Shopping is always a primary concern of mine when traveling. And generally what I’m looking for are items handmade in the local area, usually specialty items from the area. Naples, FL is a lovely place to visit with wonderful white sand beaches, warm weather, and lots of conveniences nearby, but it doesn’t ring my bell when it comes to handmade treasures.

Art Shows

Your best best for beautiful handmade items in Naples is to look for an art show. There seems to be

one almost every weekend (check the Naples Daily News Friday edition for details on upcoming events). I’ve been able to find one every time I’ve been there. They are often in parks – Cambier or Wiggins Pass. I’ve also been to one in the parking lot of a mall. Keep your eyes open for these. They are wonderful events with lots of artists from around the country, but there are often local artists there also. I bought this lovely palm tree painting (which is textured – hard to see that in a photo) in a show in Cambier Park last year from a local artist.

Fifth Avenue

The most popular area in Naples is Fifth Avenue South. This main shopping area of the city is a few blocks long and has many restaurants as well as a theater. You’ll also find some lovely shops tucked in among there. There are clothing shops (I like Fresh Produce for clothes that feel like Florida – and they sell plus sizes).  Blue Mussel carries beautiful shells (not cheap!) if you’d like a memento of the sea. Royalty and Hollywood Jewelry sells reproductions of famous pieces of jewelry. They’re less than the real stuff, but again, not inexpensive. Stop into the Wind in the Willows for an overwhelming experience of a crowded store filled with clothing and a woodland fairy theme. It’s worth an hour or so of your time to walk up and down the strip.

Most people talk about 3rd Street South in the same breath when they mention 5th Avenue, but I don’t go here anymore. There aren’t many stores and those that are there aren’t interesting or exciting.

Malls

Naples has lots of malls. The Coastland Center is your typical suburban mall. Nothing of note there, but if you need some basics, it’s the place to head. Inside downtown Naples you will find Venetian Village. It’s a beautiful setting – a mall set right on a bay. There are numerous restaurants and the malls has an underground passageway under the street that kids love. It’s worth a stroll, but I find the shops overpriced and frankly quite small. It’s especially pretty at night.

Another popular spot is The Waterside Shops. I recommend it only because it’s a lovely setting. The stores are arranged around pools of water with fountains. There’s lots of greenery and it has a very peaceful feeling. Unfortunately, the shops don’t excite me at all.

Instead, I recommend heading north to North Naples and Estero. North Naples has The Mercato. This is designed to look like a small city. Stores on the first floor and condos are on the higher floors. There is a Whole Foods, a movie theater and many restaurants (try The Counter for burgers ordered to your specifications). The shopping again, is not local, but they do have a Sur La Table, a Coldwater Creek, and a fun little spot called Charming Charlie’s which is filled with reasonably priced accessories grouped by color. Z Gallerie is a fun home decor shop with a table of quirky books we spent a lot of time browsing. Grace and Shelly’s sells cupcakes you’ll want to sample while there.

Heading a little further north, I recommend The Best of Everything in Bonita Springs. There

is another outlet in downtown Naples, but I like this one better. This store is nuts. It’s a discount jewelry store with tables upon tables of jewelry. It’s always completely packed with people. When you come in, you’re given a velvet lined tray to put your finds in. I never leave without finding something. This year it was a sterling silver necklace with tiny gold beads for $11. You will be overwhelmed but you will find some great buys.

And a bit further north is Coconut Point, a mall so big you can’t see from one side to the other. It has nearly every shop you can think of. I like to go for World Market, which reminds me of what Pier One used to be like 30 years ago – imported items from around the world, with a really interesting selection (including types of sodas you can’t find anywhere else). I always find something to bring home.

Local Flavor

If you’re desperate for some local flavor, as I always am, I’ve got just the spot for you. Head

over to the Naples Ship Store, located next to the Naples City Dock on Naples Bay in Crayton Cove. This is an authentic ship’s store, where people docking at the city dock come to buy parts and supplies, but it also has a fun selection of gifts. There are tons of t-shirts and hats (including ship captain’s hats), but there is also jewelry, dried alligator heads, shell art, local paintings, maps, and lots of knickknacks. We go every year. When our kids were little they always used to find something they wanted. I bought a lovely tropical print there last year.  Stroll past the pizzeria next door to the two little art galleries in the same plaza. One is quite pricey, but the other has some affordable pieces. I bought a small print there a few years ago for just a couple of dollars. If you’re hungry, I recommend The Dock, right across the street for great seafood and a lovely view.

If you want to be a tourist, go to Tin City. This complex appears very quaint but it has that Disneyfied feel to it. This complex on the Gordon River was originally used for fish processing and shipping, but now it’s main goal is to take your cash. This is where to go if you desperately need some t-shirts from your visit, but there’s nothing handmade or nice to be had here. It’s all tourist junk, which your kids may love but it’s unlikely you will find anything. Frankly, we avoid this place at all costs.

Every year I come back to Naples and hope for more shops with locally made items!

Shopping is always a primary concern of mine when traveling. And generally what I’m looking for are items handmade in the local area, usually specialty items from the area. Naples, FL is a lovely place to visit with wonderful white sand beaches, warm weather, and lots of conveniences nearby, but it doesn’t ring my bell … Read more →

Everyone in this family knows how to fish. A lot of time is spent in the summer with lines in the water. Lake perch and bass are only so exciting however. For some real fishing, we decided to take a deep sea charter from Naples, FL. Captain Tom Robinson took us out on the Sea Legs for a 3/4 day trip (6 hours). Last year we did a half day trip and honestly I wouldn’t waste the money. You spend an hour and a

half getting out to fish and the same amount of time coming back, which doesn’t leave you a lot of time to actually fish.

Captain Tom leaves from the Naples City Dock in Naples Bay. He’s been leading fishing charters for 37 years, so he’s got this down pat. We arrived at the dock at 7:30 am. I brought:

• sunscreen (we applied it when we got there, then again around noon)
• lots of water
• sandwiches and snacks in a cooler with blue ice which then functioned to bring our fish home
• hats for everyone
• a beach towel (in case anyone got wet, but also to cover myself with in the cool morning)
• seasickness patches and pills just in case (not needed, but better safe than sorry)
• cash to tip the captain (although he takes payments with credit cards, there is no way
  

  The beautiful sea and sky

  to add a tip to that)

The drive out from the dock is spectacular because you pass through the most expensive and elite section of Naples – Port Royal, filled with multi-million dollar mansions. Jon Bon Jovi has one of the most remarkable houses.  Once you’re out on the open ocean, you sit back while the boat throttles ahead full speed. We liked Sea Legs because it has an indoors area and it also has a bathroom!

The boat is aptly named, because even though we were out on a relatively calm day, you do need to learn how to move around a boat – mostly this means holding on as you’re moving and if you’re standing to fish, wedging your knee against the side of the boat for balance.

The water was a beautiful color, and we enjoyed seeing the land fade behind us as we made it 19 miles offshore. Once you’re there, all you see is ocean. There’s no land and no boats. It’s just you and the water and the sky. The boat rocks gently and all your worries drop away.

Captain Tom got us started with lines baited with chunks of herring which we sent to the bottom of the ocean (50 feet down) and we immediately began pulling in fish. We caught lots of red grouper (which are quite heavy and a challenge to reel in), but they weren’t in season, so back they went after we admired them. We were able to keep mangrove snapper, lane snapper, and mackerel. All in all we brought home 16 keepers and threw back many, many more. We fished at 4 different spots, all reefs or wrecks Captain Tom had marked in his GPS. The fish we pulled in were so beautiful  – brightly colored and sleek.

The three hours of fishing went by in a blur because we were so busy bringing in fish, one after another.  An exciting moment was when we saw a shark swim by.

The last fish on the lines was on mine and it was so big we had no chance of bringing it in. The fish bit and my pole bent completely over. I knew I had no chance! I

handed the pole over to my son who fought with it for a while, but we had to say goodbye and break the line.

After about 3 hours of fishing, it was time to head back, but as we were pulling in our lines, we spotted a sea turtle. It was a fitting end to our trip. We sat back and enjoyed the ride into shore. When we got back to the dock, Captain Tom artfully cleaned all of our fish, sharing the skin and bones with the waiting pelicans.

If you’d like to take a deep sea fishing charter, inquire about rates. We paid $800 for a private 3/4 day charter (plus optional cash tip), but there are plenty of boats that offer group excursions.  If you’re in Naples, just take a walk down the city dock and pick up the brochures posted by the boats.

The best part of the day was dinner. I cooked some of each kind  of fish we brought home so we could sample them all fresh from the boat. There is no comparison between fresh caught fish and fish you buy in a store. Our fish was sweet, clean tasting, and tender. The fresh fish keeps for an entire week if you keep it in a ziploc bag on ice in the fridge. We also froze much of it for future use.

Next year we’re planning to head out on another charter. I wonder what we’ll catch?

 

Everyone in this family knows how to fish. A lot of time is spent in the summer with lines in the water. Lake perch and bass are only so exciting however. For some real fishing, we decided to take a deep sea charter from Naples, FL. Captain Tom Robinson took us out on the Sea … Read more →