Day Trips from Naples, Florida

• What is the Ten Thousand Islands?
  • Located within the boundaries of the Everglades National Park and the Ten Thousand Islands National Wildlife Refuge, Florida’s Ten Thousand Islands make a wonderful day trip destination for nature lovers. Although there are only a few hundred (not thousands) of islands, you will be so busy soaking up the peace and serenity that you won’t notice the difference.
• What activities can visitors enjoy at the Ten Thousand Islands?
  • Visitors come to enjoy the beaches, the fishing, and a chance to explore the islands by scenic paddling excursions.
  • You can even bring all your own supplies and experience back-country camping on a completely deserted island.
• What wildlife can visitors expect to see at the Ten Thousand Islands?
  • Bird and wildlife watching is superb just about all over this watery wonderland.

Ten Thousand Islands, U.S. Highway 41, Naples, FL 34114

• What is Ave Maria?
  • Ave Maria can be found by driving about an hour southwest of Naples, where it is the fastest growing planned community in South West Florida. The community is centered about the impressive Ave Maria Catholic Church and University.
• What architectural features are found in Ave Maria?
  • Anyone interested in architecture will appreciate the gothic architecture of Ave Maria, which features a marriage of modern steel beams and art deco features.
• What activities can visitors enjoy in Ave Maria?
  • A good way to see the town is to take a 45-minute trolley tour from the town center – please check their website for a schedule.
  • Saturday is Farmer’s Market Day and Thursday afternoons you can listen to live music in the town center.

• What is the Big Cypress National Preserve?
  • Established in 1974, the Big Cypress National Preserve safeguards and showcases five distinct habitats, each of which is home to a variety of plants and animals, many of which are found nowhere else on earth.
• What activities can visitors enjoy at Big Cypress National Preserve?
  • For day-trippers, the preserve offers an enormous outdoor playground where you can enjoy all your favorite activities including hiking, cycling, canoeing, kayaking, wildlife watching, and even off-road vehicle trails.
• How can visitors explore remote areas of Big Cypress?
  • Remote corners of this amazing swamp can be reached by air-boat or licensed off-road vehicles, and you can look forward to coming face to face with alligators, crocodiles, and turtles, among many other species of wildlife.
• How far is Big Cypress from Naples?
  • Big Cypress is easy to access by road in less than an hour from Naples.

33100 Tamiami Trail East, Ochopee, FL 34141, Phone: 239-695-2000

• Where is Bonita Springs located?
  • Conveniently situated about halfway between Naples and Fort Myers, Bonita Springs is a family-friendly day trip destination.
• What activities can visitors enjoy in Bonita Springs?
  • Children and adults will enjoy a fun and educational visit to the Nature Center at the Conservancy of Southwest Florida, where young visitors can learn all about wildlife conservation and rehabilitation in a fun, hands-on way.
  • You can go on an electric boat trip and have fun at the touch tank in the Dalton Discovery Center.
• What outdoor attractions are available in Bonita Springs?
  • A 2.5-mile beach at Lover’s Key State Park offers ideal conditions for sunbathing, sand-castle building, beach-combing, and birding, while energetic visitors can rent a kayak or take kayaking lessons at Kayak Southwest Florida.
• Where can visitors find Bonita Springs on a map?
  • For a map, visit this link.

• Where is Captiva Island located?
  • Captiva Island and neighboring Sanibel Island lie just three miles west of Fort Myers and can be reached via the Sanibel Causeway. Together these two islands are an ideal day-trip destination from Naples, offering visitors an enormous outdoor playground ideal for your favorite forms of seaside recreation.
• What activities can visitors enjoy on Captiva Island?
  • Completely surrounded by the azure waters of the Gulf of Mexico, Captiva Island is perfect for beach pursuits – you can soak up the sun, build sand-castles, and enjoy shelling, swimming, sailing, fishing, paddling, scenic boat cruises, and so much more.
• What on-land activities are available on Captiva and Sanibel Islands?
  • On-land activities include cycling and exploring the shopping and dining opportunities on Sanibel Island.

Captiva Island, FL 33924

• What is Cayo Costa State Park?
  • Visitors who crave the opportunity to explore a majestic nine-mile stretch of pristine beach, completely free of commercial development, should definitely add the Cayo Costa State Park to their list of day-trip destinations.
• How can visitors get to Cayo Costa State Park?
  • Located in the brilliant Gulf of Mexico, Cayo Costa can only be reached by boat, which makes getting there part of the fun. You can jump aboard the ferry in Captiva/Sanibel Island, Punta Gorda, or Bokeelia and find yourself on a picture-perfect tropical island in less than an hour.
• What activities can visitors enjoy at Cayo Costa State Park?
  • Once you reach the state park, you can spend your day shelling (Cayo Costa is considered one of the best shelling destinations in the world), hiking, swimming, snorkeling, bird-watching, and fishing.

Cayo Costa State Park, FL 33924

• What is the Edison & Ford Winter Estates?
  • For a break from beach activities, you can spend a day admiring the historic homes, gardens, and museums of the Edison & Ford Winter Estates in Fort Myers. The beautiful old winter holiday estates of two of America’s most celebrated geniuses are surrounded by 20 acres of beautiful botanical gardens and offer day-trippers an intriguing peep into the ground-breaking inventions of Edison and Ford.
• What can visitors explore at the Edison & Ford Winter Estates?
  • Besides touring the substantial Edison Historic Homes and gardens and the Ford Winter Estate, you can also tour the fascinating Edison Botanic Research Laboratory and the Museum, which features a 1916 Model T Ford.
• What interactive experiences are available at the Edison & Ford Winter Estates?
  • Young visitors (and adults) can get creative in the Spark!Lab.

Edison and Ford Winter Homes, 2350 McGregor Blvd, Fort Myers, FL 33901, Phone: 239-334-7419

• What is Everglades National Park?
  • No visit to southern Florida would be complete without experiencing the wonders of Everglades National Park. The park covers an incredible 1.5 million acres of wetland and offers an unrivaled nature experience for visitors.
• How do visitors access Everglades National Park from Naples?
  • From Naples, you would need to enter the park at the Gulf Coast Visitor’s Center at Everglades City.
• What activities can visitors enjoy in Everglades National Park?
  • Here you can join a sightseeing boat tour which will take you deep into the heart of the mangrove swamps of the Ten Thousand Islands.
  • You can also choose to admire this beautiful area by kayak on a guided Mangrove Tunnel Kayak Eco Tour.
  • Another option for wildlife enthusiasts is to drive the very scenic Loop Road through the Big Cypress National Preserve.

Everglades National Park, Everglades City Entrance, FL 34139, Map

• What is the Florida Panther National Wildlife Refuge?
  • The Florida Panther National Wildlife Refuge offers sanctuary to Florida’s last remaining panther population, which is estimated to comprise less than 250 animals. This is no zoo, and although visitors should not expect to come face to face with a wild panther, the refuge is a great place to visit for nature and wildlife enthusiasts.
• What activities are available at the Florida Panther National Wildlife Refuge?
  • While most of the refuge is closed to the public to allow the wild cats and other wildlife to go about their business as nature intended, there are two hiking trails you can explore, where you may come across tracks or even spot buck, bear, and other animals and birds.
• What special events are held at the Florida Panther National Wildlife Refuge?
  • During Spring Open House, you can go on guided buggy tours, swamp hiking, and birding tours.

Florida Panther Refuge, 12085 SR 29 South, Immokalee, FL 24142, Phone: 239-657-8001

• What is Fort Myers known for?
  • Fort Myers is a popular coastal town on south Florida’s sparkling Gulf Coast, offering lots of attractions for day trippers. Water babies will be in their element in Fort Myers, where you can choose from a long list of nautical attractions including sightseeing and sunset boat excursions, fishing charters, guided kayaking excursions, thrilling jet-boat and jet-ski rides, and much more.
• What other activities can visitors enjoy in Fort Myers?
  • For a break from water activities, you can visit the Railroad Museum of South Florida in Lakes Regional Park, which also offers hiking and nature trails.
  • The IMAG History and Science Center, Manatee Park, and the Edison and Ford Winter Homes are also excellent Fort Myers attractions for the whole family.
• Where can visitors find Fort Myers on a map?
  • For a map, visit this link.