Find the Best Things to Do in Bonita Springs
By Chelle Koster Walton
Naples Local Expert
About Bonita Springs
Photo courtesy of Chelle Koster Walton
Once a community of tomato farmers and fishermen, Bonita Springs has become quite the sophisticate in past years, blending almost seamlessly into North Naples to its south and Estero to its north. Golf course developments, shell-carpeted beachfront and a quiet downtown that undergoes redevelopment make up the town.
See & Do
Bonita Springs greatest attractions are natural. Of course the beach is the place to be and Bonita Beach Park has full facilities for a day in the sand, sun and sea. Downtown, its Riverside Park forms the heart of the community, a place to play, stroll and celebrate at year-round festivals. Other main attractions include The Promenade at Bonita Bay shopping center, the Naples-Fort Myers Greyhound Track and the Great Calusa Blueway paddling trail.
Eat
The restaurant scene in Bonita Spring holds its own against Naples’ lofty reputation as chain restaurants such as Roy’s and small chef-owned places including Wyld’s Café and A Table Apart raise the bar. Easy-going waterfront restaurants like Coconut Jack’s and Doc’s Beach House keep to the town’s salty and casual roots. At Bonita Springs’ doorstep, Coconut Point in Estero spreads a tantalizing selection of restaurants from a French brasserie to burger joints.
Shop
The Bonita Springs and Estero neighborhoods combine to offer shoppers a vast variety of options. Oldest and most signature, Flamingo Island Flea Market lies close to the interstate. So too does Miromar Outlets, the region's best for factory buys. The Promenade at Bonita Bay is easy to find along Highway 41, and just to the north in Estero, Coconut Point is a shopper's goldmine.