Things to Do in Naples

Inside Naples Segway Tours' large showroom, three models of the upright vehicle wait patiently to catch the eye of a new owner. Assisting them in their quest are knowledgeable salespeople who can quickly run down the specs and benefits of each model for interested customers. Apart from their work on the sales floor, the team leads guided Segway tours of Naples' most attractive highlights and ugliest construction zones.

The doors of a vintage-inspired trolley fold open, inviting guests to recline in one of the padded seats for a windows-eye view of Naples. During a two-hour sightseeing tour that skirts along the coast, the driver contributes to mental history books with interesting facts, anecdotes, and humorous stories, bringing to life the one hundred points of interest on the tour’s route. Hop-on, hop-off access lets guests jump off as many times as they'd like at any of the 23 stops if a site strikes their fancy or if a fire hydrant starts spraying ice cream. Patrons can then reboard when a trolley returns one hour later. The trolleys are also available for charter services, wedding parties, or office outings that want to get a look at Naples's most attractive highlights and ugliest construction zones.

Two decades ago, a strip mall and parking lot stood on this land, hosting crowds of shoppers bustling through their daily routines. Now, serene greenery has once again reclaimed the expanse, replacing the concrete and metal with 170 acres of flourishing gardens and pine flatwoods. The Naples Botanical Garden's 90-acre preserve is home to seven ecosystems, including untouched forests, marshes, and mangroves, where hundreds of animal species and more than 300 species of native and exotic plants dwell.

Cultivating a diverse array of subtropical flora, the seven garden habitats enchant and educate adults and children alike. Visitors meander along 2.5 miles of walking trails, dropping into the Asian garden to admire a northern Thailand riverside scene and relax at the Balinese--temple water garden, spying on frogs trying to have a conversation with their own reflections. Throughout the Caribbean garden, guests stroll beneath a vine-covered arbor and through the coconut grove, which showcases plants from Europe, Asia, and the South Pacific that had great economic impact on the islands. Wee ones splash in jets of water in the children’s garden, where they can visit a butterfly house, caper about treehouses, and drop by the healthy-eating garden to ask organic vegetables why there are no mummies in the food pyramid. In addition to engaging the senses, the botanical gardens enlighten minds of all ages with myriad educational programs and events.

After accumulating more than 14 years of Pilates experience at other fitness venues, Helen Wagner opened The Pilates Scoop to provide affordable Pilates equipment classes. The Pilates method works to tone the body’s core without adding bulk, ensuring that students don't emerge looking like a football player who just ate a medicine ball. The pulleys, cables, and springs of Reformer and Cadillac machines extend and contract as students tone their stomachs, backs, hips, buttocks, and knees.

Helen caps equipment classes at no more than six students, and also leads private, duet, and triples lessons to provide more tailored instruction. She also teaches classes in traditional Pilates methods incorporating mats, chairs, and the high ladder barrel.

Mid Island Watersports set up shop along the aqua shorelines of Ostego Bay to give everyone easy access to the Gulf, while also giving them enough room to ride free. From two locations, the crew hooks up aquatic adventurers with WaveRunners for freestyle rides along sandy beaches in one of the largest riding areas in the Gulf. Longtime locals lead tours via WaveRunner to spot dolphins breaking the sea's surface and manatees playing with sea kittens. To give locals and visitors an exhilarating new way to take in the Gulf's scenic vistas, the shop's US Coast Guard–certified captain sends them soaring behind him during parasail rides tethered to his high-tech, winch-style parasail boat for an adventuresome trip along the south end of Fort Myers Beach.

Famed course architects Dick Wilson and Joe Lee artfully incorporated more than 50 sand traps, ponds, and diverse tree lines into Quality Inn & Suites Golf Resort’s 6,570-yard course. The course’s first hole is also its most difficult, so clubbers would benefit from a brief warm-up session at the course’s practice green and lighted driving range. An onsite pro shop maintains a wide selection of golf equipment and apparel, and a staff of PGA professionals orchestrates private, group, and undercover golf lessons.

On Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights, live music enchants diners as they enjoy a meal of traditional grill fare by the pool or at the garden terrace of T. A. Fitzgerald’s Restaurant & Spirits. Meanwhile, the casual eatery’s indoor accommodations feature a wide-screen TV with a satellite feed to help guests keep abreast of faraway sporting events without having to use their putter as an AM radio antenna.

Course at a Glance:

• Designed by Dick Wilson and Joe Lee
• 18-hole, par 72 course
• Length of 6,570 yards from the farthest tees
• Course rating of 71.5 from the farthest tees
• Slope rating of 125 from the farthest tees
• Four tee options
• Scorecard