Marco Island

Marco Island is the largest of the Ten Thousand Islands, a barrier island just south of Naples with a long crescent of white-sand beach along its Gulf side. Tigertail Beach and its lagoon anchor the north end, South Beach the other, and the shelling after a falling tide draws people down for the morning.

The island is laced with canals, so waterfront homes with docks are the norm here, and the backwaters of Rookery Bay and the Ten Thousand Islands make it a serious base for fishing and boating. Goodland, the old fishing village on the island's east side, is worth the short drive for a waterfront lunch.