Book Now
downtown Naples, Florida
Back

Lay of the Land: Naples, FL

This Southern Florida, Gulf Coast city is home to some of the country’s most luxurious shopping and endangered orchids.

Orientation Less than an hour south of Fort Myers on Florida’s west coast.
Nearby Marco Island and the Everglades.
Date incorporated 1925.
Namesake Naples, Italy.
Notable for Swamp buggy races, the ghost orchid, and stone crabs.

Shopping

Stroll the palm-lined Waterside Shops along the Tamiami Trail, and you’ll find yourself window-shopping some of the most expensive and luxurious shops in the country. Find familiar names, like Tory Burch and Salvatore Ferragamo, among local gems, like child-focused Little Luxe and fine gems from Yamron Jewelers.

Flora

Nearby Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary is home to some of the rarest flowers in the world, including the super ghost orchid. This delicate white endangered flower has drawn visitors from around the world due to its unnatural abundance in the preserve. It’s only pollinated by the giant sphinx moth and requires just the right amount of sunlight to bloom. For flower aficionados, it’s like winning the lottery to spot one.

Local Delicacies

Only harvested during mid-October to mid-May, the sweet claws of the stone crab are hard to come by but are well worth the wait. The flaky sweet meat is a cross between shrimp and lobster, and most often served cold with only honey-mustard dipping sauce or a simple lemon wedge. Learn the proper way to catch, release, and cook the crabs right from the fishermen themselves during The Naples Florida Annual Stone Crab Festival in October.

Explore

Cast a line over the Naples Pier for snook and Spanish mackerel without the hassle of getting a license (the city has instated a blanket license). The 1,000-foot-long upper deck is the perfect place to gaze out at the Gulf of Mexico, people watch, or just relax in the afternoon sunshine.

Music

Live nightly music is easy to find here. Go formal with jazz at Mereday’s Brasserie along the bayfront, or try a more laid-back experience alongside plates of oysters and local bands at Rusty’s Raw Bar & Grill on Immokalee Road.

Art

A hidden gem hangs from the ceiling of The Baker Museum: a rainbow of blown glass by the famous Dale Chihuly. Inside the 30,000-square-foot museum, you’ll find similar permanent pieces – like the Albert Paley colossal metal gates at the entrance – tucked between rotating photography, murals, and installations.

Where to Stay

Staying at the Edgewater Beach Hotel guarantees a beachfront vacation, suites with balcony views of the Gulf, and a short walk from area shopping.

You may also like
An aerial view of the Rockland Breakwater Lighthouse in Rockport, Maine.

7 Questions You Didn’t Know You Had About the Rockland Breakwater

The Rockland Breakwater is more than just a scenic path extending into Penobscot Bay, Maine. Its rich history holds intriguing details. For example, did you know it’s made of the same iconic granite that was used to build the Washington…

Read more
Turtle tracks lead into the ocean.

Florida’s Sea Turtle Nesting Season: Ways to Help & Proper Protocol to Follow

We sat down with research experts from two renowned Florida marine centers – Mote Marine Laboratory (on the Gulf Coast) and Loggerhead Marinelife Center (on the East Coast) – to talk turtles. There are a lot of things that make…

Read more
The view of Frenchman Bay from Bar Harbor

A Coveted Coastal New England Road Trip

The beauty of a multi-day, 220-mile road trip up the craggy coast from Portsmouth, New Hampshire to Bar Harbor, Maine isn’t just the plethora of enticing pit stops along the route – from high culture to scenic coves. It’s also…

Read more

Mining from the Menus: A Delicious Tribute to Wentworth’s 150 Years

Wentworth by the Sea, a Grand Dame Hotel perched on a seaside bluff in New Castle, officially turns 150 years old in June of 2024. In addition to paying tribute to the landmark birthday with special historically-themed programming, the hotel…

Read more