Naples Trip Idea: Drive the Tamiami Trail

Starting out from just outside Naples in southwest Florida, the 50-mile Tamiami Trail Scenic Highway will take you into the heart of one of America’s last topical wilderness: the Everglades. The wetlands of Big Cypress National Preserve (and adjacent Everglades National Park) protect rare orchids, the endangered Florida panther, and a thriving ecosystem under siege from the demands of agriculture and urbanization.

Photo credit: Everglades wetlands, Florida (Photodisc/Getty)

Naples Trip Idea: Explore the Everglades

Florida's Paradise Coast is not just known for its Gulf of Mexico beaches—though those are beautiful indeed. It’s also an arts community, a wildlife haven, a last bastion of old Florida, and a base camp from which to explore the Everglades.

Marco Island is right on the edge of the Everglades, 20 minutes south of Naples City. Its tropical-island beauty, white-sand beaches, and water sports naturally create a laidback vibe that recalls Hawaii or the nicer parts of the Caribbean. But it does have unique flavor. For example, wave-runner tours don’t just stay within the Gulf of Mexico... instead, participants find themselves wending slowly through mangrove estuaries, spotting spoonbills and egrets, and waving to local fishermen in tiny boats.