If there is such a thing as a bucket B list, Marco Island would have been on mine – a place that has always been intriguing to me, but I could have died happy having never seen it. Fortunately, I don’t have to face that possibility as I have now seen it.
Jett, I and the dogs took a day trip down the coast on the Sunday before Christmas to see the island and to get a glimpse of the towns along the way, most notably Naples. Which is not to be confused with Venice, the other Italian wannabe town which is north of Fort Myers. We had no particular destination in mind, but had heard that Marco Island boasted a first-rate dog park, so we did have some intention of checking that out. Actually, the dogs insisted.
The fastest way to Marco Island is straight down I-75 about an hour, then over the bridge on FL 951. But we wouldn’t have seen much other than Florida swamp going that route, so we took US 41 – the major north/south route in southwest
Marco Island
Florida before I-75 was built and still the main business route in the area. We did get a glimpse of Naples, but formed only a first impression. Which was: it was like Palm Springs in that everything interesting was hidden behind high walls. Not a place that invites outsiders. It is probably very nice and is certainly upscale, but I didn’t get a strong urge to return.
Actually, I think I can say the same about Marco Island. I know I didn’t see it all, but we did drive most of Collier Blvd, which parallels the beach – and never saw the beach! They keep it well hidden behind high-rise condos and hotels. When we tried to find an inexpensive restaurant for lunch we found no restaurant at all. It seems like a place where you need to know the secret handshake to find any services.
That said, I must report that the rumors about the dog park were true. It was a very nice park, with “small dog” and “large dog” sections. We had one of each, so we were torn. But Rusty likes to believe that he is a large dog, so we let him be a mastiff for an hour.
The small dog portion was more active, with about 10 dogs running around wearing themselves out. We had only two other dogs in our area, but one was a very friendly retriever puppy who came over and introduced himself. We all liked him. Rusty also had fun chasing a gecko around a rock. A very nice hour at a very nice park.
In case you were wondering, we finally found a restaurant that served a mean Reuben just a little north on US 41. We dined al fresco with the dogs in the car nearby. Dining outside two days before Christmas is a treat that will never get old.
Rusty after the gecko
Water at the park
View from the park