Here’s a guide for summer.
Chad Gillis |Naples Daily News
Brown pelicans crash into tiny rolling waves as black skimmers use their sharp bills to slice through the surface of the Gulf of Mexico.
Shiny shells and salmon-hued bits of sponge tumble in the frothy white waters that lap along the shoreline.
Golden rays from the sun blast across the sky, breaking through the palm trees, sea grape trees and mansions and create huge shadows on the white sand.
This is it: Naples Beach. That place that so many people write about online.
Everyone from U.S. News and World Report to Dr. Beach himself have glamorized Naples-area beaches as being among the best in Florida, the best in the nation, the tops in the world.
And these are your beaches: it says so on the parking signs. Only residents with parking passes may use the lots here. If you live outside the area and can’t get a permit, you’ll have to race down to park near the old Naples Pier.
And while almost all beaches were impacted by Hurricane Ian in 2022, many renourishment and beach-rebuilding projects are already underway or completed.
Some beaches still lack the accommodations and facilities they offered pre-storm, but the beaches themselves are as beautiful as always.
They range from quaint, untouched shorelines to the old Naples Pier, where fisherman, swimmers, sunbathers and surfers flock during all times of the year.
But summertime is really the time to celebrate local beaches as the water temperatures are finally warm enough for a comfortable dip in the Gulf.
Here is a look at five of the best beaches in the Naples-Collier area:
- Barefoot Beach State Preserve Park ― Top Nature Preserve
- Vanderbilt Beach ― Best Family Beach
- Naples Pier ― Best Beach for Water Recreation
- Keewaydin Island ― Best Boating Beach
- Marco Island’s Tigertail Beach ― Best Birding Beach
Get the details on these 5 beaches on naplesnews.com.