Life In Bonita Springs

The Gobble Gobble Four Miler | 287/365 Things to Do

Fall is our favorite time of the year because the weather is getting cooler and all of the festivals and running events start up.  Not far from Bonita Springs is the Gobble Gobble Four Miler event. The Gobble Gobble Four Miler is a family friendly annual event, taking place on Thanksgiving Day in beautiful Naples, Florida.

In addition to offering great exercise, The Gobble Gobble Four Miler is also a “Green Event”  and cup free. It helps to promote sustainability and environmental impact awareness. 100% of the race’s proceeds go to benefit St. Matthew’s House and 95210 Kids on the Go!

If you are looking for fun things to do in Southwest Florida consider joining in the fun at the Gobble Gobble Four Miler. 

To learn more about the event and to see future events follow their page at: Gobble Gobble Four Miler

John & Mable Ringling Museum of Art | 286/365 Things to Do

In 1925, circus entertainer John Ringling decided to build an art museum, both as a legacy meant to outlast his business interests and as a memorial to his wife Mable and himself. By sharing the art of Europe with the people of Florida, Ringling sought to educate and encourage curiosity for the wider world.

First opened in 1930, Ringing filled the museum with European paintings, paneled rooms from the Gilded Age Astor Mansion in New York, and the ancient and medieval objects purchased from distinguished collections. Upon his death in 1936 Ringling bequeathed the Museum to the people of Florida.

The Art Museum, parking and the grounds are FREE to visit every Monday from 10:00am to 5:00pm. Ringling additionally offers Free Family Programs. Visit their official website for current programs

The Ringling - The John & Mable Ringling Museum of Art www.ringling.org

5401 Bay Shore Rd., Sarasota, FL 34243

Phone: 941-359-5700

The Ringling is a short drive from Bonita Springs, Florida and would be an excellent day trip for the family.

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About the author.  Gisela Chamberlin is a Bonita Springs resident and an art enthusiast.

Claim Your Lost Money in Florida | 285/365 Things to Do

One day I was scrolling through Facebook and noticed a post by Janie Coffey who lives in Jacksonville.  She suggested that we, her friends and readers, go to www.FLTreasureHunt.Gov and make sure we didn’t have “lost money” at the state of Florida.  I happened to have not checked on it for a few years and threw my name in the search. Lo and behold, I had two accounts of money that was lost and ready to be claimed.

If you’re like me and wonder how that could possibly happen I figured out what happened in my circumstance. About four years ago I moved from a residence that I had lived at in Brendan Cove in Bonita Springs. I forwarded my mail for the standard 6 months and I recall renewing the forward but sometime between four years ago and today both of these companies tried to mail me a check or rebate of some sort.  One was for insurance and one was for some sort of incentive rebate company.  All total it was only about $120 of refund. It will be a little bit of mad money. 

In the thread of Janie’s conversation there were people who had lost thousands of dollars and didn’t know about it.  It’s worth a look!  Even if you don’t live in Florida you can Google search for your state’s lost money and search.  If you do a search and find money be sure to come back and let us know about your good news!

Get a Passport & Married in Bonita Springs | 284/365 Things to Do

One of the girls on the team took a photo at the Lee County Tax Collector’s office and it displayed a list of services you could accomplish on site.  Getting married is one of them, by the way. It’s probably not the most romantic location but knock yourself out.

Today, we decided to tackle a few of those things on the list.  The drivers license renewal and passport renewal.  We though that since my driver’s license expires at the end of Tourist Season that early October would be a better day to brave the DMV over Easter week.  Jerry’s license expires a few weeks after mine so we both renewed our driver’s license.  It was a long wait even off season. By the way, they take lunch and leave.  They just do.  It was about an hour and a half of waiting to do a 5 minute license renewal.  I had already exhausted my online renewals and had to do the eye text.  We also had to make sure that Jerry’s license was “star compliant” because it wasn’t really visible on his "vintage" license.

Lee Clerk of Courts is only there on specific days so don’t roll in there on any given day and expect service.  Long story short, if you can solve your issues online be sure to try that first.  The Lee County Tax Collector isn’t for sissies. I did meet a few nice ladies while I was waiting, though.

We opted to renew the passports through the online portal and we updated our passport photos at Walgreens at the south gate of Pelican Landing near the Chamber of Commerce. That only took a few minutes.  We dropped it all in the mail with the application and the check to the state department so we should be legit for the next several years.

If you have your pick, wait until June to visit the Tax Collectors office. It wasn’t fun in October. We admit that we dropped the ball and should have done it in the summer.

Taco Fest Bonita Springs, Florida | 283/365 Things to Do

One of the local favorite festivals that kicks off winter season in Bonita Springs is Taco Fest which is held in downtown Bonita Springs at Riverside Park.  It’s held at the band shell and taco and food vendors from across southwest Florida attend and bring the best tacos and other tasty foods to the park.  Over 20 local restaurants and food trucks will be featuring a $2 taco for guests to enjoy and awards will be given to both the best traditional and the best creative taco at the event. Enjoy live performances from Not Guilty, SOWFLO, and Soulixer on the main stage and an extensive, complementary children's area. (2019 Taco Fest)

Admission is $10 for ages 3+ Please visit their website for more information: www.bscevent.com/tacofest Liquor proceeds will benefit CAMEO, a local organization helping seniors in our community.

If you’re looking for fun, family oriented things to do be fore to attend Taco Fest on October 13, 2019

11:00 AM – 5:00 PM.

Sarasota Medieval Fair | 282/365 Things to Do in SWFL

Welcome one, welcome all to four full and unique weekends of exciting tournaments, scrumptious feasts, & pure family fun at this year’s Sarasota Medieval Fair. Join us at the Ringling Woods behind the Sarasota Fairgrounds, Saturdays & Sundays, November 9 thru December 1, 2019 from 10am to 5:30pm, rain or shine!

Each weekend of the Sarasota Medieval Fair festival this year will feature a full new line-up of different nationally renowned acts, full-armored full-contact jousting, and more. Don't miss our returning favorites such as the Washing Well Wenches, Cu Dubh, Wheel of Death and the Human Combat Chess Match.

Live the majesty and madness of knights, jesters, minstrels, belly dancers, wenches, and sword swingers! Watch the full contact joust and human combat chess tournaments! Ride rides and play games. Feast on turkey legs and hearty ales from the English pubs. Enjoy Celtic music and the new artisan marketplace with over 100 shops, food, and snack booths. 

The city of Bonita Springs is only an hour and fifteen minutes from Sarasota so if you are looking for fun things to do, especially with kids this is a great day trip.

To learn more about the Sarasota Medieval Fair visit us at: www.SarasotaMedievalFair.com.

Hunter's Moon Paddle at Halloween | 281/365 Things to Do

Looking for something different to do this Halloween season? October 12, 2019 is Spooktacular at CGT Kayaks.  You can hear pirate and Calusa Indian stories from Johnny Silver before the Bat Paddle. This is the night of the Hunter's Moon. It once marked the time to hunt and trap to store up for winter. It was also a time of sacrifice to prevent the dead from rising.

The Calusa Indians ruled this land for thousands of years before the Spanish arrived and their spirits still haunt these lands. Old Downtown Bonita Springs was built by leveling Calusa pyramid mounds and then building on top of them.

The roads are made from the shell taken from these mounds. Today we walk and drive on the 6,000 year old ruins of a great and powerful Native American civilization. The spirit of the Calusa can be felt on the Imperial River as you paddle down at dusk. But when the sky fills with bats you forget the Calusa and think of more even primitive times.

If you’re looking for fun things to do this Halloween be sure to sign up.  Space is limited. The trip is approximately 2 hours long departing from Riverside Park. Reserve your seat today $45 per person. To learn more about this future events with Calusa Ghost Tours call: 239-221-8218

Segway Tours in Naples, Florida | 280/365 Things to Do

Well, I don’t think we have the electric scooters yet but we do have Segway Tours in Naples, Florida. They’re primarily touring a circle around the downtown Naples area and include The Naples City Dock, Crayton Cove, The Naples Pier, Naples Landing, Fifth Ave. South, Third Street South and Cambier Park.  The tour lasts about ninety minutes and includes a set of wireless headsets so you can have a safe, informative tour.

If you are looking for fun things to do near Bonita Springs, Florida, there are currently four daily tours which take off at 9:00 a.m., 11:00 a.m., 1:30 p.m. and 3:30 p.m.  If you’d like to learn more visit their website: www.SegwayOfNaples.com

Don’t forget to stop by the Cove Inn for breakfast or lunch when you go!

San Cap Car Show Sanibel Island | 279/365 Things to Do

Located on Sanibel Island, the shopping center of Periwinkle Place offers a varied shopping experiences plus regular car shows. The SanIbel Captiva Motor Club organizes "Cars and Coffee" a monthly cruise-in and car show at Periwinkle Place Shops on the first Saturday of every month through May 2019. This event is and appropriate for all ages so if you are looking for things to do with the family, this is it.

Anyone with an old car, antique car, muscle car, exotic car or cycle can attend. No pre-registration is necessary; just show up with your car, truck or bike! Spectators and car enthusiasts are also welcome!

A Continental breakfast, coffee, and other refreshments will be provided, while supplies last. There is no better excuse to get that “classic” out of the garage and show it off!

To learn more and to see the future calendar events for the San Cap Car Shows visit their facebook page at www.facebook.com/PeriwinklePlace.

Lunch at M Waterfront Grille Venetian Bay | 278/365 Things to Do

So Friday ended up being a light work schedule for me and we’re still in shoulder season so Jerry and I had a Fun-Friday and went to lunch at M Waterfront Grille at The Village on Venetian Bay in Naples.

One of the reasons we love M Waterfront Grille is the view but they have a fun menu and Jerry loves a good lobster roll. So here’s the secret at M Waterfront … there is a hot lobster roll on the menu and a cold lobster salad but you can ask for them to make a cold lobster sandwich (which isn’t on the menu).

This lobster sandwich is a little more mayonaisey than Doug’s Seafood lobster roll and has a little celery and chervil to season it.  The fries are piping hot and delicious, too.  I’ve ordered a few items off the menu and everything has been great.  One of my other favorites is the grilled cheese with apple slices.  Definitely unusual and a well thought out dish.

If you go, you’re not too far from the beach so you can walk to the North Gulfshore Beach Access. Also, there is a splash pad at Village on Venetian Bay so you can entertain littles there and even treat them to an ice cream at some point. If you are looking for fun things to do with kids in Naples Village at Venetian Bay is a great place to start.