Sweet Naples Dreams

Chica 1 is ready for some action and relaxation so a little weekend trip down south seems like just the right pill. Naples, FL is one of the wealthiest cities in the United States. But for the adventurer in Chica 1, what is best about Naples is that it is also right outside of the Everglades. So if you seek sophistication and adventure, this is the place to visit.

Naples also has the distinction of having the second highest percentage of millionaires per capita in the US. Chica 1 shared that there have been houses to go on sale for as much as $40 million dollars. Unbelievable! 

As the two looked around, it came as no surprise that there were so many exotic cars bar none! At least two Jaguar XKR-S-GTs drove past Chica 1 on the Tamiami Trail. Those cars cost more than $150,000!  

There was no shortage of Ferraris, Lamborghinis, Porsches, and top of the line Mercedes; but not one to be intimidated, Chica 1 was right at home in her rented Hyundai. Tee hee he!

Jetting along Tamiami Trail, Chica 1 was enjoying the local sites. This is one busy street! Look - the Naples Zoo is right on the main thoroughfare; maybe later. 

Chica 2 is on this type of trip for the first time, so she is just smiling and being polite and agreeable. At least for right now..., She comes alive and points across to the other side of Tamiami Trail - Is that the famous chocolate store that was featured in a Hollywood Movie? There was an article about them!! One just never knows...

We will definitely have to go check that out. But for now...we're off to the beach or Lowdermilk Park to be specific. Turning on to Gulf Shore Blvd, we could see that this is a pretty fancy smancy area. Advice -  be careful, many of the beach areas are "private". They even have security guards to stop visitors from enroaching on their private beach!  Make sure you park in the correct area or you will be sorry.

Upon arriving at Lowdermilk Park, it was evident that this is not your typical West Coast of Florida park. Even the local ducks seem to know they were in an upscale area!

There is an all white duck chilling on one of the picnic tables. He really looks right at home and made sure Chica 1 knew it was not her home! Too funny! I mean this duckie wasn't going anywhere and DID NOT MOVE! Guess that's Chica 1's cue to keep it moving.


There are beautiful paved, winding paths. The beach has a nice naturalist vibe with plenty of vegetation leading to a beautiful white sand beach. Little tiki huts break the natural flow. We stroll the beach enjoying the soft waves kissing our toes and the sun slowly sliding down the horizon.

Decompression is a wonderful thing! We could feel ourselves drifting into the wonder of nature. Watching the sun rays dance across the moving water, staying together and escorting the waves to the beach. The lapping sounds of the water thanking the sun. No stress; no concept of time. Nothing lasts forever. Soon our stomachs began growling and letting us know it's time to eat eat. 

We ventured over to a little shopping and restaurant area known as The Village on Venetian Bay, a little area not far from the beach. There's so much money being spent that it is a little overwhelming! The shops are crowded, there's no parking available. We circle the parking lot at least three-four times prior to actually finding a space. The restaurants are full! What's a hungry girl to do?

After dinner, 2 Chicas decided to stroll down 5th Avenue South and take in a little of the Naples night life. This place is bustling! Money talks and the rest of us walk! So we walk down the street window shopping and decide to stop in a little deli for some coffee. This allowed us to sit on their patio and observe the throngs of people enjoying the mild evening. 

There is a little bit of live music at a couple of the restaurants. There are also a number of art gallaries and the district has a variety of events throughout the year. Nearby is 3rd Avenue South, another destination for high end shopping.   Enough with the people watching! It's time to relax and get ready for an adventure into the Everglades on tomorrow.

Chica 2 is up bright and early and raring to go. We hit the road and she smoothly steers the car onto the Tamiami Trail and is headed into the entrails of the Everglades.

Chica 1 can hardly contain herself. It has been years since she has been on an airboat ride! In this neck of the woods, there are many businesses offering a variety of air boat ride packages, swamp buggy tours, etc.

2 Chicas like to keep it simple and chose this particular vendor because it was reasonably priced. After arriving at the attraction in Ochopee and paying for the excursion, 2 Chicas were lounging in the outside waiting area.

A curious gator swims over to check us out. Chica 2 already had her first gator sighting so she was stoked about what she would see on the actual ride.

We hop aboard our airboat and the tour operator was quick to remind the front seat passengers that they would take a soaking. The tourists from Germany were excited about the opportunity to be covered in good old swamp water. Do tell!

We went fast and slow; up and down; spinning around. The swamp is full of gators and wading birds. Chica 2 was thrilled that she swayed from side to side with the motion of the boat.

The captain asked trivia questions and periodically stopped to teach the passengers interesting facts about Big Cypress Swamp.  As with most such rides, it seemed to end too soon.

Back on land, we trudged over through the gift shop and out back to the zoo area. There are an interesting mix of reptiles including snakes, dozens of alligators and crocodiles as well as other animals like a zebu.

An ancient Siberian Tiger, African lion and a sleepy Florida panthers are an interesting addition, but one would imagine in this day and age that the enclosures would be better. They are old style cages, so should you go, don't be surprised that none of the animals are kept in modern environments reflective of what you see in zoos.

While waiting for the alligator show, Chica 2 fed the gators and fish that were in a canal on the property. The crusty trainer that does the alligator show is a hoot! He really got everyone involved. He called over two alligators living in the wild, a couple, that come visit him everday. It was neat to see the alligators interacting with him and when they had enough, they swam away.

The time he spent in the cage with the big ol' alligator, the star of the show, was a little cliche, but the folks from other places in the world loved it! Chica 2 even participated in the gator holding, and petted a small alligator. Overall, the trip was great fun!

Headed back towards Naples, 2 Chicas stopped at the Fakahatchee Strand State Preserve that has a boardwalk and a Native American souvenir shop. The walk down the boardwalk was a fun time to talk and admire the surroundings.

We discovered that this little area is affectionately known as "the Amazon of North America because it is a swamp forest. The area is home to bald cypress trees, eagles, native species of bromeliads and orchids, and plenty of alligators. We were told there are Florida panthers, black bears, and indigo snakes as well as Everglades minks and diamondback terrapins, but we did not see any such creatures, and for that Chica 1 was greatful! 2 Chicas thought we had walked at least 5 miles and at the end of the boardwalk was a swamp area that contained a number of posing alligators. Now for the long walk back!

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As we step off the boardwalk and head towards the car, a huge alligator that was sloshing in the swamp area decided to get out of the water and do some tanning sun in the middle of the path. Needless to say, 2 Chicas were very, very quiet as we carefully navigated around him. After safely passing, we looked at each other and uttered a "Thank You Jesus". Lucky for us Mr. Alligator was sleepy!

We rush back to our car ready to move farther away from the uncaged wildlife! Stop at this little known area and enjoy the free boardwalk and be sure to visit the souvenir shop to pick up some native crafts.

Back on the Tamiami-Trail and heading North towards Naples, 2 Chicas pull into the Collier-Seminole State Park. It has a couple of interesting displays that make it a good destination to explore.

The Blockhouse is made of a traditional Florida coquina stone construction and good old Florida pine.  It has been well preserved and is a nice sized place for an early settler living all alone in the wilderness. The park has a large grove of stately royal palms, which is rare for Florida, as well as a Seminole Village replica and a memorial for Barron Collins.  In additional, there is the landmark Bay City Walking Dredge that was used to build the first road between Tampa, FL and Miami, FL (hence the Tamiami Trail). Some unusual items are found in this beautiful park. Chica 1 wished she had time to go fishing in the Blackwater River. The park promises both freshwater and saltwater fishing! Not your typical Florida park. Chica 2 is ready to head back to Naples for some
dinner. It has been a busy day!

Looking for a different place to eat, 2 Chicas head over to Tin City. The buildings associated with this shopping and dining destination at one time served as an oyster processing plant. There are restaurants, souvenir shops, family fashions, and other little gift and specialty shops. We had a nice meal outside near the water and sang along with the guitarist.

Chica 2 is determined to get some much needed, highly craved chocolate, so we jet over to this fabulous chocolate store. After aquiring some sweet treats, we go back and take a second stroll down 5th Ave.South. Chica 2 wants to spend a little time over at the second hot area, 3rd Street South. This little area is more like Old Naples.

There are still some of the original houses in this little area, but there is still the feel of money! It was nice to see the city preserved so many of the older homes. It really gives one of the feel of "Old Florida" or as the new ad campaign promotes - The Real Florida! By the end of the night, we are two exhausted "Old Florida Chicas" when we finally settle down for the night.

Up bright and early and ready for a little brunch, we check out of our hotel and with shorts and flip flops try out a country club brunch. The food is fabulous and plentiful. Time for a little retail therapy and onward home to Tampa. We just seemed to run out of time on this little excursion. Next time we'll have to make it to the Naples Pier, Doctor's Pass, Delnor-Wiggins State Park, Clam Pass and the Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary. That's at least five good reasons for a return trip!

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