Marco Island for Summer Fun in Florida Sun: There's More Than Just Beaches

Summer fun, what do those words conjure up? Living in South Florida there are so many sun and fun spots just waiting to be explored and enjoyed within just a few hours drive, one of them is Marco Island, located on the Gulf Coast just at the edge of the famous Everglades National Park

Marco is the biggest inhabited island in the chain of islands known as the ten thousand islands and though it is only 6 miles long and just four miles wide, that little piece of land has surprises galore to all who live there or visit.

People come back year after year to take part in these activities or to just sit on the long sandy beaches or poolside, have picnics and just enjoy the laid back atmosphere.

Time shares are very popular at some truly fantastic resorts located right on that magnificent beach...Both my daughters have their own units and arrange
every year to reserve the week of July 4^th...they've invited us to stay each year, for the last 5 years..... we take turns staying with each one. What a wonderful, perfect time it is to bond with the grandkiddies, sharing all sorts of summer fun with them as well as the highlight, a great fireworks extravaganza held off shore so we just sit back on the beach and take it all in... but if you don't have a time share, don't worry, there are many luxurious and family orientated hotels located right on the beach as well

Marco Island is the located at the northern tip of the Ten Thousand Islands and is the largest inhabited island of the group...these waters, due to where they are located, offer some of the best backcountry fishing in the world.. So it's no surprise that Marco has some of the best seafood restaurants in the Gulf Coast area, serving stone crab, (in season) huge Gulf shrimp and the freshest, just out of the sea, delicacies, often prepared with the flavor of the Caribbean.

One of our favorite activities is shell collecting...it's amazing what washes ashore each day. Snorkeling is also something we love to do...just walk out to the nearest sandbar and there are fish galore waiting to be seen...starfish and sand dollars are easy to locate and the kids love to find them...last year my daughter found a huge conch shell while snorkeling, which she now uses as a planter.

If you don't feel like sitting on the beach all day, something we have enjoyed is the Marco Island Trolley Tour...you can board the trolley right by your hotel or timeshare and take the 90 minute narrated tour which highlights the islands historic sites including the seashell mounds left behind by the Calusa Indians.....another tour called the Vantastic tour takes you in an air conditioned van to various natural habitats of Alligators, Bald Eagles, and Manatees...you can even can board an airboat ride across the Sawgrass wilderness of the Everglades for animal sightings galore..well, if you are lucky and in the right place at the right time. There are many other innovative tours available for whatever your interests are.

Bird watching is also popular as the seagulls, sandpipers and other shore birds don't seem to be shy when it comes to us humans sunning ourselves on the beach while the birds look for goodies from the sea to feed on. I've spotted large pelicans diving into the water for their daily catch. And, you never know what you will spot up in one of the trees...we always bring our binoculars, once we spotted a parrot...what he was doing there we will never know.

In the summer we also have found sea turtle nests right on the beach, with warning signs not to disturb...One day I would love to witness their march into the sea.

Tidbit,:the management of the timeshare we stay in requests everyone draw their curtains in the evening after 10 PM so the turtles won't get confused by the lights..in case the little things decide that night to make it into the water.

Water sports are popular such as motor boating, sailing, jet skiing and parasailing...one day when I was in the water I heard a few folks talking about the Dolphins they had seen just a short distance from the shore when they got off their jet skis, you can even hear the excited screams of the parasailers as they fly through the sky, my daughter was one of them once and I've listened to the tall fish tails of my sons in laws after they went fishing describing the big ones that got away and realized, this is indeed a great summer vacation destination.

And don't worry if you don't have a time share...there are some really fantastic hotels to stay in, many right on that beautiful sunswept beach, along with some charming smaller places located just a block or two away..

I can't recommend Marco Island highly enough for anyone who wants a nice summer getaway...for just relaxation or a few fun-filled activities it's a natural, and lucky me, it's just a two hour drive away.