Naples in the Summer

August 7, 2015 by Cal Staggers Filed Under: Cal Staggers - Naples, Florida

Many people think of visiting Florida as more of a winter thing. It’s an excellent place to go if you live in a state with a colder climate. Northeasterners, understandably, grow weary of the constant barrage of snow and ice, and come to Florida to remember what the warm sun feels like again. But don’t forget that Naples is also a great place to visit in summer. I found a website that listed a few reasons why this is the case, and thought I should share a few of them here.

Longer Days – While the weather is nice all year round, in the summer you get more daylight, which means more time to enjoy the beach and water activities, and to generally be outside in the sun.

Easier on the Wallet – Since the summer is not peak tourist season in Naples, hotel rates and other things will be less expensive. This also means that everything is generally less crowded, from the restaurants to the beaches to the streets, which means that an already incredibly relaxing place becomes even more serene.

Animal Life – In the summer, the area is teeming with sea life. It’s a great time to catch sight of dolphins and other fish – actually if you are fishing you should pretty easily be able to catch more than just a sight. Summer is also sea turtle nesting season, which is exciting for animal and lovers.

Summer Nights – Leave the hooded sweatshirt at home, because the summer nights in Naples are warm and balmy.

5 Reason to Visit Naples Florida

March 2, 2015 by Cal Staggers Filed Under: Cal Staggers - Naples

I’ve said it many times – Naples is an amazing place for a vacation. And in the midst of winter – a particularly cold winter for many people in the Northeast – there couldn’t be a better time to make the trip. Chicagomag.com agrees, and listed 5 reasons to book a trip to Naples, which I am sharing below.

1. The weather is ideal in February, usually around 80 degrees or so. Most people would call that perfect weather even if it weren’t compared to temperatures in the teens or lower in New York and Chicago.

2. There is a new resort, the Naples Grande Beach Resort, which is beautiful and has amazing amenities. There are excellent restaurants attached to it, private cabanas, and a balcony for each room. The resort is surrounded by a 200 acre mangrove estuary, which provides enchanting natural scenery.

3. The beaches are beautiful, especially those right by the Naples Grande Beach Resort. And, of course, Naples is excellent for water activities like kayaking and paddle boarding. You also can’t go wrong with just lounging on the beach.

4. There are countless outdoor activities, so you can get a nice reprieve from being cooped up if you are from colder parts of the country. And Naples doesn’t just offer beach and water activities. There are more than 80 golf courses and terrific restaurants, most of which have outdoor seating.

5. If the above does not give you enough incentive, there are good flight deals this time of year. You will not regret your decision to take this trip!

Corkscrew Swamp

October 30, 2014 by Cal Staggers Filed Under: Cal Staggers - Naples

This year marks the 60th anniversary of the efforts to conserve the 13,000 acre Corkscrew Swamp. There is a great little article about it in the Naples News Daily, and I’d like to share some of the information from it here.

The mission of the conservation efforts of Corkscrew Swamp is to preserve and restore the natural ecosystem here that provides the habitat for the birds an animals that live in the swamp, and of course to maintain a natural area that many humans (about 100,000 per year) like to visit. Some of the animals that make their home in Corkscrew swamp include panthers, alligators, turtles, otters, and many species of plants and birds.

It was not always a certainty that such a natural preserve would even exist in this area. When conservation efforts for Corkscrew Swamp began, there was significant logging in Southern Florida, and it took a community effort to save the swamp from imminent doom. Therefore, an anniversary like this has significant meaning, because it was no guarantee that the conservation efforts would be successful in the first place.

Though this anniversary is a celebration, it is important to remember that there is a lot of work still to be done in order to preserve and restore Corkscrew Swamp. For example, consider the wood stork, which is the bird most closely identified with Corkscrew Swamp. In 1961, there were 6,000 wood stork nests. Last year, there were only 200. The way to improve the numbers of these birds is to continue maintaining and restoring their natural habitat, an effort that is constantly underway at Corkscrew Swamp.

Naples Boat Show

October 4, 2014 by Cal Staggers Filed Under: Cal Staggers - Boating, Cal Staggers - Naples

Right now, over this weekend, there is a boat show going on in Naples, FL in Crayton Cove, according to the Naples Florida Weekly. It sounds like it should be a fun time and goes on for both days of the weekend, so if you are a boating enthusiast, or just want a different place to go and have a good time, this might be just what you are looking for.

The great thing about going to boat shows is talking about boats with people who share this interest with you. It’s also great to see everyone’s different boat (usually there are a very wide variety, from tiny little boats to huge yachts), and what they do with them to make them unique to their particular water interest. For example, some people take their boat out to relax, and so seeing how they optimize them for comfort can give you some ideas for your own boat. Others are mostly into fishing, and you can pick up a thing or two from these people about what type of equipment is best for you, and even which spots in the water are best for this purpose. Still other boaters are mostly into water sports, and this equipment is great to take a look at and get reviews on from a real person who has used it. Warning: If you look at a boat geared towards water sports with your kids, your boat will soon be geared towards water sports too!

Boat catalogues and things like that are useful, but there isn’t anything quite like seeing boats and boating equipment right in front of you, and getting information from the people that own them.