Paradise Coast Official Visitors Guide 2009 - (Page 9) NAPLES, MARCO ISLAND & THE EVERGLADES Paddling the Paradise Coast Blueway MARCO ISLAND Observe playful dolphins and meandering manatees as a participant of the Sea Excursions 10,000 Islands Dolphin Project, a program that combines scientific research with wildlife viewing aboard the Dolphin Explorer. Assist the onboard naturalist by spotting a mama dolphin with her newborn baby. Photograph and identify different dorsal fins, each one unique to an individual dolphin. The trip includes a stop at one of many barrier islands, such as Keewaydin Island, where you can collect a rainbow of shells or perhaps catch a rare glimpse of a prowling Florida panther. Cast the backwaters of Marco Island for snook, redfish, snapper and sea trout with Fins-N-Grins Charter Fishing. NAPLES Sail away for a two-hour cruise with Sailboats Unlimited and relax, or choose to help the crew. Go parasailing at Vanderbilt Beach and get a bird’s-eye view of north Naples. Tour the Rookery Bay Environmental Learning Center, which offers a 2,300-gallon aquarium with immersion bubble to get up-close-and-personal with numerous living estuarine residents. For even more natural interaction, assist a local naturalist with plankton research during a kayak trip. Then, return to the lab to view the collected specimens under a microscope. Reel in popular game fish such as tarpon, grouper, permit and tripletail in the Gulf of Mexico with Six Chuter Charters. You can also combine your fishing expedition with sightseeing and explore waters that haven’t changed since the early days of the Calusa Indians and Spanish explorers. Take an eco-tour into a remote manatee hideout with See Manatees Guaranteed. You’ll experience nature first-hand and see manatees swim or witness one nursing. Beachin’ It Between the glistening waters of the Gulf and the subtropical splendor of the Everglades, take a sunset stroll or cast for fish at the Naples Pier. Keep your eyes peeled for loggerhead sea turtles nesting and admire the view from an observation tower at Delnor-Wiggins Pass State Park. Watch for native birds at the park, one of the Paradise Coast’s 12 sites on the Great Florida Birding Trail. Have a picnic in the lush natural habitat of Barefoot Beach Preserve. Bottlenose dolphin LEARN MORE:www.paradisecoast.com/fishing 9 http://www.ParadiseCoast.com/fishing
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