Naples, Sanibel, Fort Myers area
 

My fiancee and I will be visiting this area early May and are hoping someone might have some interesting suggestions for sights worth seeing. We are quite outdoorsy and prefer less touristed attractions (why did we pick Naples right?). <BR><BR>Any help in terms of good seafood/food (hole in the wall variety vs Gucci/Prada frequented) would be most appreciated. <BR><BR>We plan on renting a car and would cover some ground if necessary.<BR><BR>Cheers<BR><BR>Greg<BR><BR>

Dear Greg,<BR> My mom lived in the ara for over 20 yrs, and I visited at least twice a year. If you want a beautiful, non-touristy beach , drive down to Vanderbilt Beach- just a little north of naples at Wiggins Pass/Delnor State park. It costs a few dollars to park, but it's a nature reserve and is a beautiful area. The cost keeps the riffraff off the beach. They have picnic tables and showers/bathrooms.You won't find hordes of tourists in this area in May, btw. I remember a place we went in N Lee county where you rode buses through marshes ans saw lots on native flora and fauna...get back to you later with that name. The absolute best seafood restaurant in S Florida is the Prawnbroker on McGregor Blvd. in Ft Myers. My family was in the business- this is the only seafoof place they frequented. Go over to Captiva for a day of relaxation= good place to bike. Have fun!

Dear Greg,<BR> My mom lived in the ara for over 20 yrs, and I visited at least twice a year. If you want a beautiful, non-touristy beach , drive down to Vanderbilt Beach- just a little north of naples at Wiggins Pass/Delnor State park. It costs a few dollars to park, but it's a nature reserve and is a beautiful area. The cost keeps the riffraff off the beach. They have picnic tables and showers/bathrooms.You won't find hordes of tourists in this area in May, btw. I remember a place we went in N Lee county where you rode buses through marshes ans saw lots on native flora and fauna...get back to you later with that name. The absolute best seafood restaurant in S Florida is the Prawnbroker on McGregor Blvd. in Ft Myers. My family was in the business- this is the only seafood place they frequented. Go over to Captiva for a day of relaxation= good place to bike. Have fun!

Babcock Farm in North Ft. Myers is the ranch Linda was talking about. Great place to see what FL used to look like. Call first for times. Sanibel has the "Ding" Darling Bird sanctuary, Ft. Myers has the Edison/Ford home/museum tours, the Calosa Nature preserve & around Naples is the Corkscrew nature preserve, great for birdwatching and nature.

Thanks, JoAnn- I called Mom cause that name was driving me crazy.Babcock is a HUGE place- farm doesn't do it justice.I believe it's called Wilderness Adventure. It's a 90,000 (yes that's right) acre area where you'll see nearly all of S Fla's flora and fauna. You actually ride through marshes and swamps. We had a baby alligator on our buggy. Saw snakes, bison, many gators, even panthers. The tour is 90 min and is absolutely fascinating.DO not miss this!