Top 10 Outdoor Activities in Florida's Paradise Coast!

Diving on the Paradise Coast gives opportunity to both unexperienced divers with many local dive outfitters offering day trips, as well as, experienced divers, with opportunity for diving charters with local pros. The area has 37 new artificial reefs built from 18,000 tons of recycled concrete materials, successfully creating unique marine habitats, resulting in species of fish to return after years. You can see schools of snapper, cobia, grouper, and barracuda within the deep-water habitats. A major highlight is to experience the Goliath Grouper, weighing up to 300 pounds! The diving caters for families as well as individuals as they offer kids programs from the age of 8 – 17!

To truly appreciate Florida’s Paradise Coast you need to get out on the water.

Fishing can be fantastic in both the Summer and Autumn. The warm climate means subtropical fish are active. For beginners and experts the feeling of hooking a prized game fish such as snook, tarpon, redfish, or permit would be an amazing accomplishment! Whether you catch or not a day out on the crystal waters of the gulf of Mexico would be hard to beat.

There are a number of ways to fish such as joining a group for the day, which would provide some guidance as well as meeting other anglers from all around the world, this is the more affordable option. However, you may chance your arm on a private fishing boat for the day so all the family can share the fun!

You do not need to fish to enjoy the water, explore Naples, Marco Island and the Everglades by boat, kayak, or canoe, all available for rental.

Florida’s Paradise Coast offers numerous sightseeing cruises to enjoy island hopping, scenery, waterside mansions, marine life and gorgeous sunsets. If you would rather a personal experience hiring a captain for the day allows you to outline exactly what you want from your adventure! Or push the boat out, literally, and rent a boat for the day.

Alternatively, Kayak opportunities include stand out Rookery Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve, home to beautiful mangrove tunnels, mudflats, and oyster reefs while in search for sea stars, large snails, birds, dolphin and manatee! Fit for first time paddlers or pros.

Naples & Marco Islands beaches are world renowned for being home to some of the best, not to mention award-winning, beaches in the world.

A popular option is the first beach pictured above ‘Vanderbilt Beach’, offering direct access to the white sands and blue seas of the Gulf Of Mexico, as well as a beautiful view, the beach is rich with amenities including concessions, bathrooms, showers and parking. Giving the option for families with young kids to stay the whole day, it is also a stone throw from the shops and restaurants of North Naples.

Tigertail beach park provides activities to do throughout your beach day, home to a playground, sand volleyball court and picnic area with grills for a BBQ. The lagoon is very popular with visitors for paddleboarding, or for youngsters to enjoy the shallow waters. Natural assets of the beach include a butterfly garden, picturesque dunes, a birding tower and boardwalks that grant glimpses of numerous bird species.

In the last picture is Naples Municipal Beach, its main attraction being the pier, featuring a concession stand, parking access, and fishing 24 hours a day. Pelicans and other birds are normally present, looking for scraps from fisherman. Dolphins, stingrays, and other fish can be seen from the pier.

There is a lot more to the region than beaches and the sea, hiking is a popular activity for visitors to Florida’s Paradise Coast. Much of the attraction to hiking in the area is to spot elusive wild and plant life, botanists come from all over the world to see the rare ghost orchid bloom. Some popular hikes include;

- Barefoot Beach Preserve: (2 hours) Beachcomb along the shore and catch glimpses of aquatic life including dolphins, crabs and sand dollars, starting at the south end of the preserve, looping around on the Saylor Trail.

- Collier-Seminole Adventure Trail: (4.5 hours) The trail includes a single path track over natural surface featuring diverse wildlife and array of environments, it also has a campsite as well as boat and kayak launching sites.

- Bird Rookery Swamp (Pictured Above): (7 hours) The longest trail in the area, the loop features unprecedented access to the swamps, enjoy the beauty of the forest surrounding you.

Take the family out to observe dolphins in their natural habitat, photograph and identify dorsal fins, stop at Keewaydin Island, where you can collect a rainbow of shells.

The Paradise Coast is conveniently situated in the path of one of the worlds most-travelled flyways, along which migrating birds take their stops after long a long journey. More than 200 species have been spotted through the years. During the winter, when migration is in full swing is the best opportunity to see a wide variety of birds including the great white egret pictured above.

The widest variety of species settle in the Everglades, visitors to the National Park could spot sightings of osprey, hawk, swallow tiled kite and other birds of prey and heron. A highlight is witnessing flocks of white pelicans which arrive each Autumn to stay through out the Spring. Winter also fills the mangroves with a large scale of brown pelicans, roseate spoonbills, white ibises, great blue heron, and bald eagle.

With 90 golf courses catering for all skill levels, keen golfers will enjoy the panoramic holes in addition to great weather all year round.

Visitors can enjoy a round tackling the Floridan terrain which can challenge even the best with creative layouts, bunkers and water obstacles, all surrounded with the soft green turf of the fairway and greens. Florida’s Bermuda grass differs to normal grass in the way of withstanding weather conditions, this is the same grass used at Augusta. Wildlife is of course abundant around the courses, views of tropical birdlife pass you as you tee off with views of beautiful backdrops, just be careful around the water for alligators and turtles.

Pictured above is the Paradise Coasts favourite wildlife inhabitant, the West Indian Manatee, aka Sea Cows. Manatees enjoy the warm shallow waters of South West Florida. The gentle creatures can grow up to 10 feet long and will consume 10% of its body weight a day, this is because they are herbivorous, and mostly eat water grasses such as weeds and algae.

It is a crime to touch a manatee as they need to be preserved and protected, however, a great way to spot them is early morning kayak or boat tours, they are said to be extremely friendly as they have no predators or prey!

-Corkscrew Swamp – a beautiful birder’s paradise about 30 mins east of I-75, originally planned to conserve 700 acres of land to protect the virgin bald cypress, the Corkscrew now contains 13,000 wetland acres in the Western Everglades.

-Collier County Freedom Memorial / Freedom Park- A 1 raised boardwalk at Freedom Park allows you to walk above gators, snakes, fish, and wetlands.

-Keewaydin Island – This 8 mile long island is a popular amongst feline friends, being the only beach in Naples allowing dogs! It is also great for collecting colourful shells, as pictured above.

-Banyan Trees – Banyans are native to thrive in India and Pakistan but variations of the majestic trees can be found in Florida. Hunt to see the exclusive trees in person.