Naples

From Fort Myers, we cruised in open water about 45 miles south to Naples, often called Florida's Paradise Coast. The city is clean and beautiful, the climate pleasant, and we have never before seen so many large homes and yachts in one place. Adagio seemed like a small dinghy in the Naples Boat Club Harbor!

Fun Fact: Naples, Marco Island, and Everglades City, Florida would not be what they are today without the influence of Memphis-born Barron Collier. Born in 1873, Collier made his fortune initially by selling advertising on the sides of streetcars and trolleys. He was an avid fisherman and visited the Fort Myers area in 1911 with his wife. Over the next decade he purchased over a million acres of land in southwest Florida, making him the largest landowner in the state. By the 1920's, the area around Naples was still only accessible by boat and Collier saw the need for a highway connecting it to Tampa to the north and Miami on the east coast. The state of Florida didn't have the money to build the highway, so Collier built it himself, completing what is now the Tamiami Highway (Highway 41) in 1928. The roadway helped transform Naples and the surrounding area to a mecca for retirees, boaters and fishermen.