Copyright 2010 The Marco Review: Marco Island Vacation. All Rights Reserved.
BEACHES
Marco Island’s beautiful crescent shaped beach stretches the whole length of the west side of the island. Of course the beach is public property and open to all and, unless you’re staying in a beach front hotel or condo, there are three main access points to the beach... Tigertail Beach, South Beach and Residents’ Beach.
Marco Island’s beautiful crescent shaped beach stretches the whole length of the west side of the island. Of course the beach is public property and open to all and, unless you’re staying in a beach front hotel or condo, there are three main access points to the beach... Tigertail Beach, South Beach and Residents’ Beach.
TIGERTAIL BEACH
The most northerly beach access point, Tigertail Public Beach can be reached by taking either Tigertail or Kendall Dr from North Collier Blvd and then turning left onto Hernando. Parking is free for Collier County residents who display a permit and $8 for all other visitors (you can obtain an annual pass for $50).
The most northerly beach access point, Tigertail Public Beach can be reached by taking either Tigertail or Kendall Dr from North Collier Blvd and then turning left onto Hernando. Parking is free for Collier County residents who display a permit and $8 for all other visitors (you can obtain an annual pass for $50).
Facilities at the park include a large parking area, toilets, showers, kids’ playground and BBQs. Tigertail Beach Café offers breakfasts, light meals, snacks and beverages and is located between the parking lot and the beach. A beach concession right on the sand, also rents cabanas, beach chairs, umbrellas etc.
Tigertail has changed considerably in the 17 years that I’ve been visiting it. What used to be a fast flowing inlet from the outer beach in front of the main Tigertail beach area has now become a large lagoon which is all but cut off from the Gulf of Mexico. And what used to be a thin strip of land, submerged by high tides, between the lagoon and the beach proper, is now permanently dry and overgrown with seaoats, shrubs and even some small trees. Over the years it has become an important rest area for migrating birds and also a major nesting site for several endangered species of birds, so parts of it are therefore closed to the public during nesting season.
The lagoon is a wonderful natural resource but it lacks the brisk wave action you get on the outer beach. If you want to reach the beautiful, pristine soft sandy beach on the other side of the lagoon you either have to wade through it or head south to where the lagoon ends, and then make a turn to the north. It’s a bit of a trek but the beach here (which abounds with wonderful sea shells) is absolutely breathtaking and totally natural!
You can walk for miles with just the lapping of the waves, the rustle of the seaoats and the cries of birds to keep you company. In my view, it’s the best part of the whole beach and is well worth the walk, but don’t forget to take some water with you because it can get pretty warm out there!
RESIDENTS’ BEACH
Reserved exclusively for island residents who are members of the Marco Island Residents’ Beach, this beach park is nothing short of sensational. With a brand new, multimillion dollar beach pavilion, café and children's’ play area, the facilities here are second to none. If you’re considering buying a home on Marco Island ask your realtor to take you there because a visit to Residents’ Beach should certainly help to make up your mind.
Reserved exclusively for island residents who are members of the Marco Island Residents’ Beach, this beach park is nothing short of sensational. With a brand new, multimillion dollar beach pavilion, café and children's’ play area, the facilities here are second to none. If you’re considering buying a home on Marco Island ask your realtor to take you there because a visit to Residents’ Beach should certainly help to make up your mind.
Everything is beautifully kept and absolutely pristine. The parking area (which is also for members only) is separated from the beach by wide sweeping lawns which are liberally scattered with Queen Palms and flowering shrubs. Many large chickee huts provide shade for family gatherings around the picnic tables and BBQs. It’s an easy walk across the boardwalk to the soft white sand where more chickees offer shade for members. There’s even a large raised viewing area for the disabled and a beach wheelchair is always available.
Residents’ Beach is located in the center of the beach at the intersection of Collier Blvd and San Marco Road. Walking south from here will bring you to the more populated areas around the hotels, time shares and condos, while walking north will take you to the unspoiled area west of Tigertail Beach previously described.
Residents’ Beach also has a members only parking lot close to the South Beach public access on Swallow Avenue, just off South Collier Blvd. There are bathroom facilities and a nice grassed area with Chickee huts, a children’s slide and BBQs. If you are a Marco Island resident you can call 642-7778 for membership details, or visit their website at www.marcocivic.com.
SOUTH BEACH
Located right at the southwest corner of the island, the South Beach parking lot on Swallow Avenue is a short stroll across Collier Blvd and through a tree lined walkway to the beach. As at Tigertail Beach parking is free for Collier County residents who display a permit, and $8 for all other visitors (you can obtain an annual pass for $50).
Located right at the southwest corner of the island, the South Beach parking lot on Swallow Avenue is a short stroll across Collier Blvd and through a tree lined walkway to the beach. As at Tigertail Beach parking is free for Collier County residents who display a permit, and $8 for all other visitors (you can obtain an annual pass for $50).
The public rest rooms in the parking lot are the only facilities available although the Sunset Grille Beach Bar and Restaurant, which is located in the Apollo condominium (the yellow building just north of the beach access) is open to the public from 11am and is easily accessible from the beach. Beach chairs and umbrella rentals, as well as cold drinks and snacks, are available from Paul’s Beach Rentals a few hundred years up the beach.
South Beach is a wonderful place for shelling, beach fishing and dolphin watching and an ideal location to spend the day working on your tan.
MORE BEACH INFO...
There are now also two additional access walkways to the beach. One is just north of the Marriott Hotel, but because there are no parking facilities (with the exception of two bike racks), it can really only be used by those staying within walking or cycling distance.
There are now also two additional access walkways to the beach. One is just north of the Marriott Hotel, but because there are no parking facilities (with the exception of two bike racks), it can really only be used by those staying within walking or cycling distance.
Please remember that pets are not allowed on any of Marco Island’s beautiful beaches and that all public beach access points are only open between dawn and dusk so, unless you’re staying in a hotel or condo on the beach, a moonlight stroll on the sand is unfortunately not an option.
SHELLS
With all the wonderful shells literally ‘there for the taking’ on our beautiful beaches you’re bound to come up with a few you don’t recognize, so use our Beachcombers’ Guide to identify your treasures. You’ll find great shells all along the beach but the area right at the southern-most tip is particularly good as is the area between the gulf and the south tip of the lagoon at Tigertail beach. The north part of the beach is the best place to look for sand dollars. See page 74 of our page turning e-magazine for a guide to help you identify your finds. We also have two great stores on the island where you can buy all the supplies you’ll need to preserve your finds and pick up ideas on how to incorporate them into wonderful hand crafted gifts and keepsakes.... You can buy local shells there if you don’t want take the time to find them yourself, and they also have great selections of amazing shells from all around the world.
Marco Craft and Shell Company, Marco Town Center Mall, 239-394-7020 www.marcocraftandshellcompany.com.
Shells by Emily, Resort Building, 651 S Collier Blvd (2nd floor), 239-293-5575, www.shellsbyemily.com
BOTANICAL GARDENS
NAPLES BOTANICAL GARDEN - A unique 90 acre sanctuary with several different eco-systems. The Preserve’s giant pines and ancient cypress, unspoiled marshes and twisted mangroves provide vital habitat for hundreds of species of animals from bald eagles to otters and tree frogs to gopher tortoises. 4820 Bayshore Drive, Naples. 20 minutes from Marco - US41 North towards Naples, turn left on Thomasson. Map2(K15). 643-7275
CASINO ARCADES & CASINOS
SEMINOLE CASINO, IMMOKALEE
506 South First Street, Immokalee,
FL 34142,
MUSEUMS
MUSEUM AT OLDE MARCO & THE MUSEUM AT THE BOARD OF REALTORS -
Provides a glimpse into the exciting past of our area. Olde Marco Museum is free and open for self guided tour 7am-7pm 7 days on the second floor of The Shops of Olde Marco, on Palm St. Map1 (2C), The Board of Realtors is located on Bald Eagle Dr., just north of the San Marco Rd. intersection. Map1 (6D). The new museum on Bald Eagle Drive will also be openning during this summer.
PARKS & PRESERVES
BIG CYPRESS NATIONAL PRESERVE - Over 700,000 acres of cypress swamp and sawgrass prairie which is home to many endangered bird species and the Florida panther - 45 minutes from Marco.
(239) 695-4111 www.nps.gov/bicy/index.htm
COLLIER-SEMINOLE STATE PARK - 7,200 acres wilderness preserve. Camping and RVs, canoe rentals, guided canoe tours Mondays, Wednesdays & Saturdays, boat ramp, guided night hikes, 6.5 mile hiking trail, self guided nature trail on boardwalk and interpretive Center. 20200 E. Tamiami Trail, Naples. Take San Marco Road to US41, take right towards Miami and its on your right - 15 minutes from Marco. Map2 (17N) 394-3397 www.floridastateparks.org
CORKSCREW SWAMP SANCTUARY - National Audubon Society owned 11,000 acre nature preserve. 2¼ mile boardwalk through primeval swamp & virgin cypress stand. See wildlife - alligators, birds (nesting wood storks) etc at close quarters. Wheelchair accessible. Take SR951 to Immokalee Rd and head east - about 1 hour from Marco. 348-9151 www.corkscrew.audubon.org/
DING DARLING NATURE RESERVE - See rare birds up close without even leaving your car! It’s about 90 minutes from Marco on Captiva Island but it’s worth the drive. Take exit 131 from I75 and follow signs for Sanibel and Captiva.
EVERGLADES NATIONAL PARK - The third largest national park in the US. The closest visitor center to Marco is in Everglades City, where there are boat tours, orientation films and camping - 45 minutes from Marco. Map3 (24Q) (800) 445-7724 www.nps.gov/ever/index.htm
FAKAHATCHEE STRAND STATE PRESERVE - 2,000 foot long boardwalk and hiking trail through virgin cypress in the major drainage slough of southwestern Big Cypress Swamp. Nesting bald eagles are visible from boardwalk. US 41 just before turn off for Everglades City - 25 minutes from Marco. Map3 (22Q) 695-4593 www.floridastateparks.org
THE CONSERVANCY’S NAPLES NATURE CENTER - Wildlife Rehabilitation Center, The Conservancy Museum of Natural History, Nature Store, 45-minute guided boat tours, guided trail walks, canoe & kayak rentals. 14th Avenue North, off Goodlette-Frank Road, Naples - 35 minutes from Marco. Map2 (13J) 262-0304 www.conservancy.org
KORESHAN STATE HISTORIC SITE - Guided walks at site where Cyrus Reed started a religious community. Also boating, fishing, picnicking, and nature study. US41 at Corkscrew Rd - 50 minutes from Marco.
(239) 992-0311 www.floridastateparks.org
FRANK MACKLE COMMUNITY PARK - Walking, biking, playground, picnic area, soccer, bocce courts, shuffleboard, and indoor games room. New kids’ spray park & two dog parks. Andalusia Terrace, (off S. Heathwood). Map1 (7D) 642-0575
ROOKERY BAY ENVIRONMENTAL LEARNING CENTER - This facility offers hands-on exhibits and live specimens of the plants and animals that inhabit Rookery Bay, the 110,000 acres of pristine mangrove forest area just north of Marco. 300 Tower Road, off 951, just south of SR41. 20 minutes from Marco. Map 2 (17M) 417-6310 www.rookerybay.org/
ZOOS
NAPLES ZOO - 52-acre botanical garden founded in 1919 with animals from apes to zebras including the big cats. Presentations throughout the day and a boat cruise through islands of monkeys. Allow a half day to tour zoo. 1590 Goodlette-Frank Rd. Naples - 35 minutes from Marco. Map2 (13J) 262-5409 www.caribbeangardens.com
SHOPPING CENTERS
We’re only a small island, but Marco offers great shopping with lots of great one-of-a-kind stores... we have everything covered right here so there’s no need to go further afield. There are many small malls and stand alone shops dotted around the island but our main shopping centers are:
The Esplanade - www.esplanadeshoppes.com
An up-market shopping and dining area on North Collier Blvd which backs onto Smokehouse bay and offers a marina, three restaurants with waterfront open air seating and an open air bar which often has live entertainment. It is home to an art gallery and the new Esplanade Artists Colony and it also has yacht sales, ice cream and coffee shops.
Island Plaza
Located on the north west corner of the intersection of N Collier Blvd and Bald Eagle Drive this plaza houses an outlet store, pharmacy, sandwich shop, ice cream and yogurt stores, florist, jeweler, beauty salon, surf shop and realtor.
Marco Town Center Mall, www.marcotowncentermall.com
This tropical old Florida style mall offers 30 great stores and restaurants and is the largest open air mall on Marco. It has entrances on Bald Eagle Drive, North Collier Blvd and East Elkcam Circle and hosts regular community events such as Music under the Stars each Wednesday from January to May. Shops include ladies', men's and children's clothing from beachwear to up-market, ladies' shoes, pharmacy, health food and grocery stores, specialty stores such as an art gallery and gifts, shell and craft store, florist, home goods and accessories and a variety of restaurants.
Marco Walk, www.marcowalkplaza.com
The courtyard at Marco Walk is the center of night-time activity on the island. Five separate, and very different restaurants, offer indoor and pretty outdoor seating in the central courtyard There’s also a movie theater (where you can enjoy anything from a beer to a full meal while watching the film), a comedy club and several clothing, swimwear and gift shops as well as optical, spa, hair and nail services and real estate.
The Shops at Olde Marco
This pretty Key West style area offers a great open air breakfast and lunch restaurant, an award winning fish restaurant, gift shop, fresh fish shop, beauty salon and several art galleries. It is located on Royal Palm Drive at the northern most tip of the island.
Shops of Marco
Ladies' clothing and shoes, post office and gifts stores, liquor store, beauty salon, dollar store and several restaurants join the island’s largest grocery store in this large shopping mall.
WILDLIFE
Eco tours and adventures are, of course, the best way to see the amazing wildlife that surrounds Marco Island, but just strolling on the beach you’re likely to see dolphin fishing and playing just offshore, ospreys and brown pelicans diving for fish and a huge variety of shore birds feeding, and resting on the sands. If you’re here in spring and summer you’ll see the yellow warning tape around sea turtles nests which are dispersed along the beach and if you walk to the northern-most portion of the beach to the Tigertail area you’ll likely see fiddler crabs in the vegetation at the back of the beach. Many different varieties of birds (some of them endangered) nest on the spit of land between the lagoon at Tigertail and the gulf and the area is sometimes closed to the public in the spring and summer to protect them.
Our many miles of canals are home to many species of fish and also endangered manatees. If you look carefully you may see their snouts or tails break the surface of the water as they come up for air, or the tell tail “footprint” left in the water as they submerge. Incidentally the water in the canals may look dirty but it is in fact just stained by tannin which comes from the mangrove trees - it is actually comparatively clean and unpolluted. If you’re lucky you may also see ospreys diving in the canals and returning to their tree top nests with wriggling fish in their talons and perhaps even tarpon gulping air on the surface of the water.
Going a little further afield towards the Everglades you are almost certain to see wild alligators sunning themselves along the banks of the canals which run parallel to US 41. Although their numbers have increased enormously in recent years, they are still seen as an endangered species. This is due in part to the fact that SW Florida is also home to a small amount of salt water crocodiles (there is a small group of them near Marco airport just off the island) which are very rare and not easily distinguished from alligators - to ensure that no crocodiles mistaken for alligators and killed, the alligators continue to be protected.
The Everglades
Coming to Marco Island and not visiting the Everglades is like going to Africa and not going on Safari... a trip into the Everglades is something you just can’t miss! So here are some suggestions of where to go and what to do....
Take San Marco Road (SR 92) off the island past Goodland (a quaint little fishing village which is well worth a visit on another day as it has some great restaurants, an interesting clothing and jewelry store and an airboat tour company, as well as a whole lot of character).
Take a right when you reach US41 (The Tamiami Trail) and continue east a couple of miles until see a new parking lot on your right. You can park here and take an easy walk down a track which takes you away from the road and into unspoiled grasslands. In rainy season there’s lots of water to reflect the puffy white clouds floating in the wide blue sky. It’s incredibly peaceful, the landscape is just beautiful and you’re likely to see lots of birds and wonderful butterflies.
Getting back on the road your next stop will be Port of the Islands, a little community which includes a hotel, a newly renovated marina with boat launching facilities (which has just been taken over by the county), and some great eco tour and fishing captains. The majestic Faka Union canal leads from the marina out to the Gulf of Mexico and in winter it’s home to hundreds of endangered manatee who congregate in its warm protected waters. You’re also likely to see lots of alligators, waterbirds and the fishing here is great too.
If you’d like to get out on the water we recommend either Capt. Barry, (www.see-manatees.com) who offers 1½ hour private guaranteed manatee tours (call 239-642-8818) and backwater fishing (239-389-0602), or Double R’s
(www.doublersfishingandtours.com) who offer 1 hour or 2½ hour fully narrated manatee eco tours on a large, stable pontoon boat as well as offshore and backwater fishing (239-642-9779).
Now for a little exercise.... Just a little further along US41 you’ll see a sign for Fakahatchee Strand State Preserve, Big Cypress Bend Boardwalk, where the 2,000 ft long boardwalk provides an opportunity to experience the wonders of a rare ancient cypress forest. You’ll walk close by an American Bald Eagle’s nest, through amazing vegetation to a large and very beautiful pond which is usually alive with birds as well as adult and baby alligators. Currently there is a huge bees' nest just behind the pond which is visible from the viewing platform. But remember this is the Everglades and bug spray and long sleeved cotton clothing is a great idea.
The excitement of an airboat ride awaits you as you make your way further east on US 41. There’s nothing quite like the thrill of speeding through the shallow waters of the Everglades as alligators slip calmly into the sparkling water and herons, egrets, and maybe even woodstorks, white pelicans and Roseatte spoonbills, take flight as they hear you approach.
We recommend Jungle Erv’s (1-877-695-2820), which you’ll find just before reaching the turn to Everglades City (look out for a cellphone tower on the right). They have an on site store where you can get a cold drink, use the rest room and maybe buy a souvenir or two.
Moving on, make a right on Highway 29 to Everglades City. Now you’re really getting into the heart of old Florida. Once planned to be the capital of Collier County, Everglades City boasts wide tree lined avenues and surprisingly elaborate buildings like the City Hall and Rod and Gun Club.
The Museum of the Everglades, close to the city’s enormous central traffic circle, offers a fascinating insight into the area’s history as does the Smallwood Store and Museum, an old, amazingly well preserved, Indian trading post at the end of a scenic ten minute drive down a causeway to the shell island of Chokoloskee.
While you’re in Chokoloskee don’t forget to stop by JT’s Gallery (239-695-2630) - which features local art, crafts and books about the area, and maybe book a guided kayak tour with Everglades Area Tours
(www.evergladesareatours.com) 239-695-3633. Their guided tours offer a fantastic way to get up close and personal with the birds and animals that call this endangered environment home.
On your way back from Chokoloskee stop by the visitor center at The Everglades National Park to learn more about the park, which is one of the largest in the US and is particularly valued for its biological diversity with, over 300 kinds of birds and dozens of endangered species.
Now, if you really want to see alligators in their natural environment return to US41 and head east to the HP Williams Boardwalk. It will take you about ten minutes and on the way look out for the smallest post office in the entire United States.
The short boardwalk at HP Williams has been recently constructed and is a wonderful place to spot alligators as they sun themselves on the river bank or glide ominously through the dark but sparkling water. After your walk, if you don’t mind getting your car a little dirty, take a drive up the dirt road which follows the path of the river - it can get a little overgrown but you’re likely to see a lot more alligators at really close quarters there - but be careful and remember they can run faster than you over short distances!
Of course just driving through the Everglades is an experience in itself so your journey home will be a joy - it’s not spectacular scenery but it is incredibly beautiful, especially in the evening when the light is soft and the birds are active. Cloud formations out there can be enormous and ever-changing and an Everglades sunset has to be one of the most serenely beautiful things you can ever experience.
The Marco Review has all the info you need on what to do and where to go on Marco Island
