Life In Bonita Springs

Hit Up Crunch Gym 80/365 Things to Do

Trust me when I say I am not a gym rat but I have been to many gyms in the area.  They all seem the same and some of the largest franchises have been the hardest to tolerate for me.  I’m not wild about dirty gyms. 

The other day it was lightly raining and my daughter, who had come over to walk dogs with me, invited me to Crunch Gym, instead.  I got my miles in on the treadmill, indoors!   First, the place is clean.  Second, on more than one occasion I saw staff wiping machines, tidying the gym, etc.  Third, I had a chance to run into several people I actually knew, one of whom is also a real estate agent.  I believe his child was in the child care room which means there is some form of child care service but I didn’t think to look into hours or days of operation.

If you are looking for fun things to do in Bonita Springs or fun things to do with kids this may be an inexpensive alternative.  The membership fees are favorable and the kids just may enjoy playing with new friends they meet in child care.  Best of all, you can exercise and take care of yourself.

Crunch Gym is located at the corner of US 41 and Bonita Beach Road in Bonita Springs, Florida beside the newer Publix grocery store.

Norris Center Naples Florida 79/365 Things to Do

There is a lot of stuff to do at Norris Center. There are art classes, acting classes, so many more things than I can even comment on. For all intents and purposes, it is a part of Cambier Park but it has its own separate designation. I never really paid any attention to the fact that Norris Center is also a theatre. I go there simply for one reason and one reason only: They have free, full sized pool tables to play pool on. There are also ping pong tables. A couple of tourists were playing there today when I showed up to get a game. There’s a chess set and that game where you slide something over some kind of cheese-like substance and a TV watching area but I usually come here to play pool, exclusively.

I lived in the Western United States for a spell and gathering places were in short supply so people gathered at places with pool tables. Kids are raised in these sorts of places until about 7 PM until it’s time to get the kids home.  Then it’s time for the grown ups to play. I played a lot of pool when I lived out West. I played on teams, won patches so it is great that there is a place in Naples to play.  IF you are looking for fun things to do this is a great place for playing pool and it’s great that the public can do it for free.

Norris Center Recreation Room is located at 755 8th Ave S. Naples, FL 34102

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

Bonita Springs Real Estate Market Update February 2019

This month’s robust real estate market report is brought to you, in part, by the slow January home sales we had due to the government shut down.  One thing is for sure and that is that it is cold up north January through March and there are about 8,000 Americans turning 65 every day which has fed a steady supply of home buyers to SWFL.

As you can imagine, the most affordable properties are highly popular with our snowbird home buyer population.  Those who aren’t able to secure a rental are known to pick up an inexpensive home or condo to spend the warm winters in Bonita Springs, Florida.

Prices are stable and even rising slightly in some neighborhoods.  The rising prices do put a crimp in cash sales and leveraged buyers are applying for conventional loans which is our second largest funding vehicle.  We have seen a few owner financing scenarios in the real estate market.

Our distressed real estate in Bonita Springs is barely there … less than 1/2 of one percent of our real estate listings are foreclosure or short sale.

We expect a late departure for our winter guests this year.  Easter is April 21 so a substantial amount of the buyers and seasonal residents will linger into May.

If you’d like to learn more about the current real estate market in your community of choice call or text the Griffiths to learn more.  239-273-7430

The High & Low Bonita Springs Home Sales Feb 2019

For those of you curious about the Bonita Springs and Estero entry level and luxury sales in the February, here’s the skinny.  The most affordable real estate sale in the Bonita Springs/Estero area was actually a manufactured home in Mariner’s Cove which is located off of Broadway in Estero.  That property sold for $64,000.

The most expensive home that closed sale in the month of February was a Bonita Beach home on Hickory Blvd.  It was new construction and closed sale for $2,750,000.  It was a beach front home on the Gulf of Mexico.

If you’d like to learn more about purchasing a home or condo in the Bonita Springs or Estero area, call or text the Griffith’s at 239-273-7430

Visit the 911 Mural Bonita Springs 78/365 Things to Do

The city of Bonita Springs has a few memorials to the September 11th attacks located in Downtown Bonita Springs.  Besides the granite artifact that is in front of the Liles Hotel, there is a 911 mural painted on the side of the fire station located at the roundabout at Pennsylvania Ave. and Old 41 Road.

The mural is an outstanding work of mixed media artwork and depicts the events on the day of September 11th and days after during the recovery. The entire corner has been turned into an eco park and a lovely place to sit and reflect at the mural.

Recent improvements to the park include several park benches and a custom lighting package so that the mural can been seen after the sun sets.

If you go be sure to plan to have ice cream at For Heaven’s Shakes across the street.  Our family often stops for ice cream, visits the memorial and then we walk around the block that the fire station is located on. You can walk all over the well lit Riverside Park, as well. 

Read also: Evening Walk at Riverside Park 76/365 Things to Do

If you are from the New York/New Jersey area would like to visit the other area memorials and tributes there is steel at the Fort Myers Beach fire department near Santini Plaza and steel and a huge memorial at Freedom Park in Naples, Florida.

Spot the Raptors Across #SWFL 77/365 Things to Do

Southwest Florida is home to a wide array of wildlife. Most especially the Bonita Springs area is home to a variety of raptors that include a wide variety of hawks, osprey, bald eagles, vultures and caracara.

You’d really only have to drive along Hickory Blvd. to see many of the osprey.  They are always flying around by the north end near Bay Harbor Club Condo and Sea Isles.  Even a little further north they nest along the road to Lover’s Key State Park near Dog Beach.  Look up!  They're on the power/phone poles!.

There is a nesting pair of bald eagles in Bonita Springs near St. Leo’s Catholic Church. Of course the famous eagle pair is in North Fort Myers not too far from Powell Creek Preserve.

If you’re interested in catching a caracara in action you can visit Dinner Island. Read also:

Visit Dinner Island Ranch Wildlife Management Area 55/365

The common red shoulder hawks can be seen just about anywhere but you can easily find them at parks and preserves such as Cullum’s Bonita Trail and CREW – The Corkscrew Regional Ecosystem Watershed.

If you’re looking for interesting or fun things to do with kids, bird watching is a nearly free activity and you can always find ways to make it a contest for who spots the most or who spots a bird first. It gets the kids outside and teaches them so much about nature in Florida.

Evening Walk at Riverside Park 76/365 Things to Do

If you have a hard time getting your exercise in because the day just gets away from you, consider walking at Riverside Park.  My daughter and I frequently end up at Riverside Park walking our dogs.

Periodically, after work we meet up to blow off some steam with a long walk.  We have  been walking the perimeter of the park by walking along Old 41 to the Imperial River, then along the boardwalk to the Artist Cottages and then we continue through the parking lots and walk behind the band shell and then continue to Front Street that runs parallel with the railroad tracks until we get to Kentucky Street. We walk along the boundary of Shangri La Hotel until we get to Old 41 and then head north again and do the whole loop again.

The route we take is well lit and there are a surprising number of people not just sitting around at the park at picnic tables but also walking, jogging or pushing strollers on the same loop that we are walking on.  The down town area has tons of street lights and lots of activity after hours. 

If you go and you bring your dog they are technically only permitted at Depot Park.  There are dog waste stations and free poo bags on that side of the tracks.  Most of our interaction at Riverside Park is on the sidewalk. It makes for a great walking route so be sure to call a friend some evening if you’re looking for things to do.  It’s a beautiful downtown area and a great place to see.

Naples Airport Observation Deck 75/365 Things to Do

The observation deck is a popular spot by the Naples Municipal Airport to sit back and enjoy a nice day to the roar of airplanes and air traffic control chatter while having a bite to eat, working out, or watching the kiddies play in the little children’s play area. If you are looking for interesting things to do with kids this might be something to try.

There is actually a lot going on in this little area and, in reality, it could be just the first stop on a biking or jogging tour of several new parks in Naples. 

There is also a Handicapped parking only walking/biking park just on the other side of the airport that is also publicly accessible via either North Road, or the bike path that runs alongside it. The handicapped parking only park recently was joined to a much larger park via a pedestrian bridge across the Gordon River, which opened in March, 2019. Further down at the end of North Road, there is access to the relatively new Gordon River Greenway which also neighbors both the Conservancy of Southwest Florida and Naples Zoo plus that route leads north to Freedom Park.

The Naples Municipal Airport Observation  Deck is handicap friendly, has 2 ADA compliant restrooms with a drinking fountain, has 2 separate picnic areas, an enclosed children’s play area, a workout area with various isometric exercise stations, and a raised pressure treated wood observation deck.

The observation deck has benches all around its perimeter and a couple of picnic tables. There is a radio monitoring the tower’s radio chatter. There is usually a couple of “sail” sunshades over the deck area, however it wasn’t there this afternoon when I stopped by; I’m not sure if they’ve been put back up since Hurricane Irma.

There are 2 handicap parking places, 2 gravel parking areas, and plenty of grass parking available. There are a number of trash cans, although I didn’t see any recycling bins.  If you go be sure to take sunscreen just in case the sun sails aren’t up. 

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

Waterside Shops in Naples, Florida 74/365 Things to Do

Waterside shops in Naples, Florida is a high end shopping and dining destination. Waterside Shops has more than 60 stores and restaurants that range from stores by Gucci, Tiffany & Co, Nordstrom, Saks Fifth Avenue plus so many more!

Dining options Include Bricktop’s, BRIO Tuscan Grille, California Pizza Kitchen and True Food Kitchen which also offers diet conscious and vegan options.

Waterside Shops offer outdoor seating surrounded by amazing waterfalls, water features and beautiful palm trees so if you just wanted to walk around or grab a cup of coffee the views are great.

Barnes and Noble bookstore is located nearby, also. If you're looking for fun things to do you can also visit Clam Pass which is down the road, too.  To learn more, read also:

Clam Pass Park in Naples, Florida 

This premiere shopping center is located 5415 Tamiami Trail N, Naples, FL and is open from 10:00am- 7:00pm Monday- Saturday and Sunday 12:00-6:00pm.

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

Sweet Melissa’s Ice Cream 73/365 Things to Do

Sweet Melissa’s Ice Cream - What better way to end a full day of working outside in the Florida winter heat then by taking the kids to have Ice Cream for dinner? Well, we did just that. We decided to take the kids to Sweet Melissa’s to try out their ice cream. They had a tiki feel to the room, and huge blackboards with all the homemade flavors that Sweet Melissa’s has to offer.

I had Birthday Cake flavor, as it was my birthday weekend, Jon had Cookies and Cream, Madison had Watermelon Sorbet and Aiden had Coffee flavor. They had all typed of sizes and cones to pick from.

We also over heard some patrons talking that they had just had Dinner at Coconut Jacks, and they gave them a coupon for Ice Cream. It turns out that the owner owns both businesses. Sweet Melissa’s is located on Bonita Beach Road just a few lights before Bay Water Boat Rentals and the restaurants C Level and The Fish House. 

The address is: 4445 Bonita Beach Rd SW, Bonita Springs, FL 34134

Sweet Melissa’s has low top table for big parties of 8 or more, and smaller tables of 4 or less. You can also take your cone outside, too. If you are looking for fun things to do a stop at Sweet Melissa’s is a must!

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About the Author - Angela Griffith is a long-time resident of Bonita Springs, Florida. She and her husband Jon operate a local business and are raising a son and daughter in Bonita Springs.