Visitors Guide & Professional Directory - Bonita Springs Chamber of ...

things to do
discover
beautiful bonita sPrings
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ec o-dA y Tr i P P i n G
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Just beyond Bonita's beaches, well-manicured neighborhoods and artfully designed
shopping centers is the "real Florida," where nature rules and wildlife thrives undisturbed.
At Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary & Blair audubon Center (375 Sanctuary
Road, Naples; 348-9151; www.corkscrew.audubon.org), a 2.25-mile boardwalk wends
through old-growth cypress forest, home to dozens of bird species, alligators and otters.
Benches and rain shelters dot the self-guided trail, and volunteers are usually present to
answer questions. A field guide and children's activity book are available, and the cafe
serves snacks and beverages. Open daily.
Alligators, deer, bobcats, Florida panthers and hundreds of other species of plants,
birds and animals share everglades national park (305-242-7700 or www.nps.gov/
ever/), a ruggedly wild expanse of more than 1.5 million acres. The Gulf Coast Visitor
Center in Everglades City (695-2591) has maps and exhibits to familiarize you with the
region, and tour boats explore the Ten-Thousand Islands and mangrove wilderness every
day, year-round. Canoe rentals are also available.
From November through March, visit manatee park (10901 State Road 80 [Palm
Beach Blvd.], Fort Myers; 690-5030) to view these gentle but endangered giants as they
gather to nibble underwater vegetation. Manatees can weigh up to 3,500 pounds and
occasionally poke their walrus-like noses up for air, swirling the water with their paddleshaped
tails. The non-captive refuge includes picnic areas and shelters.
Closer to home, just past the YMCA of the Palms, enjoy the gentle, colorful world of two butterfly gardens and learn about some of the Earth’s most helpful
pollinators—honeybees and bats—at the Bonita nature place. Stretching along the banks of the scenic Imperial River, the property is home to 24 gopher
tortoises and is an ideal place for children to hike and reconnect with nature.
fA M i l y fu n
Make some family memories as warm as our cheerful
sunshine—Bonita offers a wealth of entertaining and educational
venues. "Explore" the African Congo, or go on safari amid exotic
animals while you play a round of fun and fast-paced miniature
golf at Congo river golf (948-9099) or golf Safari mini golf
(947-1377). See alligators and playful otters up close and in person
amid the tropical tree setting of everglades Wonder gardens
(992-2591).
A visit to the Center for the arts of Bonita Springs (www.
artcenterbonita.org) will enchant young budding artists, and the
world-class collections at the naples museum of art (www.
thephil.org) include a fascinating array of miniature rooms and
jaw-dropping works by master glass artist Dale Chihuly. Bonita’s
riverside park hosts Movies in the Park and concerts during the
winter season, and offers a monthly opportunity to meet local artists
at the park’s six historic cottages that serve as studios (see Calendar,
pages 16-17).
Alligator sightings are guaranteed during the exciting airboat
tours at airboats & alligators (657-2214), which offers naturebased
birding, sightseeing and fishing adventures.
hisToric do w n T o w n
Bonita’s rich heritage can be traced to Calusa Indians who
settled here thousands of years ago, and to Ponce de Leon and
other Spanish explorers who arrived in the New World during
the 1500s. In the 1870s, U.S. government surveyors pitched
camp here near a medicinal spring that local Indians believed
had healing powers. After the crew departed, the site was named
Survey, and the stream was called Surveyor’s Creek—now
known as the Imperial River.
Fishing, farming and citrus were the mainstays of early
Bonita Springs, but the small community exploded in 1928
when the Tamiami (Tampa-to-Miami) Trail was completed.
Word of Bonita’s natural charm and gentle climate spread north,
and visitors began to arrive. Among them were automobile
magnate Henry Ford and his friends, inventor Thomas Edison
and industrialist Harvey Firestone. By 1930, Bonita was accessible
by rail and car and continued to grow. In late 1999, Bonita
Springs became a city.
Its forward-thinking Master Plan, adopted in 2004, calls
for Bonita’s historic downtown district to undergo a gradual, reinvigorating transformation. Tucked along Old U.S. 41 and bordered by the scenic Imperial
River, the area is home to Riverside Park, a community gathering spot, and numerous small businesses. The historic Liles Hotel (shown above) and six fishing
cottages—important elements of Bonita’s riverfront heritage—are refurbished and open to the public as a museum and artists’ galleries and studios (see
Calendar, pages 16 & 17).
2011 www.BonitaSpringsChamber.com
things to do
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