Life In Bonita Springs

Gulf Coast Motorworks 90/365 Things to Do

Located in Bonita Springs near Woods Edge is Gulf Coast Motorworks. I’d driven by it a million times. Besides noticing the Deloreans I had not paid a lot of attention.  When I listed a condo for sale in The Carlysle I noticed car shows and events on weekends.  There was this cream colored Ferrari parked there for one … whew, what a pretty car!

First, Gulf Coast Motorworks has a spectacular variety of exotic and unusual cars available on site. Second, when they hold an event many other car enthusiasts show up with their own gorgeous cars.  It’s a feast for the eyes if you enjoy cars. When I drove by today I followed in a stunning Range Rover plus there were so many beautiful cars and even a car carrier offloading a Rolls Royce.

If you are interested in keeping tabs on Gulf Coast Motorworks events I encourage you to follow their event page on Facebook.  It seems that there is always something interesting to attend, especially during "season".

You can find it here: https://www.facebook.com/pg/GulfCoastMotorworks/events/

Congo River Bonita Springs 89/365 Things to Do

Bonita Springs has a few mini golf courses. The most visible is Congo River on US 41 in Bonita Springs, Florida just south of the Estero city line.  It’s located beside Bonita Bubbles Car Wash. You can’t miss it as it is a veritable mountain with a zebra striped air plane crashed into it.

The Griffith family recently visited for our Aiden’s 11th birthday. He is a whiz at mini golf.  He is actually a whiz at everything he does. The grown-ups in the family, not so much.  The good news is that the course is fun at Congo River. It’s a challenge and good for all ages.  There is even a scavenger hunt you can participate in along the way. There are many fun things to do with kids at Congo River.

If you’d like to learn more about Congo River, read also: Congo River Golf | Bonita Springs Florida

Swamp Buggy Rides In SWFL 88/365 Things to Do

One of the fun outdoor activities you can plan in the Bonita Springs, Naples, and Estero areas are swamp related activities. Airboat rides are popular but you can also plan a swamp buggy ride to get up close and personal with the Florida Everglades.

There are a variety of vendors that offer swamp buggy rides east of Naples on US 41 headed to Miami Homestead areas.  Corey Billie’s, Captain Steve’s and Wootens are a few of the bigger named tour companies that offer either airboat or both airboat and swamp buggy rides.  If you go, Google current information, be sure to make a reservation (especially in season) and have fun. 

Being in the Everglades isn’t as scary as most people think. It’s more than alligators and snakes.  You will be surround by sweeping vistas, unspoiled old Florida and the largest collection of birds you can imagine.

Enjoy your swamp buggy ride!

Baker Park Naples, Florida 87/365 Things to Do

As a resident of East Naples, the most exciting part of this 15 acre park is the bridge that brings downtown Naples within easy biking distance of East Naples. The bridge is just over a half mile from the Airport Observation Deck on North Road.

I finished up early with a small job at the airport on the day the park opened and had my bike in the truck so biked over to take a look. I took a few pictures, as always, but I didn’t stop to take notes and later recorded them from memory.  It’s quite a lot to take in and to figure out how to describe. It is an elaborate park - I guess those are one word that comes to mind. When I sat down to write an article the first time, I just ended up with my included notes. So, I took a second bike ride to take a look again this morning, my primary purpose being to see firsthand what a bike ride from the airport to the beach entailed.

The overall impression from my two visits to Baker Park is that it is brand new and a lot of people are checking it out. I saw a trio of hikers when I left the airport parking lot that I saw again as I was entering the park on my return trip from the beach. I only make note of this because it occurred to me that these were people who lived on the other side of the river checking out the side I live on, while I was checking out the side they live on. So, it brings the community together, I guess, in a common enjoyment of the public spaces made possible through the generosity of a lot of Naples residents and philanthropists way.

I’ve worked for civil engineers in the past, and so I found the storm water treatment areas interesting. Mayor Barnett briefly mentions the storm water design in this video. There are a number of small detention basins with outlet control structures along and crossing under the paths.

The address of Baker Park is 10 Riverside Circle, Naples, Florida.  There is parking along Central Ave. and Riverside Circle.  Baker Park is also accessible from the West by foot, bike, or car and accessible from the East by paddle craft or bike via the Blair Foundation Bridge.

There are water fountains, even one for pets, or filling a water bottle.There do not appear to be restrooms available at this time, but I think they are in the process of building one near the foot of the bridge. (According to the Mayor in the video, they were planning on making a restroom facility right at the drop off circle.) Baker Park Phase 1 was opened in March 2019 so other amenities will be installed as time progresses.

There are ample trash cans, as well as barbecue ash disposal bins near the several picnic areas with at least three modern looking barbecue grills.  Not all parks in the area have trash collection and are considered pack in/pack out parks.

Baker Park also features a workout area with several outdoor workout machines, rowing, balance, skiing type of exercises. A small mulched children's play area with benches is in the park, too.

The kayak/paddleboard launch area has storage racks that are probably available to rent, similar to the boat storage program at the beach. There is at least one pet waste disposal bag dispenser which is good because the dog park is around the corner so there are going to be a lot of canine guests.

The trails at Baker Park are a combination of concrete, asphalt with wooden boardwalk bridges. If you are looking for fun things to do with kids in Naples, this would be the place.  There is something to do for everyone in the family.

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About the author - John Farren is a resident of Naples, Florida and an avid kayaker.

Plant a Rose Garden in Bonita Springs 86/365 Things to Do

For the last thirty-five years southwest Florida, mostly Bonita Springs, has been my home.  I’ve lived in Rosemary Park, San Carlos Estates, Boca Palms, Captain’s Bay, Little Hickory Shores, Brendan Cove and Bonita Farms.  I’m not sure in all of those moves, at all of those homes, at any of those landscapes did I have roses.

Today, I have roses.  It was an impulse buy at Costco of all places. I didn’t buy the plants, Jerry did.  I honestly didn’t think they’d survive.  We’re in our first winter with roses in Bonita Farms.  We still have to see how they tough out the summers but I suspect they will be fine as I have since found a huge hedge of them on Flossmoor Drive when I was showing a home for sale.

So far, they have been of little effort to grow.   We’ve certainly had more temperamental plants in our yard.  They are also in a great spot that we were having a hard time deciding out what to plant.

There are some great rose vendors online but locally we have a fabulous greenhouse/garden store called Driftwood Nursery. If you decide to plant roses I would certainly look for them locally first.

Creative Pottery 85/365 Things To Do

Creative Pottery is a place to create your own hand painted works of art. There is a large selection of different pottery items to choose from and hundreds of different colors of paint. Items range from $9 to $90 with a $6 studio fee for paint, glaze, and clean up.

We spent a hot afternoon painting two small items and my boys really enjoyed it. It was a great way for them to use their imagination and create something they can have forever.

After you paint your pottery you come back 3-5 days to pick it up after it is glazed and fired in the kiln. If you are looking for fun things to do with kids in Bonita Springs, this is a great activity to plan.

Creative Pottery is located at The Promenade Shops 26821 South Bay Dr. Unit #119 Bonita Springs, Florida at the main entrance of Bonita Bay.

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

Bike to Deromo’s For Dessert 84/365 Things To Do

There’s a great Italian deli, restaurant and bakery located at The Promenade in Bonita Springs, Florida . It is a feast for the eyes inside of Deromo’s.

The bakery counter is outrageous. It is totally worth it for you to stop in and have dessert. You can even take some home … if it will make it that far. The baked goods range from cookies, cakes, pies and specialty pastries.  Our favorites are the canoli and the lobster tails.  There is a coffee bar counter so you can also just sit down and have a coffee with dessert.

There are café tables set up in both a courtyard and on the sidewalk out front. There is additional outside seating at The Center Bar, too. If you play your cards right and pick up desert you can head over and catch live music in the courtyard, too.

The Promenade is located at the main entrance of Bonita Bay  on US 41 at West Terry Street. 

Circle Lake Okeechobee Florida 83/365 Things to Do

The largest lake in Florida is located in the center of the state. Lake Okeechobee is located about an hour and a half from Bonita Springs, Florida.  Clewiston would be the closest place to connect with the lake.  The are levees built around the lake and many places that you can pull over and walk the trail around the lake or fish.  

I’ve circled Lake Okeechobee before and found all sorts of fun places to stop. Holes in the wall for lunch and even fishing lodges.  On the north side of Lake Okeechobee there seemed to be a  great place to put in watercraft near Buckhead Ridge where the Kissimmee River enters Lake Okeechobee.

Life in central Florida is slow paced compared to the coast so it is fun to get way from Southwest Florida for a day trip.  Plus if you drive the back roads north of Okeechobee you will be amazed at the agriculture. I was most shocked to see the potato and onion fields and of course cows were everywhere.

It’s a great drive and a wonderful way to see a part of Florida that is a whole bunch less touristy. If you’re looking for fun things to do around Florida. This is something that is just the cost of a tank of gas.

Visit the Coconut Point Swans 82/365 Things to Do

Located in Estero, Florida is one of the larger malls and entertainment areas in Southwest Florida, The Coconut Point Mall.  The campus is really large and offers a huge variety of stores from boutiques to big box stores.  One of our favorite places to grab a fast, healthy meal is at Panera.  After we eat we love to walk over to the lake by West Elm and see the birds. 

There are tons of birds in this busy parking lot if you just sit down to watch them but our favorites are the ducks and the swans.  (March 2019) There is a set of friendly white swans. They are so beautiful and they are very domesticated. If you kneel down they will come right up to you.  I have brought a hand full of bird seed or corn with me and they become friendly.  They will nip on accident if you have food with you but they aren’t aggressive. The Coconut Point Swans are so beautiful on the water.  They’re a must see if you are in the area or if you live at The Residences at Coconut Point, Rapallo or Mirasol.

A while ago my grandson and I went to feed the fish bread and the swans showed up. You can watch the video, here: Swans at Coconut Point Mall.

Dinner at Buffalo Chips 81/365 Things to Do

Since I moved to Bonita Springs in the mid 1980’s there has been one constant in Downtown Bonita Springs, Florida … Buffalo Chips.  One of the signs in the back reads “an upscale dive” and one of the signs in the front reads “hippies use the back door”.  It’s a colorful place, to say the least.  It’s a fast moving ‘hole in the wall’ that is locals hangout that has been discovered by everyone.

Tourists come from miles around.  There’s never a parking spot out front or out back so they expanded parking to a fenced lot down the street.  Buffalo Chips serves the hottest wings and the coldes beer in town but they do offer plenty of other types of food. Even picky eaters can find a bite. I modify the taco salad and enjoy it meat free. Jerry is all in and either get the short ribs or fish.   The youngsters in the family get wings.  For the most part we are all water drinkers so there isn’t a beer review.

If you go know that they have a wait during dinner hour during season.  It’s a popular place. It’s also noisy so if you have kids they’ll blend right in.  There are a few arcade games in the back room.

We have another post on ‘Chips if you’d like to read it, here: Buffalo Chips Restaurant of Bonita Springs, Florida and there is also a hilarious video we all made back in the day before Jon and Angela were married and had kids, here: Video of Buffalo Chips