habitat for a wide variety of wildlife. A boat ramp allows access to the back bays, Cocohatchee River and the Gulf of Mexico, providing visitors with excellent fishing opportunities. The most popular place to fish is Wiggins Pass. It is also the only area along the park's beach where fishing is allowed. Visitors who plan to fish should remember to dispose of monofilament fishing line properly as it can injure or kill animals in the park. Rangers programs are offered every Thursday at 9:30am. Most programs are free with park entry fee. Clam Pass Park is a beautiful beach access point in the North Naples. This park is also one of the most popular beach access points much like Vanderbilt Beach. Clam Pass boasts 35 acres of coastal habitat and preserves that habitat by providing beach access from a three-quarter-mile boardwalk to the sandy beach.
The boardwalk runs through a mangrove forest of salt-tolerant red, white and black mangroves. It also has a tidal bay area that acts as a breeding ground and nursery for marine life, wildlife, specifically many species of birds. Clam Pass Park is tucked away behind the Naples Grande Beach Resort. You can walk or take a free tram from the parking lot down a three-quarters-mile long boardwalk through a mangrove forest. Then, from the shady mangrove tunnel, you emerge on a sunny day to a beach with sand that is blindingly white and water impossibly turquoise. The pass itself is a narrow river-like opening in the mangroves, shallow enough an adult can stand at the center except at the highest tide. If you hop into the waters of the pass, you are gently swept away by the tide. If the tide is coming in, you float into a shallow mangrove-fringed lagoon. If the tide is going out, you float out into the Gulf, which remains shallow for a great distance. The kids will love the wooden boardwalk or tram ride through a mangrove forest to access the beach. A half-mile stroll along the Clam Pass boardwalk leading to the beach offers an opportunity to view marine life, coastal birds, and butterflies before reaching a 3,200-foot stretch of white sand beach. Clam Pass Park abounds with wading shorebirds, eagles, hawks and osprey. It’s a natural “lazy river” adventure, where the pull and depth of the water is safe but still fun. A good snack bar and a beach-gear concession area are a perk of sharing the beach with an upscale hotel. On the other side of the pass, the beach stretches on for miles, lined with seagrape trees and foliage. Visitors thin out after a short distance, so if you dream of having a beach to yourself, this is for you. Because this is the beach for the Naples Grande Beach Resort, regular folks benefit from exceptional amenities intended for hotel guests. There’s a little cafe with sandwiches and drinks, and not outrageously priced. A concession stand rents chairs, umbrellas, Hobie cats and more. If you want to explore the wilder part of the park beyond the boardwalk, you can rent a canoe or kayak and get a more up close view of the 35-acre park. The Conservancy of Southwest Florida offers guided nature walks Monday through Saturday from December to April. |
Naples Private ToursThere are plenty to do in Naples, here is our recommended points of interest for Groups of friends and family to get together and enjoy. Categories
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