People and birds alike enjoy the beautiful beaches and sandbars plus the pristine mangrove creeks at Bunche Beach. There are several routes for kayakers or it’s a great place for just combing the beach and enjoying the wildlife.
Southwest Florida
Southwest Florida Getaways
Southwest Florida is known for some of the best beaches in Florida, wildlife and birds, gateway to the Everglades and the Ten Thousand Islands and other outdoor getaways.
Here are some of our favorite places to begin your exploration of the area. Each of these stories contains links to places to kayak, hike, bicycle and fascinating historic sites.
- Everglades City, a historic fishing village known for its stone crabs
- Marco Island, a beach resort close to the Everglades and Ten Thousand Islands
- Naples, a good basecamp for exploration of nature-rich region
- Fort Myers Beach, an Old Florida beach town
- Sanibel, an unspoiled island where seashells litter the beach.
- Punta Gorda, natural beauty and historic charm
- Venice, Mediterranean-influenced city with old world charm
We recommend:
Hiking: Myakka River State Park near Sarasota and Bird Rookery Swamp near Naples.
Biking: The Legacy Trail in Venice and the many bikes trails on Sanibel Island.
Kayaking: The little known Shell Creek near Punta Gorda and the joys of paddling with manatees in winter on the Orange River in Fort Myers.
Interesting Old Florida spots: Historic Smallwood Store near Everglades City and Koreshan Historic State Park near Naples.
The following are recent stories about Southwest Florida.
Florida panther territory: Refuge for the few
The rare and endangered Florida panther makes its home in the wilds of the western Everglades and the Big Cypress Swamp, much of the area preserved in protected state and federal lands accessible to hikers.
Lake Placid charms with clowns & caladiums, good eatin’ & great yarns
Lake Placid has quite a few stories to tell, and they are told in murals. On the walls of 50 buildings. All over town.
Tigertail Beach, a Marco Island adventure, where you wade to wild beach
Tigertail Beach is for adventurers who love unspoiled beaches where you can walk for miles. You reach this beach by wading across a shallow lagoon. The New York Times recently suggested it as a shelling alternative to Sanibel.
Naples: Rare ghost orchid blooms in summer at Corkscrew
Florida’s celebrity in the orchid world — the ghost orchid — is blooming at the Audubon Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary in Naples, attracting orchid fans who want to spot this rare variety.
Two Florida favorites grace 2024 list of Best Beaches in America
Both beaches are on Florida’s Gulf Coast and are perennial favorites of “Dr. Beach,” whose annual Best Beaches in America list is highly regarded.
Peace River Seafood: Cracker cabin is a real crab shack
Peace River Seafood in Punta Gorda is a true Florida crab shack; they don’t come more authentic than this. From its 1927 Cracker cabin to the buckets of fresh blue crabs, it’s a little piece of old Florida.
Prairie Creek: Beautiful little-known kayak trail in Punta Gorda
I love to discover and share new places to kayak, and Prairie Creek near Punta Gorda is a scenic, pristine stream full of birds and wildlife. It’s just the sort of place that makes me love to paddle.
Naples park has camping, kayak trails, lovable historic dredge
In the wild and watery world of southwest Florida, Collier-Seminole State Park near Naples draws people who love the natural Florida for camping, hiking and paddling.
Charlotte Harbor kayaking: White pelicans & mangrove mazes
The Gulf coast along Charlotte Harbor has miles of wild shoreline, making it a wonderland of wildlife and natural beauty and ideal for sea kayaking.