Around Town

By Daily News staff

Febraury 11, 2005

HISTORIC SITES/TOURS

Palm Cottage, a historic house museum operated by the Naples Historical Society, was built in 1895 and is the second oldest house in Naples. The antiques-filled cottage, a rare surviving example of tabby mortar construction, is open for guided tours from 1 to 4 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays. Reservations are not required. Admission is $6 for adults, $3 for children. Location: one block east of the Naples Pier at 137 12th Ave. S., 261-8164.

The Edison-Ford complex includes the winter homes of inventor Thomas Alva Edison and automobile industrialist Henry Ford. The Edison site features his home, laboratory, botanical gardens and a museum. Botanical tours take place at 9:30 a.m. Thursdays. Tickets are $8 and $18. Electric launch tours on the Caloosahatchee River are regularly available at $5 per person. Hours: Mondays through Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. and Sundays from noon to 5:30 p.m. Location: 2350 McGregor Blvd., Fort Myers. Cost of tours: Adults, $13; children 6 to 12, $7; and children under 6, free. (239) 334-3614 or www.edison-ford-estate.com.

Koreshan State Historic Site, a nationally recognized historical site, was originally settled in the late 1800s as a utopian community. The site offers RV and tent camping, canoeing on the Estero River, a playground and nature trails. Rangers lead tours at 10 a.m Saturdays and Sundays. Hours: 8 a.m. to sunset. Cost is $1 per adult and 50 cents per child. Location: U.S. 41 South in Estero. Admission to the site: $3.25 per car. 992-0311.

Sugden Community Theatre, home of the Naples Players, offers private backstage tours for groups of 10 or more. Location: 701 Fifth Ave. S. 261-0791.

MUSEUMS

The Bailey-Matthews Shell Museum on Sanibel Island features more than 30 exhibits of seashells, including shells in art and history, shell habitats, rare specimens, fossil shells and common local shells. The museum offers a learning lab and the video "Mollusks in Action." Location: 3075 Sanibel-Captiva Road. Hours: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily. Admission: Adults, $6; and children 8 to 16, $3. (239) 395-2233, (888) 679-6450 or www.shellmuseum.org.

The Collier County Museum allows visitors to journey back over 10,000 years of Southwest Florida's unique past, which includes mastodons and fierce saber cats, Calusa and Seminole Indians, and the rugged pioneers who settled one of America's last frontiers. The property includes five acres of native gardens and showcases early Naples cottages, swamp buggies and a logging locomotive. Museum hours: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mondays through Fridays and 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturdays. Location: 3301 U.S. 41 E. (County Government Center). Free admission; donations accepted. 774-8476.

The Imaginarium Hands-On Museum & Aquarium, a science museum, features more than 60 exhibits about the environment, physics, anatomy, weather and other topics. Attractions include aquariums displaying marine life, a touch pool, a living reef tank, an outdoor lagoon, a 3-D theater, a butterfly garden, a citrus grove and interactive areas for preschoolers. Hours: Mondays through Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sundays noon to 5 p.m. Location: corner of M.L. King Boulevard and Cranford Avenue, Fort Myers. Admission: Adults, $7; seniors, $6.50; children 3 to 12, $4; and children under 3 are free. (239) 337-3332.

Immokalee Pioneer Museum at Roberts Ranch offers visitors the opportunity to experience the story of ranching and farming on Florida's frontier. Nineteen historic structures tell the story of the pioneer families of this still untamed area perched on the edge of Big Cypress Swamp and the Everglades. Currently undergoing restoration, the museum is open by appointment. Admission is free. Donations accepted. Location: off Main Street at Roberts Avenue West, Immokalee. 272-4856 or 658-2466.

The Key Marco Museum, located at 140 Waterway Drive (corner of Bald Eagle Drive) on Marco Island, focuses on the history of Marco Island. The museum displays artifacts of the ancient Calusa culture and also focuses on Marco area pioneers, as well as on the development of modern Marco Island by The Deltona Corp. The facility is open to the public from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Mondays through Fridays. A second location is now open at the Olde Marco Island Inn and Suites at No. 168, second floor, Shops of Old Marco on Palm Street. The exhibitions are open to the public from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily. Free admission. 642-7468.

The Museum of the Everglades offers a look at Collier County's development in the early 1920s. The museum is currently featuring bird carvings by the late Bob Campbell. Hours are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays. Suggested donation at door: $2. The museum is at 105 W. Broadway, Everglades City. 695-0008.

The Naples Depot and Lionel Museum Train Display , offer trains to watch, ride and operate. Visitors can view the scenic, multi-level display in action and ride the outdoor scale train pulled by live steam or diesel locomotives. An original 1909 Soo Line caboose and 1947 club car are on site. Hours vary; call ahead. Admission is $5 for adults and $3 for children. The depot is at 1051 Fifth Ave. S., corner of U.S. 41 South and 10th Street South. 262-1776.

Naples Museum of Art, the area's first full-scale art museum, is next to the Philharmonic Center for the Arts at 5833 Pelican Bay Blvd. in North Naples. Hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays and noon to 4 p.m. Sundays. General admission is $8 for adults, $4 for children. 597-1900 or www.thephil.org.

The Smallwood Store Ole Indian Trading Post and Museum, established in 1906 as a trading post on the western edge of the Everglades, served the remote area buying hides and farm produce in exchange for hard-to-come-by items. Hours: Seven days a week from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Location: 320 Mamie St., Chokoloskee. Admission: Adults 12 and up, $2.50; seniors, $2; and children under 12, free. 695-2989.

Southwest Florida Holocaust Museum grew out of an exhibit created by seventh-grade students and their teachers at Golden Gate Middle School. Its object is to promote tolerance by teaching the history and lessons of the Holocaust. Docent-led tours are available. Hours: 1 to 4 p.m. Tuesdays through Fridays and 1 to 4 p.m. Sundays. Free admission; donations are welcome. Location: 4760 U.S. 41 N., Suite 7, Sandalwood Square. 263-9200.

Southwest Florida Museum of History, housed in the former Atlantic Coastline Railroad depot, includes exhibits on the history of Calusa Indians, Seminole Indians, Spanish explorers and early settlers in Southwest Florida, in addition to a pioneer "cracker" house, a 1929 private Pullman rail car, a 1926 La France fire pumper and a recovered Airacobra fighter plane. Admission is $9.50 for adults, $8.50 for seniors, and $4 for children ages 3 to 12. Hours: Tuesdays through Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sundays from noon to 4 p.m.; closed most holidays. Location: 2300 Peck St., Fort Myers, off Jackson Street, one block south of Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard. (239) 332-5955.

The Teddy Bear Museum includes a collection of nearly 4,000 bears, ranging from life-size to 1 inch, and from soft bears to bears of marble and bronze. The museum features antique and limited-edition bears, teddy bear art and one-of-a-kind items including a signed first-edition copy of A.A. Milne's "Winnie the Pooh." A four-wheeled steam locomotive called the Teddy Bear Express travels above the heads of visitors. "Teddies To Go," a teddy bear-making experience, takes place at 10 a.m. every Saturday. Location: 2511 Pine Ridge Road, Naples. Admission: Adults, $8; seniors, $6; children 4 to 12, $3; and children under 4, free. Hours: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays; closed Sundays and Mondays. 598-2711 or www.teddymuseum.com.

The von Liebig Art Center, the home of the Naples Art Association, offers changing exhibitions of contemporary American art by regional, national and internationally recognized artists in six galleries, free and open to the public throughout the year during gallery hours, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays. Location: 585 Park St. 262-6517 or www.naplesartcenter.org.

NATURE ACTIVITIES

Adventures in Paradise, located at Port Sanibel Marina on the Fort Myers side of the Sanibel Causeway, offers free guided tours of the marina's nature boardwalk at 10 a.m. Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. Guided canoe and kayak tours may be scheduled daily. Rentals available for self-guided tours. A variety of eco-cruises are offered aboard two power catamarans. Activities also include backwater fishing trips, sealife encounter cruises, wading with dip nets and examination of sea creatures, barrier island shelling and snorkeling cruises to the outer islands and nightly sunset dolphin-watching cruises. (239) 472-8443.

Aviary & Zoo of Naples is home to 200-plus birds representing all major groups of exotic birds. The zoo houses about 50 animals from tri-colored squirrels to a giant Bactrian camel. Self-guided tours are available, and guests have access to indoor and outdoor picnic tables. The showroom contains a nursery with baby birds. Aviary hours are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturdays through Wednesdays; the last ticket is sold at 3 p.m. Cost is $8 for adults and $4 for children; group rates available. The aviary is one mile east of Collier Boulevard on Immokalee Road. 353-2215 or www.aviaryofnaples.com.

Big Cypress National Preserve, which features the Oasis Visitor Center, is located midway between Naples and Miami on U.S. 41. A 15-minute movie, "The Living Waters of Big Cypress," is available for viewing. Other attractions include a boardwalk and other opportunities to see wildlife including scenic trails, a 27-mile loop road and the Turner River-Birdon Road loop. The preserve encompasses 730,000 acres, the largest undeveloped tract of land in Collier County, and includes cypress forests, tropical hardwood hammocks, sawgrass prairies and pinelands. Tours guided by park rangers can be arranged. Hours are 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. daily. 695-1201 or www.nps.gov/bicy.

The Calusa Nature Center and Planetarium, a private, not-for-profit environmental education center, includes a small natural history museum, an Audubon aviary which houses permanently injured birds of prey, nature trails and a planetarium that features astronomy programs and laser light shows. The museum and trails are open Mondays through Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sundays from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. The snakes are fed at 11:15 a.m. every Sunday. The center also offers guided walks every Tuesday and Friday at 9:30 a.m. The butterfly aviary is home to about 30 different species of Florida butterflies. The center is located at 3450 Ortiz Ave. in Fort Myers. Admission to the center and planetarium is $8 for adults and $5 for children ages 3 to 12. Group rates are available. 275-3435.

Caribbean Gardens: The Zoo in Naples features animals from apes to zebras within a botanical garden founded in 1919, throughout the 52-acre setting. The zoo features presentations — with live animals, narrators, graphics and videos — including "Planet Predator" and "Serpents: Fangs & Fiction." A Collier County master gardener leads 45-minute guided tours through the mature foliage of the historic garden at 11:30 a.m. Mondays through Thursdays. Other attractions include the Primate Expedition Cruise, the Meet the Keeper series and alligator bay feedings. Featured exhibits include: Tiger Forest, with Indochinese tigers, the rarest tigers in America; Panther Glade, a cooperative exhibit with the National Wildlife Federation; and African Oasis with the rare African wild dogs. Hours: 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. daily, with last ticket sold at 4:30 p.m. The zoo is at 1590 Goodlette-Frank Road N. Admission: Adults 16 and up, $15.95; children 4 to 15, $9.95; and under 4, free. 262-5409 or www.napleszoo.com.

Cocohatchee Nature Center on the Cocohatchee River features narrated boat tours through a pristine mangrove estuary. The preserve is home to a variety of bird species including herons, egrets, ibis, osprey and pelicans. Dolphins are often seen in the backwaters near Wiggins Pass. Kayak and canoe rentals are offered. Guided and self-guided excursions are available. The center also offers educational programs for schoolchildren and group tours. Hours: 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily. . Boat tours depart daily at 10 a.m., 11:45 a.m., 1:30 p.m., 3:15 p.m. and one hour before sunset. Admission is $19.50 for adults, half price for children under 12. Reservations recommended. Cocohatchee Nature Center is at 12345 U.S. 41 N., just north of Immokalee Road. 592-1200 or www.cocohatchee.org.

Collier-Seminole State Park, a 4,760-acre wilderness preserve, offers a 0.9-mile interpretive boardwalk/nature trail, RV and tent camping, a 51/2-mile mountain-bike trail, a 61/2-mile hiking trail, canoe rentals, a 131/2-mile aquatic trail, playground, picnic area, pontoon boat tours and historical displays, including a huge "walking" dredge, a National Historic Engineering Landmark. Location: 17 miles south of Naples on U.S. 41 East. Hours: 8 a.m. to sunset. Admission: $3.25 per car, up to eight people, and $1 per person more than eight people. 394-3397.

The Conservancy of Southwest Florida ' s Naples Nature Center includes the Conservancy Museum of Natural History, Wildlife Rehabilitation Center, a butterfly garden and short trails featuring a variety of native Florida trees and plants on the 14-acre site. The museum provides hands-on exhibits, special programs, daily presentations about water, turtles and snakes, and daily guided tours of the nature trails. The Wildlife Art Gallery includes bronzes, paintings, photography and sculpture; hours are 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays. The Wildlife Rehabilitation Center has a behind-the-scenes hospital for injured native wild animals. Canoe and kayak rentals are offered, plus narrated boat tours of the upper reaches of the Gordon River. Location: 14th Avenue North, off Goodlette-Frank Road. Hours: 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays. Admission: $7.50 for adults; $2 for children 3 to 12. Kids under 3 and Conservancy members are free. 262-0304.

The CREW Marsh Trail System, which offers five miles of hiking through pine flatwoods, sawgrass marsh and an oak/cabbage palm hammock, is located at the edge of the 6,825-acre Corkscrew Marsh on Corkscrew Road in northern Collier County. The trails are free and open to the public seven days a week, sunrise to sunset. Guided tours or group outings may be arranged. The Corkscrew Regional Ecosystem Watershed Trust, formed in 1989, assists with wetlands acquisition, management and public-use activities in Lee and Collier counties. Location: From Interstate 75, take exit 123 and travel east for about 18 miles. Entrance is on right. 657-2253.

Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary, owned and operated by Audubon of Florida, is an 11,000-acre preserve where visitors can find a pristine wilderness that dates back more than 500 years. A 21/4-mile boardwalk winds through pine flatwoods, open prairie and into the largest forest of ancient bald cypress in North America. The forest is also home to hundreds of alligators, otters, Florida black bear, white-tailed deer, red-bellied turtles and almost 200 species of birds, including egrets, ibis, herons and wood storks. Corkscrew's Blair Audubon Center features a multimedia "Swamp Theatre," an art gallery and six exhibits that explain what visitors should look for on the boardwalk. Hours: 7 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. daily now through April 10. Admission: $10 for adults, $6 for full-time college students, $5 for Audubon members and $4 for children 6 to 18, free for children under 6. Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary is at 375 Sanctuary Road, Naples. Directions: Take Interstate 75 to exit 111 and drive east for 15 miles. 348-9151.

Delnor-Wiggins Pass State Recreation Area, a 166-acre tract located on the south side of Wiggins Pass in North Naples, features shaded picnic areas, grills, a pavilion, bath house, short nature trail and an observation deck. The beach frequently has ended up on the national "Best Beaches Survey" by Stephen Leatherman, director of the University of Maryland's Laboratory for Coastal Research. Shelling is usually good, and while swimmers are not allowed in the dangerous currents of Wiggins Pass, fishing is allowed there. Swimmers may go into the Gulf of Mexico on the south side of the pass. Native gopher tortoises, manatees, dolphins, osprey and a wide variety of wading birds are commonly seen. Hours: 8 a.m. to sunset daily. Admission: $3 for one driver in a vehicle, $5 for more than one person, and $1 for pedestrians and bicyclists. Location: western terminus of Bluebill Avenue at 11100 Gulfshore Drive. 597-6196.

The Double Sunshine runs five 11/2-hour narrated sightseeing cruises along Naples Bay each day. Departure times are 10 a.m. noon, 2 p.m., 4 p.m. and one hour before sunset. Dolphins are normally visible. Cost is $25 per person; children under 12 are half price. Cruises depart from Tin City, 1200 Fifth Ave. S, off U.S. 41. 263-4949.

Everglades Wonder Gardens, Southwest Florida's oldest attraction, includes botanical gardens, native and exotic birds, Florida panthers, black bears and a museum. The facility also features a display of Florida reptiles, including alligators, crocodiles and venomous and non-venomous snakes. Hours: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. Location: Old 41 Road in Bonita Springs. Admission: Adults, $12; children 3 to 12, $6; and under 3, free. 992-2591.

Fakahatchee Strand State Preserve, the largest cypress strand in the world, comprises more than 80,000 acres of land in the Big Cypress Swamp. Its slough is the deepest in the greater Everglades and borders U.S. 41, Interstate 75 and State Road 29. About 15 miles long and five miles wide, Fakahatchee Strand is the only remaining natural forest of royal palm and bald cypress. The strand's Big Bend Boardwalk, six miles west of State Road 29 on U.S. 41, is always open. It's home to a pair of bald eagles, a resident alligator, bears, white-tailed deer, raccoons, otters, birds, reptiles and amphibians, offering many photo opportunities. To best view the royal palms and wildlife, drive along Janes Scenic Drive, and turn left four miles north of U.S. 41 off State Road 29. Tram roads lead off the gravel road in two directions, and hikes can be arranged. Swamp buggy walks can also be scheduled. Free admission. 695-4593 or www.friendsoffakahatchee.org.

Hedges Family Visitors Center at The Naples Preserve is at 1690 U.S. 41 N. at Fleischmann Boulevard. The boardwalk, open from dawn to dusk daily, winds through a portion of the forest that once cloaked the low coastal ridge where the city of Naples now stands. Interpretive boardwalk tours are available Tuesdays and by appointment. Wilderness meditation takes place at 10 a.m. Thursdays. The center offers information on parks, preserves, sanctuaries and museums that preserve the environmental heritage of Collier County. Hours: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. Events are free. 261-4290.

Kowiachobee Animal Preserve, a nonprofit educational and hands-on learning facility in Golden Gate Estates, is home to 60-plus animals including African spotted and black leopards, panthers, horses, goats, fowl, rabbits, chinchillas, prairie dogs and reptiles. Hours are by appointment; donations by visitors are appreciated. 352-5387 or www.kowiachobeeanimalpreserve.com.

Naples Botanical Garden features "The Florida Garden," which comprises two acres filled with 600-plus plant species. The gardens are at the corner of Bayshore and Thomasson drives in East Naples. Visitors are welcome from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesdays through Saturdays. Admission is $7 for adults and $4 for children ages 6 to 12; NBG members and children 5 and under are admitted free. 643-7275 or www.Naplesgarden.org.

Nautilus Boat Tours offers 90-minute sunset and nature cruises, which both include ecosystem education, from the Vanderbilt Beach Marina, across from the Ritz-Carlton, Naples, into the gulf. Cost is $20 for adults and $8 for children. Call for availability; reservations recommended. 597-4408.

Picayune Strand State Forest is one of Southwest Florida's newest natural areas. The Florida Division of Forestry manages more than 65,000 acres in the forest, made up of South Golden Gate Estates and Belle Meade. The area is the home to many threatened species, including the Florida panther. Fishing is allowed in the area's canals. In addition, Belle Meade has two trails. To reach the 22-mile-long Belle Meade Horse Trail, go one mile south of Interstate 75 on Everglades Boulevard, then right on 52nd Avenue Southeast and three-quarters of a mile to the trailhead. There are picnic tables, 10 horse paddocks and a portable restroom. The Sabal Palm Hiking Trail is located 3.1 miles east of Collier Boulevard on Sabal Palm Road. The trail, more than three miles long, has two loops. Primitive camping is available. The trails, best enjoyed from January through May, are always open to the public. 348-7557.

Rookery Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve, one of the few remaining relatively pristine mangrove estuaries in the United States, is located between Naples and Marco Island. This 110,000-acre reserve serves as an outdoor classroom and laboratory for students and scientists around the world. The estuarine environment provides important habitat for coastal wildlife and a variety of recreational opportunities for visitors. The Rookery Bay Environmental Learning Center, 300 Tower Road, between Naples and Marco Island, is a 16,500-square-foot facility includes four research laboratories, auditorium, classrooms and a two-story visitor center, a 2,300-gallon aquarium centerpiece with a 14-foot sculpted mangrove tree and climb-in "bubble," a working research lab, an art gallery and walking trail. Hours: 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily. Admission: $5 for adults, $3 for ages 6 to 12 and free for under age 6. 417-6310 or www.rookerybay.org.

Shy Wolf Sanctuary Education & Experience Center is a nonprofit designated corporation that's home to wolves, wolf-dogs, coyotes, fennec foxes, sugar gliders, prairie dogs, Florida gopher tortoise, cougars, a leopard and a LepJag. Many of the animals are friendly and interact well with visitors. Private tours and educational visits are available seven days a week by appointment only. Admission is free but donations are always appreciated. The sanctuary is located in the Golden Gate Estates area. Directions will be given when an appointment is made. 455-1698 or shywolfsanctuary@aol.com .

Six Mile Cypress Slough Preserve, a 2,200-acre wetland ecosystem in Fort Myers, provides habitat for many rare and endangered plants, birds and animals. The boardwalk is open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily. Free guided walks are offered daily at 9:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. in January, February and March. Free admission; parking is 75 cents per hour with a $3 daily maximum. Location: On Ben C. Pratt Six Mile Cypress Parkway, just north of Daniels Road. Group tours are available. 432-2004 or www.leeparks.org/fos.

Sweet Liberty Sailing Tours offers two- and three-hour cruises on a sailing catamaran, featuring dissertations on dolphins, shelling trips to an island and two-hour sunset cruises. Prices range from $25 to $35, and boats sail from Naples City Dock, 880 12th Ave. S. 793-3525.

Wooten ' s features airboat and swamp buggy tours, as well as a park with animal exhibits including crocodiles, snakes, Florida panther and alligator wrestling. Location: U.S. 41, Ochopee. Admission to park with animal exhibits, $6; admission to sanctuary, $8 for adults and $6 for ages 4 to 12; 30-minute airboat or swamp buggy tours, $16 for adults and $13 for children ages 4 to 12. A combination tour is available for $42.40. Hours: 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. daily. (800) 282-2781.