A huge part of Naples, Marco Island and the western side of the Everglades, is made up of parkland and nature preserves. The tranquil tropical forest that’s surrounded by beachside communities, islands and estuaries provides a safe haven for hundreds of species of birds, fish and mammals.
This only means that to experience all Florida’s Paradise Coast has to offer you have to go outdoors. Choose your favorite pastime and check our suggestions out to find the perfect activity for an outdoor adventure within this scenic, abundantly blessed region along the Gulf of Mexico.
Take for instance a boat cruise along the waters of southwest Florida. This particular cruise is interesting because it is not only a cruise for visitors and tourists; it’s also done for scientific research. The research takes particular interest in the dolphin population of the region. You and your family may ride the boat with the experts and you may help them count all the dolphins in sight and they will be happy to share a thing or two that you may not know about these gentle sea mammals. This trip also stops at Keewaydin Island. It’s a small and isolated island perfect for shell picking.
If you are looking for more adventures on boat, sit back, relax and let one of the region’s boat captains handle your Paradise Coast maritime navigation. In the Everglades there are trips everyday to the mangrove forests from its Gulf Coast Visitor Center. Florida’s famous alligators make appearances on the airboat tours around Naples. Numerous fishing charters carry anglers into the Gulf too for some exciting sport fishing, or patrol the backwaters for sea trout, tarpon and redfish; the Ten Thousand Islands area of Everglades National Park ranks among the top fishing waters in this part of the country.
But perhaps you take a particular interest in birds or maybe you are a photographer, then there are particular places here that are best for shooting birds using cameras. There is the Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary which is actually a breeding ground for stork. Tigertail beach is an amazing spot to catch the endangered piping plover, through the lens of the camera. Delnor-Wiggins State Park attracts sanderlings in their pristine white sand beaches. And this celebration of avian life culminates in Rookery Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve in its annual Southwest Florida Birding and Wildlife Festival.
The dolphins, the alligators, the fishes are just some of the animals that are a true testament to the diversity of the wildlife here in the Paradise Coast. These animals, just like the famous Florida Panther are not only important in the ecosystem of the region but also are symbols of the state of Florida. People here are passionate about taking care of them and they want you to enjoy all that’s in here the way the locals and the researchers and the conservationist enjoy them. Come and visit southwest Florida end experience the diverse wildlife that all the hard working men and women of this region cherish so much.
