We will be in Naxos from Sept 15-19 and although we are staying in a central location (Hotel Glaros, Naxos Town) we would like to rent a car (or scooter) and explore the rest (or part of the rest) of the island. Can anyone suggest some driving routes that might be good? Scenery, historic sites, secluded beaches (we're not all day beach people though), non-tourist towns are some of the things we'd like to come across. Also, if there are any tips on driving in Greece I'd love to hear them!
Thanks!

Glaros is our favorite hotel.
It is within a 10 minute stroll to Naxos town you can have all the activity of explorign the town and enjoy an hour or two of beach time as well. It is far ewnough from town that it is quiet at night. A perfect copmbination.

I would recommend a car not a scooter unless you are experienced. I see too many tourists with road rash.

Once you get the car and get out of Chora the roads are small and narrow but the speed is slow and there is not much traffic.
Be aware that you are expected to get way over to teh right and let faster vehicles pass you. Also keep well to the right on blind curves and at heh crest of a hill because Greek drivers love the thrill of passing on blind curves. Again as I said everything is slow so you do have time to react but the first time it happens it can come as a shock.

Naxos has lovely mountain villages and are really worth exploring. Here is a few places you could explore.


With respect to the mountain villages I would recommend you look for Aparaenthos where the streets are paved in Marble.
Look for Demeters temple near Sangri
Visit Chalki for the Kitron Distillery.
Head down deep into the valley to Keromoti. It used to be a village of 300 people but now on 30 live there. Follow the buried waterway back out of the village to the water source. There is a place there with unbelievable dragonflies that make the air hum with their wings. Something out of Lord of the Rings.
Have a quiet drink and watch the old men play their games and drink coffee under the huge shade trees in the central square of Filoti.
For a mountain driving adventure go way down to the sea to the little village of Lionas. The pebbles on the beach clatter away like they are singing.

The next place I recommend we found years ago but have never been able to find it again. Here are some directions I recently found on another post.

Naxos Olive Press Museum.

One of the highlights of the stay was a trip to an olive press museum The father of the owner of Hotel Grotta took us in his car to a next village and gave us a personal tour of the olive press museum which has been in their family for generations. I found out that the museum will be open to the public (free admission) in June, July and August from 4 to 6 pm. Following the west coast road north out of Chora you will pass through the village of Egares. The museum is located adjacent to a large church in the center of Egares.

Beaches
For a full beach day catch the local bus and head out to Procopious, Aggia Anna or better yet Plaka beach. Plaka is where the bus turns around. You can rent chairs there. Beware the bathing suits tend to disappear out at the far end of Plaka.

Here are some pictures of Naxos.
http://travel.webshots.com/album/570796960FtMsPF
http://travel.webshots.com/album/552001505EYxVYT

Stanbr, your advice is most welcome!
The sites you recommend (particularly Aparaenthos) certainly interest me. I'm going to do a little more research on the Olive Press Museum, as that sounds great, and I'm hoping there might be some hours it is open while we're there in Sept.
We own a motorcycle and Mitch is a very experienced rider (I'm a good passenger). We discussed renting a car vs. scooter, and I do have to agree with you that unless you're very experienced (and even then...) driving a motorbike/scooter, particularly on unknown and foreign roads, always has its risks. I think we'll wait until we get there to decide what we want to rent - the appeal of hopping on a scooter and getting to experience the scenery "up close" in the open air will be hard to resist, but I'll rely on Mitch's comfort level, since he'll be the driver.
Your pictures are incredible, to say the least! Thank you for sharing!
Are there driving/road maps readily available in Naxos Town, or should I start to search some out here? I've typically found that the maps purchased where you are travelling are most often better and more detailed than what can be picked up in your home country.

Glad you enjoyed the pictures.
September is a good time to go because most of the crowds will have left but there will still be enough people around to keep it interesting. The weather will be good and the sea will be warm.

There are lots of scooter rental places in Chora so you will be able to check them out to get the best price and vehicle.

There really are not too many roads on Naxos. I just Googles Naxos Maps and there are lots to choose from. They are all exactly the same as you will get free from the car rental companies so no need to try and get anything better now. They are adequate and have all the roads marked.

I forgot to mention Appolonas at the far North end of the island. There is a Kouros statue from the 6th century BC still lying in the the marble quarry a nice little town and beach there. Although it is not very far in kilometers it is a tiring round trip in a day.

just a cautious warning, the roads (asphalt) in Greece is not the same quality as rest of Europe, i.e. it's extremely slippery - especially in the hot summer months. Many tourists fall & have bad injuries - not because they are inexperienced - but because the road is very slippery at certain spots. I agree a motorcycle gives you more "freedom", maybe a good compromise is to rent a quad

Maps can be purchased at various shops at the waterfront. If you unsure where to go, pick the Zoom bookstore somewhere in the middle of the waterfront road near the bakery.
Enjoy your holiday !