Attractions

Imagine seeing eye-to-eye with a wild spotted leopard, with just a wall of zoo-glass between you … or observing the antics of some show-off dolphins from the seat of your personal watercraft.
What better way to navigate the mysteries of the mangroves and barrier islands than by canoe or kayak, with a native guide who not only knows where the otters and gators hang out, but can also call them in their own language?

Thomas A. Edison’s winter estate on the Caloosahatchee River, including his fully stocked laboratory, has been preserved and is open to the public. On this estate is the third largest banyan tree in the world. We have boardwalks through thousand-year-old cypress swamps, lush botanical gardens and protected wildlife reserves. Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary made world headlines twice last winter with the discovery and blooming of the rare ghost orchid. We also have butterfly gardens, a world-class zoo, aviaries and even a wolf sanctuary.

All along the Gulfshore, visitors may book sunset cruises, dinner cruises, wildlife-watching cruises and sightseeing cruises. There are even lunch cruises to Cabbage Key, which the locals adamantly defend as Jimmy Buffett’s inspiration for his song Cheeseburger in Paradise. And there’s more ...

CHOKOLOSKEE

Smallwood Store and Museum, 360 Mamie St., (239) 695-2989. Gift shop inside museum. $3 adults, $2.50 seniors, children under 12 free. Off season 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. In-season, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. www.florida-everglades.com/chokol/smallw.htm.

EVERGLADES CITY

Museum of the Everglades, 105 W. Broadway, (239) 695-0008. Admission is free. www
­.colliermuseum.com.

Wings 10,000 Islands Aero-Tours, Highway 29, (239) 695-3296. Fly over the Everglades.

Wooten’s Airboat and Swamp Buggy Tours, 35 miles south of Naples on U.S. 41, (239) 695-2781. A 45-minute Everglades tour traveling through the mangroves and marshlands. www­
.wootensairboats.com.

IMMOKALEE

Immokalee Pioneer Museum at Roberts Ranch, (239) 658-2466. Visits
by appointment.

Lake Trafford Marina and Airboats and Alligators, 6001 Lake Trafford Road, (239) 657-2214. Airboat rides through Corkscrew swamp. www.laketrafford.com.

Seminole Casino, 506 S. First St., (800) 218-0007. Gaming machines and live-action poker. www­
.theseminolecasino.com.

MARCO ISLAND

Marco Island Trolley, (239) 394-1600. $25 adults, $12 children 12 and under.

NAPLES

Aviary of Naples, 9824 Immokalee Road, (239) 353-2215. Disabled-accessible. Self-guided tour on shady paths, with staff available. Bird nursery. $8 adults, $4 children. www.aviaryofnaples.com.
Big Cypress National Preserve, U.S. 41 at Ochopee, (239) 695-1201. A 729,000-acre preserve of cypress swamp, mangroves, sawgrass prairies and natural freshwater rivers. www.nps.gov/bicy.

Collier County Historical Museum, 3301 E. Tamiami Trail, (239) 774-8476. Interprets the history, archaeology and development of Florida’s last frontier. Free admission. Donations accepted. www.colliermuseum.com.

Collier-Seminole State Park, 20200 E. Tamiami Trail, (239) 394-3397. Electric and water hookup for campsites. $4 per day, $18 for camping. www.floridastateparks.org.

The Conservancy Naples Nature Center, 1450 Merrihue Drive, (239) 262-0304. Daily guided tours. Boat tours of the Gordon River included. $9 adults, $4 children, children under three and members free. www.conservancy.org.

Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary, 375 Sanctuary Road, (239) 348-9151. Award-winning boardwalk meanders through a cypress forest. $10 adults, $6 college students, $5 members, $4 children ages six to 18, children under six free.

CREW (Corkscrew Regional Ecological Watershed) encompasses 60,000 acres. Managed by Land & Water Trust at 4600 C.R. 850, (239) 657-2253. More than five miles of natural hiking trails.

Campsites available. Free admission. www.crewtrust.org.

Edge Skate Park at Fleischmann Park, 1600 Fleischmann Blvd., (239) 213-3027. 40,000-square-foot skateboarding and inline skating facility. Recommended seven years and older to skate.

Everglades Day Safari, (800) 472-3069. An exploration the Everglades by airboat, convention boat, wildlife drive and nature walk. $135 adults, $99 children ages five to 11. www.ecosafari.com.
Everglades Excursions, 1010 Sixth Ave. S., (800) 592-0848. Departs 8 a.m. daily from Naples and Marco Island for narrated full-day or half-day trips aboard a "comfort-controlled" safari wagon.
www.everglades-excursions.com.

Everglades National Park, 40001 S.R. 9336, (305) 242-7700. Features visitor centers, programs and activities, trails, lodging and camping, boating and fishing. www.nps.gov/ever.

Fakahatchee Strand State Preserve Park, 137 Coastline Drive, (239) 695-4593. Wide cypress and mixed-hardwood swamp that features a boardwalk, seasonal canoe trips and guided tours. www.floridastateparks.org/fakahatcheestrand.

Florida Sports Park, 4750 C.R. 951, (800) 897-2701. Swamp-buggy races, special events and concerts.

Holocaust Museum Southwest Florida, Sandalwood Square, 4760 Tamiami Trail N., Suite 7, (239) 263-9200. History and lessons are taught through the surviving artifacts, tours and a dedicated library. $5 admission. www.hmswfl.org.

King Richard’s Fun Park, 6780 N. Airport-Pulling Road, (239) 598-1666.

Medieval-themed amusement park. $19.95 for a complete park pass, $9.95 for a chaperone pass. www.kingrichardspark.net.

London Aviation, 100 Aviation Drive S., (239) 643-4468. Helicopter and airplane tours, charters, flight training and sales. www.londonhelicopters.com.

Naples Botanical Garden, 4820 Bayshore Drive, (239) 643-7275. Florida Gardens exhibit, workshops, site tours and butterfly garden. $7 adults, $4 children six to 12, members free. www.naplesgarden.org.

Naples Depot, 1051 Fifth Ave. S., (239) 774-8476. The flagship location of
the Collier County Museum. www.colliermuseum.com.

Naples Horse and Carriage Rides, (239) 649-1210. Leave from City Dock and tour Old Naples. Seasonal hours.

Naples Museum of Art, 5833 Pelican Bay Blvd., (239) 597-1900. The 30,000-square-foot museum at the Philharmonic Center for the Arts features 15 galleries. $8 adults, $4 students. www.thephil.org.

Naples Preserve, 735 Eighth St. S., (239) 261-4290. This green space between U.S. 41 North and Fleischmann Boulevard features a visitor’s center and an elevated boardwalk.

Naples Trolley Tours, 1010 Sixth Ave. S., (800) 592-0848 or (239) 262-7300. Fully narrated trolley tour covering more than 100 points of interest. $20 adults, $10 children ages four to 12, children three and under free. www.naplestrolleytours.com.

Naples Zoo at Caribbean Gardens, 1590 Goodlette-Frank Road, (239) 262-5409. Endangered plant and animal species, including the rare Indochinese tiger. $18.50 adults, $9.95 children three to 12, children three and under free. www.napleszoo.com.

North Collier Regional Park, 15000 Livingston Road, (239) 254-4000. Calusa fossil dig play area for children, interactive playground and a 90-acre wetland preserve area. Free admission.

Palm Cottage, 137 12th Ave. S., (239) 261-8164. Built in 1895, Palm Cottage is the oldest home in Naples and has been restored to its original condition. www
­.napleshistoricalsociety.org/history2.htm.

Port of the Islands Island Nature Cruises, (239) 642-9779. Two-hour tour of the Ten Thousand Islands and the Everglades.

Rookery Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve, 300 Tower Road, (239) 417-6310. View aquariums, interactive exhibits and art gallery. Participate in field programs, take a guided kayak tour. www.rookerybay.org.

South Naples Citrus Grove, 341 Sabal Palm Road, (239) 774-3838. Bagged tangerines, grapefruit and oranges to sell on premises or to ship as gift boxes. www.southnaplescitrusgrove.com.

Sun-N-Fun Lagoon at North Collier Regional Park, 15000 Livingston Road, (239) 254-4021. Waterslides, lazy river, water playgrounds and pools. Up to 48 inches tall, $5.50; over 48 inches tall, $10; three and under free. www.colliergov.net/parks.

BONITA SPRINGS

Everglades Wonder Gardens, 27180 Old 41 Road, (239) 992-2591. Wildlife includes alligators, crocodiles, Florida panthers, black bears, white-tailed deer and flamingos. $15 adults, $8 children three to 10.

Naples-Fort Myers Greyhound Track, 10601 Bonita Beach Road, (239) 992-2411. Dog racing, off-track betting, adopt-a-greyhound program and live poker. Admission $2.
www.naplesfortmyersdogs.com.

CAPE CORAL

Cape Coral Historical Museum and Rose Garden, 544 Cultural Park Blvd., (239) 772-7037. Monthly lectures, group tours, historical preservation. www.capecoralhistoricalmuseum.org.

Four-Mile Cove Ecological Preserve, North of Midpoint Memorial Bridge, (239) 574-7395. Includes 365 acres of saltwater wetlands, a 5,500-foot-long boardwalk and nature trails. Admission and parking free. www.capecoral.net/citydept/parks/pks_4mile.cfm.

Mike Greenwell’s Family Fun Park, 35 N.E. Pine Island Road, (239) 574-4386. Paintball, 19-hole miniature golf, arcade, go-cart tracks, fish feeding dock and batting cages. www­
.greenwellsfamilyfunpark.com.

Sun Splash Family Waterpark, 400 Santa Barbara Blvd., (239) 574-0557. The 12-acre water park featuring two 30-foot-high slides, river ride, tot spot and 427-foot electric slide. www­
.sunsplashwaterpark.com.

ESTERO

College of Life Foundation, 8661 Corkscrew Road, (239) 992-2184. Dedicated to preserving the historic Koreshan communal heritage. Donations accepted. Tours by appointment.
Florida Everblades/Germain Arena, 11000 Everblades Parkway, (239) 948-7825. Florida Everblades hockey October to April; public skating.www.floridaeverblades.com.

Koreshan State Historic Site, U.S. 41 at Corkscrew Road, (239) 992-0311. Campground, canoe rental, picnic area, boat landing and nature trails. $3 vehicle (single occupant), $4 vehicle (up to eight people), $1 walk-in. www.floridastateparks.org/koreshan.

Mound Key State Archaeological Site, in Estero Bay at the mouth of the Estero River, (239) 992-0311. Accessible only by boat. No facilities. Canoe and kayak rental available at Koreshan State Historic Site. www.floridastateparks.org/moundkey.

FORT MYERS

Babcock Wilderness Adventures, 8000 S.R. 31, (800) 500-5583. View wildlife on a 90-minute swamp-buggy ride. Reservations required. $17.95 adults, $10.95 children three to 12. www
­.babcockwilderness.com.

Calusa Nature Center and Planetarium, 3450 Ortiz Ave., (239) 275-3435. Butterfly aviary, nature trails, a natural history museum, Audubon aviary and a planetarium. www.calusanature.com.
Centennial Park, 200 W. First St. in downtown Fort Myers, (239) 332-6638. A 10-acre waterfront park with a playground, including equipment for handicapped children, fishing pier, dock facilities.
Charlene’s Classic Carriages, 19600 Pine Echo Road, (239) 246-0956. Downtown carriage tours, hayrides, and special events. www.charlenesclassiccarriages.com.

City of Palms Park, 2201 Edison Ave., (239) 334-4700. Hosts Boston Red Sox spring training games in March.

ECHO (Educational Concerns for Hunger Organization), 17391 Durrance Road, (239) 543-3246. Edible landscape nursery and herb garden and six climate demonstration areas. Adults $8, children over six $5, children under six free. www.echonet.org.