Active Pursuits

Unlike many Florida cities, where you have to drive over to a barrier island to reach the beach, this city's beach is right in Olde Naples. Rather than being fronted by tall condominium buildings, the backdrop here is all the mansions along Millionaires' Row. Access to the gorgeous white sand is at the Gulf end of each avenue, although parking in the neighborhood can be brutal. Try the metered lots on 12th Avenue South near the Naples Pier, the town's most popular beach spot, where there are also restrooms and food concessions. Families gather on the beach north of the pier, while bored local teens congregate on the south side.

Also popular, the very Norman Rockwellian Lowdermilk Park, on Millionaires' Row, at Gulf Shore and North Banyan boulevards, has a pavilion, restrooms, showers, a refreshment counter, professional-quality volleyball courts (the area's best players practice here), a duck pond, and picnic tables. There's also metered parking, so bring quarters. A few blocks farther north is another metered parking lot with beach access, beside the Naples Beach Hotel & Golf Resort, 851 Gulf Shore Blvd. N., at Golf Drive.

Nature lovers head to the Pelican Bay development north of the historic district and the popular, 35-acre Clam Pass County Park (tel. 239/353-0404). A free tram takes you along a 3,000-foot boardwalk winding through mangrove swamps and across a back bay to a beach of fine white sand. It's strange to see high-rise condominiums standing beyond the mangrove-bordered backwaters, but this is actually a miniature wilderness. Some 6 miles of canoe and kayak trails -- with multitudes of birds and an occasional alligator -- run from Clam Pass into the winding streams. The beach pavilion here has a bar (drinking is a sport in Naples), restrooms with foot showers only, picnic tables, and beach equipment rentals, including one- and two-person kayaks and 12-foot canoes. Entry is from a metered parking lot beside the Naples Grande Beach Resort, at the end of Seagate Drive. There's a $6-per-vehicle parking fee. You can push, but not ride, bicycles on the boardwalk.

At Vanderbilt Beach, about 4 miles north of Olde Naples, the Delnor-Wiggins Pass State Park, at the west end of Bluebill Avenue-111th Avenue North (tel. 239/597-6196; www.floridastateparks.org/delnor-wiggins), has been listed among America's top 10 stretches of sand. It has bathhouses, a boat ramp, and the area's best picnic facilities. A concessionaire sells hot dogs, sandwiches, and ice cream, and rents beach chairs, umbrellas, kayaks, canoes, and snorkeling gear. Fish viewing is great over a small reef under 12 feet of water about 150 feet offshore. Fishing from the beach is excellent, too. Rangers provide nature tours throughout the year, with the most interesting during the loggerhead-turtle nesting season from June to October (call or check the park's website for the schedule). After a dredging of the beach in 2007, the sand has expanded to 150 feet and is an ideal spot for shellers. The park is open daily from 8am to sunset. Admission is $3 per vehicle with one occupant, $5 per vehicle with two to eight occupants, and $1 per pedestrian or biker. To get here from Olde Naples, go north on U.S. 41 about 4 miles and take a left onto 111th Avenue, which turns into Bluebill Avenue before it reaches the beach. Note that 111th Avenue is known as Immokalee Road east of U.S. 41.

Boating

Powerboat and WaveRunner rentals are available from Club Nautico, at the Boat Haven Marina, 1484 E. Tamiami Trail (tel. 239/417-3474), on the east bank of the Gordon River behind Kelly's Fish House; and from Port-O-Call Marina, also behind Kelly's Fish House (tel. 239/774-0479).

Cruises

Day Star Charters features the double-decked Double Sunshine (tel. 239/263-4949; www.tincityboats.com), which sallies forth onto the river and bay daily from Tin City, where it has a ticket office. The 1 1/2-hour cruises leave at 10am, noon, 2pm, and an hour before sunset. They cost $30 for adults and $20 for children 11 and under.

The Sweet Liberty (tel. 239/793-3525; www.sweetliberty.com), a 53-foot sailing catamaran, makes 3-hour morning shelling cruises to Keewaydin Island. The vessel then spends the afternoon on 2-hour sightseeing cruises (you'll usually see dolphins playing in the river on this one) and 2-hour sunset cruises on Naples Bay before docking at Naples City Dock, 880 12th Ave. S. Shelling cruises cost $40 for adults, $15 for children 12 and under; sightseeing and sunset cruises cost $30 for adults, $15 for children 12 and under.

For a good deal more luxury, the 83-foot Naples Princess (tel. 800/728-2970 or 239/649-2275; www.naplesprincesscruises.com) has narrated breakfast, lunch, and sunset dinner cruises from Port-O-Call Marina, on the eastern shore of the Gordon River. With their extensive buffets, the sightseeing, sunset, and shelling cruises are good values, ranging from $28 to $55 per person. Prices for children 12 and under vary on all cruises. Call for schedules and reservations.

Fishing

The locals like to fish from the Naples Pier. The pier has tables on which to clean your catch, but watch out for the ever-present pelicans, which are master thieves. You can buy tackle and bait from the local marinas. The pier is open round-the-clock, and admission is free. No fishing license is required.

The least expensive way for singles, couples, and small families to fish without paying for an entire boat is on the 45-foot Lady Brett (tel. 239/263-4949; www.tincityboats.com), which makes two daily half-day trips from Tin City for $75 for adults, $60 for kids 11 and under. Rod, reel, bait, and fishing license are included, but bring your own drinks and lunch. Its sister boat, the Captain Paul, goes on half-day backcountry fishing trips, departing daily at 9am. These cost $75 for adults, $60 for kids 12 and under.

Golf

For a city its size, Naples has an extraordinary number of fine golf courses. Most are out in the suburbs, though not the flat but challenging 18 holes at the Naples Beach Hotel & Golf Club, right in the middle of town. Nonguests can play here, but should call ahead for a tee time.

Two of the best-known courses are the Lely Flamingo Island Club and the Lely Mustang Golf Club, both on U.S. 41 between Naples and Marco Island (tel. 800/388-GOLF [4653] or 239/793-2223; www.lely-resort.net). Robert Trent Jones, Sr., designed the Lely Flamingo course; its hourglass fairways and fingerlike bunkers present many challenges. The Lee Trevino-designed Lely Mustang course is more forgiving, but still fun. Former PGA Tour player Paul Trittler has his golf school at these courses. You'll pay a price here in winter, when 18-hole fees are about $145 at Lely Flamingo and $165 at Lely Mustang, including cart and range balls, but they drop progressively after Easter to about $79 in the muggy summer months.

Eagle Lakes Golf Club, on U.S. 41 between Fla. 931 and Fla. 92 (tel. 239/732-5108; www.eaglelakesgolfclub.com), is another winner, with lots of wildlife inhabiting its many lakes (a 16-ft. alligator reportedly resides near the 17th hole). On-site is a driving range, a practice facility, and a restaurant; instruction is available. Wintertime fees are about $99, but in the off-season they drop to $29 or less. Tee times are taken up to 4 days in advance.

Another local favorite is the player-friendly Hibiscus Golf Club, a half-mile east of U.S. 41 off Rattlesnake Hammock Road, East Naples (tel. 239/774-0088; www.hibiscusgolf.com). A pro shop and teaching professional are available. Fees are about $70 to $85 in winter, cart included, and drop to about $35 in summer.

At the intersection of Vanderbilt Beach and Airport-Pulling roads, the Greg Norman-designed 27 championship holes at the Tiburón Golf Club, 2620 Tiburón Dr. (tel. 877/WCI-PLAY [924-7529] or 239/594-2040; www.tiburongolf.com), play like a British Open course -- but without the thick-thatch rough. Greens fees have been dramatically reduced in recent years, starting as low as $47 for 18 holes, with cart, on a weekend day. The course is home to the Rick Smith Golf Academy (tel. 877/464-6531 or 239/593-1111) and the Ritz-Carlton Golf Resort.

The area also has several other courses worth playing, most described in the Naples-Fort Myers edition of the Golfer's Guide, available at the chamber of commerce's visitor center (or check the magazine's website at www.golfersguide.com). Online, www.naplesgolf.com is also a good source of information about area courses.

Scuba Diving

Kevin Sweeney's SCUBAdventures, 971 Creech Rd., at Tamiami Trail (tel. 239/434-7477), which also has a base on Marco Island, teaches diver-certification courses, and rents watersports equipment.

Tennis

In Olde Naples, the city's Cambier Park Tennis Center, 755 8th Ave. S., at 9th Street South (tel. 239/213-3060), is one of the country's finest municipal facilities. In fact, it matches those found at many luxury resorts. To play on its 12 lighted clay courts, it costs $25 an hour. Book at the pro shop in the modern building, which has restrooms but no showers. The shop is open Monday through Friday from 8am to 9pm, Saturday and Sunday from 8am to 5pm.

Watersports

Naples Watersports, 550 Port A Call Way (tel. 239/774-0479), will hook you up with WaveRunners, jet skis, and the requisite water toys. Hobie Cats and windsurfers can also be rented on the beach at the Naples Beach Hotel & Golf Club, 851 Gulf Shore Blvd. N. (tel. 239/261-2222); and at Clam Pass County Park, at the end of Seagate Drive (tel. 239/353-0404).