Naples, FL

Fabrizio Aielli's seafood-and-Italian flagship in the heart of Third Street South — house-made pastas, a serious raw bar, and a wine list with one of the deepest Florida-state-wine sections in the country. The gold-standard Naples dinner.

5th Avenue South Italian small-plates bar from the Osteria Tulia team — focaccia, fritto misto, and a craft-cocktail program that holds its own against the food. The casual-but-serious dinner in town.

Sister to Bar Tulia — formal-trattoria older brother with handmade pastas, a more focused wine list, and white-tablecloth dining that doesn't feel stuffy. The locals' anniversary dinner in town.

Third Street South Italian with wood-fired pizzas, hand-rolled pastas, and a sidewalk patio that's the prettiest evening seat on the strip. The reliable Italian when Osteria Tulia is booked.

Long-running Persian kitchen on 4th Street South with kebabs, fesenjan, and saffron-and-rice dishes that taste like nothing else in Naples. The under-the-radar cuisine that's been here for 30 years.

Venetian Village's upstairs seafood-and-grill room with a long bar facing Venetian Bay and one of the best sunset patios in town. The casual-waterfront alternative to fine-dining Naples.

Old-Florida open-air seafood shack at Crayton Cove since 1976 — fried grouper, conch fritters, frozen drinks, and a deck that watches the marina traffic. The least-Naples-feeling restaurant in Naples.

Submarine-themed seafood-with-Asian-influences on Tamiami Trail that's quietly Naples' most ambitious seafood kitchen — miso-glazed sea bass, sashimi-grade tuna, and an attention to fish that the resort restaurants don't quite match.

D'Amico Group's polished American steakhouse on Third Street South with a wood-burning grill, an extensive bar program, and a courtyard that's the prettiest patio in the downtown district.

Two-story New American on 5th Avenue South with a sweeping staircase, an upstairs cocktail bar, and a menu that runs from raw bar to wood-grilled steaks. The grown-up special-occasion alternative to Italian-heavy 5th Avenue.

Tony Aiello's elegant 5th Avenue Mediterranean room with charcuterie carts wheeled tableside, a serious caviar program, and a wine cellar that's one of the most-awarded in Florida. The high-end booking in town.

Hotel Escalante's hidden-courtyard Mediterranean room — fountain in the middle, jasmine on the walls, and a kitchen that does serious Mediterranean small plates that don't get the publicity of the bigger 5th Avenue rooms.

All-day breakfast-and-lunch institution on Third Street South — egg dishes, salads, and a sidewalk patio that's the Naples ladies-who-lunch HQ. The reliable daytime move in the historic district.

Breakfast-and-lunch only — small enough to feel local even though it's a regional chain. The daytime option locals send their visiting parents to when Jane's gets full.

Modern American bistro tucked off 5th Avenue's main strip with seasonal small plates, craft cocktails, and a younger-skewing crowd than the 5th Avenue dining rooms. The going-out alternative to Naples' fine-dining default.

Long-running 5th Avenue Italian with a sidewalk patio, a focused pasta menu, and one of the best wine lists on the strip. The Italian when you want serious but not as formal as Osteria Tulia.

Stone-crab-and-seafood specialist on 5th Avenue South — the local stone-crab connoisseur's pick over the chain alternatives, with a kitchen that takes the seasonal crab program seriously.

Steakhouse-and-Asian-fusion on 5th Avenue South with sushi, dry-aged steaks, and a casual-but-serious dining room. The hybrid concept that somehow works.

Tony Ridgway's long-running 3rd Street South institution with a courtyard, a polished American menu, and a wine program that's been one of the country's most-awarded for decades. The Naples old guard's room.

Tony Ridgway's bakery-and-cafe sibling to the more formal Ridgway Bar & Grill — Third Street South sandwich-and-pastry counter that's the city's most reliable cafe morning.

Farm-to-table American with one of the strongest commitments to Florida producers of any restaurant in town. Tucked off the main strip — locals come here when they want serious-but-quieter than 5th Avenue.

Peruvian counter-and-dining-room with ceviche, lomo saltado, and a pisco sour program that's the only one in town worth the order. The cuisine that doesn't otherwise exist in Naples.

Naples-style coal-fired pizza counter (not the Italy Naples, but coal-fired in the Naples Florida sense) with a hot-out-of-the-oven slice that's the city's only legit foldable slice.

North Naples wood-fired Neapolitan pizzeria with VPN-style dough and a small dining room that fills with locals on Friday nights. The under-the-radar pizza spot most visitors miss.

Audubon's 13,000-acre sanctuary with a 2.25-mile elevated boardwalk through the largest old-growth bald cypress forest in North America. The closest thing to wilderness within day-trip distance of Naples.

A 3/4-mile boardwalk through mangroves out to a beach the developers couldn't reach — narrow, undeveloped, and the most peaceful Naples beach within 10 minutes of downtown.

A barrier-island state park at the north end of Naples — mangrove backside, undeveloped Gulf beach, and a north-end pass where dolphins and manatees come through. Day-trip with a real-Florida feel.

Two-mile elevated boardwalk and crushed-shell trail network along the Gordon River, connecting the Zoo, the Conservancy, and a small launch for kayak access into the mangroves. Naples' best urban-nature corridor.

110,000-acre mangrove estuary southeast of Naples with a visitor center, walking trails, and a tower that overlooks the mangrove canopy. The big-day-trip nature outing for the area.

A 342-acre coastal preserve north of Naples with miles of undeveloped beach, a learning center, and gopher-tortoise habitat behind the dunes. The hike-and-beach combo within reach.

43-acre zoo on a 1919 botanical-garden site with a boat tour through islands of free-roaming primates, giraffe feedings, and a feline conservation program. Better than the city's size predicts.

The art museum half of the Artis—Naples complex — contemporary American, photography, and a glass-tower installation by Dale Chihuly. Compact, well-curated, and the city's serious art venue.

The performing arts hall housing the Naples Philharmonic plus touring Broadway, classical and jazz performances. The city's serious music venue, with acoustics rare for the area.

Resident community-theater company in a downtown Sugden Theatre venue right on 5th Avenue South. A nightly season of plays, musicals, and a Black Box that runs riskier productions.

Free city-history museum in the 1927 Seaboard Air Line Railway depot — restored Pullman cars, an exhibit on the swamp-buggy history of southwest Florida, and the surprisingly good Calusa-shell-mound display.

Wildlife-rehabilitation center and nature center with a critical-care turtle hospital, dolphin-encounter exhibits, and electric-boat eco-tours up the Gordon River. The substantive nature attraction in town.

One of the most significant collections of automotive history in the world — 115 historic race cars and significant production cars in a museum that's by appointment-only and feels like a private collection rather than a tourist stop.

Compact but serious Holocaust museum with a permanent collection, rotating exhibits, and a strong survivor-testimony program. Quiet, affecting, and rarely on tourist lists.

A Collier County water park with slides, a lazy river, and a kid-pool area — the rainy/sunny-day fallback for families. The only one in Naples and reasonably priced.

The local craft brewery on Enterprise Avenue with a tap room, a beer garden, and a kitchen running food-truck-style pulled-pork and tacos. The adult evening alternative to fine-dining Naples.

The 1,000-foot wooden fishing pier at the foot of 12th Avenue South, the city's de-facto town gathering spot. Sunset on the pier is the everybody-does-it Naples ritual — and worth it once.

Naples' walkable main street — six blocks of sidewalk dining, galleries, fashion boutiques, and the city's prettiest evening promenade. Live music spills out of the bars most weekend nights.

Naples' original downtown district — older, lower-rise, more old-money than Fifth Avenue. Galleries, white-tablecloth restaurants, and a Saturday-morning farmer's market locals prefer over the bigger ones.

170-acre botanical garden with themed gardens for each Florida-climate region, a 90-acre nature preserve, and a butterfly enclosure. The most substantial outdoor cultural attraction in town.

The locals' Naples beach — wider, calmer, free-ish parking, and a low-key snack bar and showers. The pier and the resort beaches get the tourists; this is where everyone else goes.

1920s waterfront commercial warehouse turned into a riverside shopping-and-eating compound on the Gordon River. Touristy but the boats coming and going make it a worthwhile photo stop on the way to dinner.

Tiny waterfront enclave with the Dock restaurant, a small marina, and a pocket-sized public dock that's the prettiest spot to watch boats come in. Often missed by tourists who stop at Tin City instead.

Three-block public park at the east end of 5th Avenue South with a bandshell that hosts free outdoor concerts in season, plus tennis courts and a playground. The neighborhood-anchor public space in downtown Naples.