Tigertail Beach is a unique destination and an adventure for visitors to Marco Island, a corner of…read moreFlorida surrounded by the Everglades and mangrove islands. The beach is named after a Seminole leader and what makes it so special is that it is divided by a tidal lagoon. The developed lagoon side is an important bird habitat and it has amenities like a playground and restrooms. To reach the beach side you wade through the lagoon which is about 50 yards and which allows you to reach the waters of the Gulf. If you prefer not to walk through the lagoon you can walk around the lagoon to the south to reach the beach in about 20 minutes. The main part of Tigertail Beach across from the lagoon is Sand Dollar Island or Sand Dollar Spit. The area was an off shore sandbar completely surrounded by water until the winds of Hurricane Wilma and erosion connected it to Marco Island. It is known for its incredible deposits of sand dollars, giving it the name and making it a favorite spot to find sand dollars and shells. Adjacent to the park is Big Marco Pass Critical Wildlife Area managed by the state and it is a resting site for a variety of migratory shorebirds. Tigertail Beach is a birding hot spot during spring and fall migration. It is a part of the Great Florida Birding Trail, one of the longest running programs of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. The trail consists of more than 500 wildlife viewing sites across the state. Things to keep in mind, if you are going to to the beach pack what you can carry if you plan on crossing the lagoon. Most people carry their belongings overhead. Parking is ten dollars to park or a Collier County beach pass. if you like a beach adventure and nature, this may be the experience for you.

We went to Tigertail Beach on Thursday at the suggestion of some friends…read more Be prepared for nearly a half mile walk from the parking lot to the ocean. And if you are walking barefoot, the beach is very shelly, not the white soft sands and some of the other beaches we visited in the area. If I was hunting for seashells, this might be a good beach, but I probably wouldn't come back just for a beach day. Between the long walk and lack of bathroom facilities or food nearby, I would pass.

Beach is a beach. It has shells, sand, the ocean. Recommend early morning or late evening for walks…read moreand such to enjoy the better temperatures. Sunsets have been fun here, and I've been to a fireworks show for 4th of July years ago that was wonderful. I walked from Tigertail Beach entrance and needed to get off beach to meet family after a decent walk. The front guard was dismissive of my reading abilities of signs because it's "Resident's Beach." My apologies for having legs to walk there, guess I should avoid doing that in the future! I think the beach could use some better walk off points, and the plethora of condos and private residences, combined with the overall design of Marco doesn't give me hope for that to happen. Would be great to have more places to jump from beach to street though, especially with the sidewalks on the road nearby!

The City has two Public Beach Access points between the…read morecondominiums. One is at 290 S. Collier near the Madeira Condominium. The other is near the Hilton, Marriott Crystal Shores and Turtle Parking Lot at 414-600 S. Collier at Winterberry Dr. The 7-Eleven at Winterberry is my favorite. The Residents Only Beach Access is at 130 S. Collier near San Marco Road. Tigertail Beach and South Beach have their parking lots and restroom areas. Marco Island Beach Access can be controversial and is inherently a visitor vs resident issue. The major hotels and condos on the beach have direct access. So plan ahead.

We visited on Thursday and enjoyed the beach. There is a paid parking lot onsite and several access…read morepoints to the beach. We entered the beach to the right of the pavilion/concession stand. This area of the beach was more crowded. We continued on to the right and set up in front of the condos that are currently under construction. There was some construction noise, but the area was less crowded. The closest people to the left of us was about 50' and the closest people to the right of us was probably 500'. The beach is a soft white fluffy sand. The only food choice nearby is the concession stand at the pavilion.

This beach is clean and has great amenities. The bathrooms are clean, great park for kids and food,…read morealthough a bit pricey, was fresh and good. Highly recommend!!! Just be prepared to get there by 10am or go after 2pm since parking lot is not large.

Great beach access at the end of 5th Ave s in old naples. Great selection of parking at beach end…read moreand on street. Walk from 5th Ave south shopping area. Beautiful trees and landscaping. Awesome beach. Well manicured. Great for watching sunsets.

Finding beach access parking in Naples can be a challenge unless you jave a resident sticker. But…read morewe got lucky and found a spot here. There used to be pay stations but Ian took them out. However you can download an app to pay for your spot. Easy peasy. A lot of the access stairs were taken out by the hurricane including this one. However, there is a flat open space directly to the beach so the wooden stairs were not necessary. The beach is nice here - great sand & beautiful water. It was busy but there is plenty of room for folks to spread out.

I went to the beach on Christmas Eve afternoon and encountered a broken parking machine that…read moredisplayed a "system reset, please wait" message. There was an alternative option to text and pay via a link, but it wouldn't work without WiFi--something that's not available at the beach. I was there for only 40 minutes, and when I returned, the machine was still down. An elderly couple was also trying to pay but couldn't because they didn't have WiFi on their phones either. Despite only about 10 cars in the lot, I was issued an $80 parking ticket. After doing some research, I found that there's no way to contest the ticket without spending more than the ticket itself. It's clear this is a cash grab. The Naples Police Department and the beach parking system are preying on people, especially knowing the machine was malfunctioning. This is shameful, particularly on Christmas Eve.

Horizon Way is a beach access street just south of Horizon House in Park Shore, Naples Florida…read more There are 40 parking lots with meters. Parking is free to residents of Naples that have a beach pass. There are no toilets here but there is a shower and picnick bench under some trees.

Have a wonderful time people are very friendly. Animals were very sleepy. It was 93° but some of…read morethem said hi always have a good time with the giraffes and a curator was wonderful.

It is so nice to see Naples reopened. The last time I was here the preserve was closed. This is a…read moregreat little natural area along with the Hedges Family Eco Center. The preserve is made of of a nine and a half acre pine flatwood and rosemary scrub oak community that is one of the oldest ecological communities in Florida. It was established in the Pleistocene era 10,000 years ago on sand ridges which were deposited originally as coastal dunes. This high and dry land is ideal for building on so that why there is so little of it left today. The land for this preserve was saved by the Naples community. In February 2000, a nine million dollar bond referendum was passed that allowed for the purchase of the preserve land. Volunteers then spend hundreds of hours removing exotic plants and trash. Winding through the preserve is a .4 mile long elevated boardwalk. Along the way there are lookouts and benches built into the boardwalk. As soon as I started my walk I spotted a federally endangered gopher tortoise. The Preserve offers a great opportunity to see gopher tortoises in their natural habitat. You can also view native wildflowers, trees, birds, butterflies, snakes, and rabbits. August and September are actually the peak months for viewing wildflowers and butterflies and I saw an abundance of both. I especially loved the purple Chapman's Gayfeather. The Hedges Family Eco Center was closed during my visit but when it is open volunteers can answer questions about sightseeing around Naples and offer brochures and maps. There are books available in the resource library and the public can attend scheduled environmental programs. In front of the center is a promise globe where you can leave your pledge to protect the earth. The Naples preserve is free to visit and there is a parking lot. It is open daily from dawn to dusk. While it doesn't take long to visit, the walk is beautiful. There is even a fountain to fill up your reusable water bottle. Discovering beautiful places like this is why exploring Naples is so much fun.

Cocohatchee means "brown water". This 3.64 acre preserve was acquired by Collier County in 2004…read morebecause it contains a rare riverine oak community along with pine flatwood, oak scrub and wetland dependent plant communities. Collier County has worked to remove the invasive species on the preserve and they replaced them with native plants that were installed along the creek bank. The Preserve provides protection to gopher tortoises, which are a Species of Special Concern in the State of Florida.  The tortoises feed on the prickly pear cactus that grows in the oak scrub and they can burrow ten feet underground. Along the creek, leather ferns and swamp lilies provide an area for the wetland birds to forage. This preserve also buffers the creek that flows down to contribute to the Gordon River and Naples Bay Watershed. Other plants you can find in the preserve include live and laurel oaks, golden aster, tickseed, and butterfly weed. To access the preserve you can park at Veterans Community Park and walk down. Once in the preserve you can take a short hike (10 minutes) that takes you back to the road. The preserve also contains a viewing platform built as an Eagle Scout project and a picnic table. Although the walk is nice enough the most important purpose of this preserve is to protect the plants and animals that call it home. To that end, well done Collier County.

I work with many clients that need exercise. I came to this preserve because there's lots of shade…read moreand just the right amount of walking. Very calm and very little traffic around. Great place to just walk, think, and relax.

I'm not a boat owner anymore, but I can appreciate a nice launch site when I see it…read more When my folks lived on Marco Island, they'd walk down to Caxambas Park to enjoy a coffee and watch the action at the launch. You could watch the wildlife (pelicans, seagulls, and the occasional manatee). When we visited them, we'd join the Caxambas adventure, which we enjoyed. Many years later, we did a small vacation to see the "greatest hits" of my folks' past adventures. Sadly, the site was under construction and we couldn't really get the full experience. I can't hold that against them for the repairs - it needed to be done.

It's a longer drive for me get to the southern part of Marco island 41 min by truck/trailer. I've…read moreonly used this facility 2 times it's currently closed the last time I went but many places seem to have been closed temporarily due to hurricane Ian surge wave. So don't expect to buy gas or bait here. Safer yet, call ahead before making the extra trip out. Keep in mind the channels are generally the same but the sandbars come up real quickly even if you are going slow especially on a larger boat. I was lucky enough to back out as soon as the bow glanced sand at slow speed. By the time you touch a sandbar the transom alarm will alert shortly afterwards. I believe mine was set for a 3 foot alert. The trick here to enter caxambas pass is to aim for these building in the picture then slow wake to left side keeping red markers on the starboard side. And hug slight left all the way, unless you have a shallow riding boat. 27/2022