Marco Island and Goodland: the back story

About Marco Island and Goodland: the back story

By the ULTIMATE Naples Editorial Team

Marco Island, about 30 minutes south of Naples, is the largest of the Ten Thousand Islands. Once a Calusa stronghold and later a fishing community, it was developed as a planned resort town from the 1960s.

The island

Marco’s long crescent beach faces the Gulf along South Collier Boulevard, lined with resorts and condominiums. Tigertail Beach, on the north-west of the island, is quieter, with a lagoon and tidal flats rich in birdlife.

Calusa and pioneers

The Marco Island Historical Museum tells the story of the Calusa, of the 1896 excavations at Key Marco and of the island’s pioneers and clam canneries.

Marco Island’s beach curves for miles; Goodland, around the corner, feels decades away.

Goodland

Goodland, on the island’s eastern edge, is a tiny fishing village of stilt houses, boat docks and waterfront bars such as Little Bar, a world away from the resort towers.

Our advice: spend a morning on Tigertail Beach for the birds, have lunch on the water in Goodland, and come back to the main beach for sunset.

Opening hours, prices and seasonal openings change, so please check with Marco Island and Goodland: the back story before you go.