NAPLES FLORIDA

NAPLES: Sunsets, Seabirds, Sugar Sand and Swamp Sanctuaries

By Steve Wright and Heidi Johnson-Wright

The pelicans know.

Even simple sea birds can sense tranquility. Which must be why the large-billed creatures like to float on the glassy, gentle waters that lap softly along Vanderbilt Beach in Naples, soaking in the serenity.

That’s precisely what attracts the two-legged creatures of the human variety to this special place on Florida’s gulf coast. Gentle waves, sugary white sand beaches, stunning wildlife in lush habitats, plus scrumptious dining and divine accommodations keep them coming back.

If it’s self-contained upscale digs that you crave, then LaPlaya Beach Resort is a good choice. Located on a lovely strip of Vanderbilt Beach, the resort has large guest rooms with luxe linens and generous private balconies, several swimming pools, a spa and dining options both indoor and out.

Baleen is LaPlaya’s signature restaurant with an atmosphere drawing on tropical whimsy and colonial elegance. At dinnertime, the seafood-heavy menu offers dishes prepared both simply and on the fussy side. But it’s breakfast that allows one a soothing start to the day.

A table on the outside terrace affords a pleasant vista of ocean and the aforementioned pelicans. The strawberry and cream cheese-stuffed French toast, expertly done breakfast meats, buttery croissants and excellent egg dishes taste all the better when complemented with a morning sea breeze. Linger over a second (or third) cup of coffee and forget all about the Wi-Fi, workaday world.

The draw of the sea is undeniable, but just a half hour's drive east a very different experience in tranquility awaits.

Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary in nearby Immokalee is a special place. Threading through this nature preserve is a 2.25 mile wooden boardwalk loop trail that takes visitors on an exquisite sojourn through pine upland, wet prairie, cypress forest and marsh. Each ecosystem has its own delightfully distinctive blend of trees, flowers and critters that populate the preserve.

The journey begins in the Blair Audubon Center, with the boardwalk commencing just outside. Linger a moment or two at the outdoor bulletin board which displays drawings of birds and animals sighted. Don't be surprised if painted buntings, water snakes and black bears have made recent appearances.

While the prairies and marshes are decidedly pleasant, it's perhaps the bald cypress forest that steals the show. The trees -- some approaching six centuries old -- soar overhead, ornamented with Spanish moss and air plants. The quiet and observant may be treated to sights of a cautious mama owl and plump, fuzzy babies. The croaks of the pig frogs and staccato percussion of woodpeckers make for a fine symphony, punctuated with the occasional splash of a restless gator.

To experience a quiet oasis amongst the area’s burgeoning development, spend a couple hours at the Naples Zoo at Caribbean Gardens. It’s a modest but charming attraction situated on the grounds of a lush botanical garden whose origins date back to the 1920s.

Stroll the grounds and take in a show about serpents, kangaroos or African wild dogs. If you’ve come to see the quintessential zoo creatures -- lions and tigers -- you won’t be disappointed. But then what would one expect from the former winter home of Jungle Larry and Safari Jane?

Don’t let your visit come to an end without taking the primate expedition cruise. For about 20 minutes, the catamaran glides through a small lake past islands populated with chattering apes and monkeys. With the leafy surroundings, you almost feel like you’re sailing the coast of Sumatra or Madagascar, gazing upon the canopy’s simian inhabitants.

The expedition guides share not mere dry textbook facts, but rather engaging, passionate tales about individual white-fronted lemurs and colobus monkeys, mentioning them by name and giving details of their lives. The luckiest visitors will be serenaded with the whooping, poignant singing of the white-handed gibbons.

For a more refined outdoor setting, head to 5th Avenue South. There are too many alfresco dining places to count on this old fashioned main street setting reborn as a shopping, dining and people-watching mecca for Midwesterners both vacationing and transplanted.

The sun-splashed Gulf Coast and a dark-wooded old Irish Tavern may seem like a strange blend, but they work just fine at McCabe’s Irish Pub and Grille. It seems that Bob McCabe, proprietor of the boutique Inn on Fifth hotel, wanted a pub on the premises true to his Emerald Isle routes.

The Mahogany was milled in Ireland and installed by artisans. If the indoor digs, replete with old tin whiskey signs and other heirlooms don’t do the trick, the large amount of shaded outdoor tables will.

The classic shepherd’s pie, leek soup, Irish stew and corned beef & cabbage are joined on the menu by American bar food favorites such as burgers, chicken tenders and gourmet pizzas.

For more of Old Naples, head west to nearby 3rd Street South, where more shops and restaurants are located just a few blocks from the gulf breezes. Third Street South eventually crosses Broad Avenue, Naples’ gallery row.

Better still, Broad Avenue ends at historic Naples Fishing Pier, which stretches 1,000 feet over the Gulf of Mexico. Originally built in 1888 to serve passengers and freight arriving by the sea, the landmark pier has been rebuilt after hurricanes in ’12, ’26 and ’60 – it survived the horrendous ’04-’05 ‘canes.

The sugar sand beaches below are some of the most popular among Naples’ nearly 20 miles of groomed coastline. At some hours, fishermen outnumber sightseers – except for sunset time.

From a good hour before dusk until spectacular sunset after spectacular sunset, locals and visitors alike gather to watch the brilliant orange sun dip into the soothing waters of the sea to mark the end of another balmy Naples day.

The Wrights write award-winning features about a wide range of travel topics from their home base in Miami’s historic Little Havana. Contact them at stevewright64@yahoo.com

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