Things to do in Marco Island for a Weekend
On a weekend away, my husband and I decided to do a quick getaway to Marco Island. Here’s a list of places that we visited and a general idea of things to do in Marco Island.
Located in Southwest Florida, below Naples, Marco Island is a quaint and quiet island known for its island living. This touristy town is home to a few snowbirds and wealthy people alike, who flock its shores during the winter season. It is easily accessible by car through I-75 or US1 (also known as the Tamiami Trail).
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Getting around Marco Island
First off, you’ll need ground transportation to get to Marco Island. It is highly advised that you rent or drive your own car to get to the island. The most accessible airport is located in Ft Myers, around an hour away, or you can fly in to Miami and drive around 2 hours to get to Marco Island.
You can use the car to get around the island. There are some places that are within walking distance, but with the Florida summer heat and the afternoon thunderstorms, it’s not recommended. It may be good to walk around in the spring, fall, and winter time though.
Things to do in Marco Island
If the beach is your main reason for visiting the island, know that parking is paid. Budget at least $2-10 extra, depending on how long you plan to stay. There are plenty of beach access points from the road so it’s not exactly required to stay at a beachfront resort.
Marco Beach
For the cost of parking or an overnight stay at one of the various hotels in the area, you can stroll, sunbathe, or hang around Marco Beach. It is a white sand beach popular to shell hunters for the unique (and big) shells that are abundant in its shores.
From an oceanview hotel room, the beach is pretty amazing, but don’t be deceived: it is not of a powder-like consistency. Bring water shoes or flip flops as you walk through the beach. Otherwise, it can be pretty painful to walk around as the shells can be pretty sharp.
The beach area itself does not have as many waves and is a bit shallow in some parts, allowing for wading or swimming through the water. If visiting in summer though, note that the humidity can make the temperature a bit unbearable with afternoon thunderstorms. Some hotels provide umbrellas and lounge chairs on the beach, a perfect spot to cool off.
If you’re a nature lover, there’s plenty of birds that dot the beach and the water.
Tigertail Beach
At the very end of Marco Beach, you’ll see a bit of greenery that seems a bit out of place. The sand then forks on the road: you can go on the left side for a smaller spit of land where you can also lounge by the beach, or on the right side to Tigertail Beach.
Tigertail Beach is technically not fronting the ocean. It’s more of a lagoon if walking by the beach. There’s a place to rent some water sports equipment like kayaks or paddleboards, and is a pretty quiet place to sit around and enjoy nature.
Cape Romano and the Ten Thousand Islands
A conservation area located south of Marco Island, these island chains are not exactly 10,000 islands. As our guide told us, NOAA got the 10,000 island count based on the number of trees that were seen poking from land, which is not exactly an accurate depiction of the number of islands there are in the area.
Only accessible by boat, the best way to explore the islands and beaches is through a guided boat tour. Our group went with Eco Endeavors, a local family owned company which meets at a boat ramp at the historic town of Goodland.
It is not that advisable to rent a boat and take it out on the islands as our captain has explained. The water is shallow and there are plenty of sandbars just hidden underneath the surface, remnant of Hurricanes Andrew and Irma. The islands had been directly hit by Irma in 2017 and as the waterways are difficult to navigate due to its changed shape, it is not advisable for novices to try and explore on their own by boat.
Within the Ten Thousand Islands is Cape Romano. Until recently, there were houses on this small stretch of land at the tip of Southwest Florida. We cover two of the major attractions below.
Cape Romano Dome Houses
Originally built in 1984, these houses were originally meant to last hurricanes based on their dome design. Originally owned by a man who struck it rich with oil, him and his family enjoyed a few years living in seclusion and decorated the house opulently.
Fast forward to 1992, when Hurricane Andrew made a direct hit in Florida and the sand where the dome houses were built on top of was suddenly washed further out to sea. With it, the dome houses were washed out in the water, where they stayed.
The six domes managed to survive two more decades until Hurricane Irma made a direct hit to Marco Island. Two of the dome houses then sank to the bottom, and the foundations of the other dome houses have been damaged. Our guide mentioned that it may not last should the next hurricane hit so it’s definitely a site to visit while you can.
Morgan’s Beach/Bay/Island
Part of our Cape Romano boat tour includes a visit to Morgan’s Beach for some shelling. It is a long stretch of sand where you can swim in the lagoon on the other side of Morgan’s Island or on the bay itself.
The shells are big and are fairly unique. Eco Endeavors will help you identify some of the shells you have collected and will even give you a nice tote bag as a souvenir. You can also cool off by dipping in the water in the lagoon side or on the sea side. You don’t have much time to spend on the island so spend it accordingly.
Keewaydin Island
Another attraction located within the Marco Island area is Keewaydin Island. There are no roads to the island, so the only way to get there is by boat or by taking the ferry.
Like Morgan’s Island, there are plenty of shelling opportunities in Keewaydin Island, as well as a long stretch of beach where one can sunbathe or swim on the beach.
Key West Ferry
Another thing to do while in Marco Island is take a trip to Key West. Conveniently, there is a ferry that goes direct from Marco Island to Key West. The price is a bit expensive – around $100+ per person round trip, but it beats driving more than 4 hours to get to the southernmost point of the US.
We’ve always wanted to take the Key West ferry, but will report about it when we finally do. If you want a more detailed Key West itinerary, we had posted about it on our other blog.
Where We Ate in Marco Island
We’re including a short section on where we ate in Marco Island. We have only been to two places while we were on the island. Given the current situation,
Empire Bagels
Within a mile of the JW Marriott hotel, this local place has amazing bagels. You can even grab some cream cheese to go. We ate this for breakfast and for lunch before we headed off for our Cape Romano tour.
The price for a dozen bagels is not so bad, around the $15 range, and they are very tasty and filling.
Quinn’s on the Beach at the JW Marriott
Since we were staying at the JW Marriott resort and we did not have enough time to venture outside, we decided to stay in and eat by the beach. Because of the COVID-19 situation when we visited, the menu was trimmed down significantly and everybody had to eat outdoors.
Quinn’s serves classic American fare like sandwiches and burgers, with some tacos mixed in. You can also order takeaway and eat the food in your room if you are more comfortable in that situation.
Any other places we missed? Comment below
We did not stay a long time on Marco Island, but if we missed any other activities that should have been on the original list, please feel free to comment below or contact us. We’d love to hear from you!
As a note – we paid for our Eco Endeavors trip and we have not been compensated in any kind. We are just extremely happy with their tour!
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