There are many beaches, some just outside hotels and many in their natural state, all open to the public. The average water temperature is 77.5, with a low of 71 in the winter and up to 90 in the summer. The coldest months are December and January with daytime highs of 75 and lows at night in the mid 50's. July and August reach the low 90's from a night time low of around 72. In all the years of record keeping, the highest high temperature was 98 degrees.

While there are many retirees, the actual mean age is 46 years old. Naples is one of the wealthiest communities in the country and Collier Country also one of the fastest growing. There are way more Jaguars and Mercedes than Chevrolets here.

Southwest Florida is often called the "Golf Capital of the World" because of the hundreds of courses but the truth is that most of them are private and a few are only open to the public in the summer off-season. However, by having a membership to a course, many top courses are open to play for just a cart fee from May thru October. Designs by Nicklaus, Palmer, Fazio, Norman, Dye, Robert Trent Jones Sr. and Jr., Cupp, Hills, Floyd, Trevino, Player, and many more are available on what is called a "reciprocal."

Two televised Pro tournaments are held in Naples. The Franklin Templeton Shootout, an invitational hosted by Greg Norman, is played at Tiburon (Spanish for "shark") every year. Tiburon is a 36-hole facility, designed by Norman and located at the Ritz Carlton Golf Resort. It's also the home of the Rick Smith Golf Academy. The David Ledbetter Academy is down the street at the LaPlaya Resort. The other tournament is the Champion's Tour Ace Classic, held at Twin Eagles Country Club, a Nicklaus design. Most of the top Senior pros compete, including Jack, Tom Watson, and Hale Irwin.

There are several upscale shopping and dining districts in the area. 5th Avenue South and 3rd Street South are similar to places like Newbury Street in Boston and even Newport, Rhode Island. Fine cuisine and expensive clothing rule, with top name designers and $35 Filet Mignon the norm. Lower priced restaurants are plentiful though and many have 2 for 1 entrees and great Happy Hours. One attraction for me was that there are many bars and restaurants, some right on the Gulf of Mexico, that offer live entertainment. In season I was up to 5 gigs a week and I've finally established myself enough where I'm a regular at 5 different places in the summer.