Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Florida environments, with informative films, displays and a rare peak into the avian nurs-
ery, the 21-acre park offers pleasant boardwalk trails and naturalist boat rides.
Palm Cottage
HISTORIC BUILDING
( 239-261-8164;
www.napleshistoricalsociety.org/palm-cottage
;
137 12th Ave S; adult/child $10/
free; 1-4pm Tue-Sat)
One of the last tabby-mortar cottages in Collier County, this quaint cottage was built in
1895 for Henry Watterson, the editor of the
Louisville Courier Journal
. It then offered
overflow accommodation for the Old Naples Hotel, hosting movie stars such as Hedy
Lamarr. After more recent renovations it now houses the Naples Historical Society, which
offers engaging guided tours of the house, alongside lectures by authors and artists in the
adjacent
Norris Gardens
, on the first and third Thursday of the month.
DON'T MISS
THE DOLPHIN STUDY
Just south of Naples, neighboring
Marco Island
provides a gateway to the estuarine
labyrinth of the Ten Thousand Islands. One of the best ways to explore the marine eco-
Marco Island; per person $59), a long-term scientific study of the behavior and movements of
southwestern Florida's bottlenose dolphins. Using photo ID of dorsal fins, tour parti-
cipants have the opportunity to get involved in sighting, counting and confirming individu-
al sightings, data which is then shared with the
Mote Marine Laboratory
in Sarasota.
Passing around a heavy photo album of dorsal fins, naturalist Kent Morse points out
bite marks and tears that will help you tell the difference between Ripples, Nibbles and
Flag. While close enough to ID the different dolphins, the catamaran always keeps a re-
spectful distance. Sometimes whole pods are sighted nosing around the mangroves or
playing in family groups. If you spot a dolphin not already catalogued, you may even get
to name it. Along the way, you'll stop at some of the most remote and beautiful, un-
bridged barrier islands such as shell-tastic
Keewaydin
.
Tours last three hours and depart from Marco River Marina.
Activities
