Life In Bonita Springs

Farmer Mike’s Fall Fest & Corn Maze | 256/365 Things to Do

Farmer Mike’s Fall Festival and Corn maze is an event we look forward to every year. They have hay rides around the farm, bounce house, lots of vendors, and they grow their own pumpkins and sunflowers that you can pick yourself right out of the ground. Farmer Mike’s also sell their fresh fruits and vegetables.

In addition to the Fall Festival Farmer Mike’s has two corn mazes - one family friendly that is not haunted and then a 10 acre haunted corn maze. New to this year is a zombie infected paintball corn maze! This is the farm version of a haunted walk.  

Tickets for the night time attractions are only available online and are limited so make sure to get your tickets now.

Farmer Mike’s Fall Festival and Corn maze runs Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday from October 3rd to October 27. The night attractions are only on Friday and Saturdays. Make sure you check out their website for all the details of times and dates. www.farmermikesupick.com

Farmer Mike’s is located on Morton Avenue in Bonita Springs, Florida.

____________________________________

About the Author - Jenna Hatfield is a life-long resident of Bonita Springs, Florida and mother of two boys.

Harvest & Wisdom at Shangri La Springs | 255/365 Things to Do

Many of you may not know that a long time ago, in the mid 1980’s, I worked at the original Shangri La Hotel in Downtown Bonita Springs, Florida.  The Cheatham Family owned it at the time.  The population wasn’t but a couple thousand people here so it was a job when I needed a job. I have always thought about it fondly and have watched the hotel go through many hands over the decades. The most recent owners have poured their hearts, souls and likely a fortune into bringing the hotel back to it’s glory.

A few days ago Jerry and I decided to stop in for lunch at Harvest and Wisdom in Shangri La.  Jerry ordered fish and I had the veggie burger. We both enjoyed our meals and then took a walk around the property after lunch.  He didn’t know that I had worked there so I gave him the grand tour. The hotel and the grounds are beautiful. 

If you are looking for a great venue for a special event keep the Shangri La in mind. It really is a special pot. My daughter even had her baby shower and I’ve had a few friends get married on site. It’s always spectacularly beautiful.

The Shangri La Springs is located on Old 41 Road in Downtown Bonita Springs, Florida. 

Fire Prevention Awareness Day in Naples | 254/365 Things to Do

The Greater Naples Fire Rescue District holds their annual Fire Prevention Awareness day in Naples at Coastland Center Mall. This is a great way to get up close and personal with first responders and the lights and sirens. If you’re looking for fun things to do or a way to introduce children to rescue personnel consider attending this event.  A few activities of interest include:

• A live burn plus lots of fun activities & learning!
• Fire Safety Tips
• Educational Handouts
• Fire Truck Tours
• Fire Safety House Tours
• Fire Truck & Apparatus

To learn more about the event or to find future events be sure to visit their Facebook page: www.facebook.com/GreaterNaplesFire

National Pepperoni Pizza Day | 253/365 Things to Do

September 20th is National Pepperoni Pizza Day and there are some great places to enjoy a pepperoni pizza around the Bonita Springs area.  We’ve written a great deal about pizza restaurants and I believe we even did a pizza crawl several years ago.  So, in no particular order here are a few great local restaurants that you can visit to participate in National Pepperoni Pizza Day:

Deromo’s Italian Restaurant and Deli which is located at The Promenade.

Leoni’s Pizza has several locations including on on Bonita Beach Road.

Grandpa’s Pizza on Old 41 Road just north of Riverside Park.

Enrico’s Ristorante on West Terry Street/US 41

Lil’ Italy Bistro near the traffic light at Woods Edge Parkway near The Carlysle.

If you have your own favorite pizza restaurant locations in Bonita Springs or Estero leave a recommendation in the comments and we’ll be happy to drop by for try.

Island Hopper Music Festival | 252/365 Things to Do

If you are a lucky ducky and in the Southwest Florida area in mid to late September you will be able to island hop and be able to hear some great song writers and bands live, in person.  The Island Hopper Music Festival is a 10-day festival featuring artists who have written top hits.  This year you can join in the fun from Sept. 20-29, 2019 on The Beaches of Fort Myers and Sanibel Island.

There are a host of locations to hear the live music and enjoy the sights and sounds of our famed beaches.  You can learn more at their official website www.islandhopperfest.com or on their Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/islandhopperfest.   There is also an app you can download to your smart phone that has the details and events listed.

Jingle Bell 5K Babcock Ranch | 251/365 Things to Do

It’s festival, sports and running season in Southwest Florida. All of the running sports such as 5K’s, half marathons and triathlons begin.  Babcock Ranch is a new and developing community in Charlotte County and they’re growing by leaps and bounds.  So much so that they are hosting a jingle run right before the holidays!  If you’re looking for fun things to do, here’s the info so you can get involved

Join in on the fun on December 15, 2019 for the 3rd annual Jingle Bell 5K! Please arrive by 7:30 AM. There will be ample FREE parking, and the main entrance to Babcock Ranch will close 10 minutes before the race starts, at 7:50 AM. The 5K race starts at 8:00 AM and will start close to Founder’s Square, downtown Babcock Ranch. Run through the finish line and finish in Founder’s Square next to Lake Babcock and our beautiful band shell. We'll have live music, food, and drinks!

Click on the link below for more information and to register for this event.
https://www.active.com/punta-gorda-fl/running/distance-running-races/jingle-bell-5k-2019?int=

The Waterfront in St. James City | 250/365 Things to Do

St. James City is on Pine Island, Florida. It’s one of our favorite places to go and to also do a day trip. Bonita Springs is only about an hour and a half away.  We’ve even rented a home there for the summer just to do something different. 

If you’re looking for fun things to do we recommend taking a day trip and touring Galt Preserve and then grabbing lunch at The Waterfront restaurant at the south end of the island.

The Waterfront is a casual seafood restaurants so you can dine in flip flops or hiking boots.  Kits blend in, too. They give you crayons cups full of crays and paper table clothes so you can occupy their time … and even some of the grown ups. The art work is then displayed around the restaurant. Check out the ceiling the in photo.

The usual fare is available at The Waterfront from fish dinners, fried shrimp, oysters to basic burgers.  Great French fries are there, too! Dinning is available both inside and out.

The Waterfront is located at 2131 Oleander St, St James City, FL 33956.

September 11th at Freedom Memorial | 249/365 Things to Do

The Freedom Memorial Foundation of Naples is holding a candlelight remembrance ceremony in the evening at the Freedom Memorial.  The Freedom Memorial is located at Fred Coyle Freedom Park at 1515 Golden Gate Parkway.   This announcement is for the 2019 event however the Foundation is hoping to hold the event again in the future. To learn more about this eevent or future September 11th events in Naples, Florida visit the Facebook page:

https://www.facebook.com/CollierCountyFreedomMemorial

• 8:46 AM EDT – American Airlines Flight #11 collides into the World Trade Center
• 9:03 AM EDT – United Airlines Flight #175 collides into the World Trade Center South Tower
• 9:37 AM EDT – American Airlines Flight #77 crashes into the Pentagon
• 9:59 AM EDT – World Trade Center South Tower Collapses
• 10:03 AM EDT – United Airlines Flight #93 crashes in Shanksville, PA
• 10:28 AM EDT – World Trade Center North Tower Collapses

BurgerFi Kids Eat Free on Tuesdays! | 248/365 Things to Do

Our local BurgerFi in North Naples, Florida offers “kids eat free on Tuesdays” as a special. If you have little ones you know that a burger and fries is the easy, all encompassing way to feed the family and satisfy the little people.  My adult daughter loves BurgerFi for the veggie burgers, too!  Yes, there are veggie burgers at BurgerFi.

If you go keep in mind that you can find fun things to do in the area like stop by Veterans Park either before or after dinner. Veterans Park is free and has playground, tennis, dog park and more.  In addition, there is a trampoline park not too far away. 

The BurgerFi store is located near the corner of Immokalee Road and Goodlette-Frank Road in Naples, Florida. 

You can keep tabs on future BurgerFi events on their Facebook page:

https://www.facebook.com/BurgerFiNorthNaplesImmokalee

Check current local listings to verify specials.

Read also: Dog Beach & Dog Parks Bonita Springs Fl

Naples Yard & Garden Show | 247/365 Things to Do

The Naples Yard and Garden Show is always a hit.  First, it’s great that it’s so close to Bonita Springs and second, for folks who are new to the area it is a great way to start learning about what does and does not work or grow in our sub-tropical environment.

There are master gardeners on site and many enthusiasts to network with.  There are also many different types of plants for sale.  Save the date of November 9,10 in 2019.  There is a small fee for entry but it is worth it especially if you are looking for fun things to do.  Kids are free.  To learn more visit: https://www.facebook.com/NaplesYardandGardenShow

The Naples Lawn and Garden Show is held at the Extension office at Collier County Fairgrounds at 17400 Immokalee Road, Naples, Florida.