Things to Do
Taking Kids on the Water in Naples: A Parent's Field Guide
Two hours, one beach landing, before lunch. That's the formula — here's why it works.
6 min read
Things to Do
The Naples Pier, and Why It Matters Here
A working fishing pier that doubles as the town square.
The Naples Pier at the end of 12th Avenue South is the oldest thing in town that anyone visits. The original was built in 1888 as a freight and passenger dock — this was how you arrived in Naples before there was a road worth using. It has been destroyed and rebuilt repeatedly, by fire in 1922 and by hurricanes in 1910, 1926, 1960 and again in 2022, when Hurricane Ian took out much of the structure.
That cycle of destruction and rebuilding is, locally, part of the point. The pier gets replaced because Naples does not consider itself Naples without it.
What you do there
Fishing
No licence is required to fish from a public pier in Florida, which makes this the easiest fishing in the county. Expect sheepshead, snook, mangrove snapper, pompano, Spanish mackerel in the cooler months and the occasional tarpon that will comprehensively ruin your tackle. Bait and basic gear are usually available at or near the pier. Cleaning stations are provided; use them rather than the rail.
Watching
Dolphins pass close to the pier regularly, particularly in the morning. Brown pelicans dive alongside it all day. In winter you will see the occasional manatee. From the end you get a genuinely good view back along the beach in both directions, which is the only elevated view of the Naples coastline available to the public.
Sunset
The sunset gathering at the pier is a real ritual — a crowd forms 30 minutes before, people applaud, and it empties within ten minutes of the sun going. In season, arrive 45 minutes early for a rail spot. If the crowd is not your thing, walk five minutes north up the beach and you will have the same sky to yourself.
Practical details
- Free to walk on and fish from
- Metered parking at the pier lot and on the surrounding streets — this is one of the tightest parking situations in Naples in season
- Restrooms and showers at the pier entrance
- Open dawn to dusk plus evening hours; check current City of Naples posted times, which have changed with reconstruction work
Combine it with
Third Street South is a six-minute walk inland — an easy pairing of pier, sunset and dinner. The Old Naples grid between the two is also the prettiest ten-block walk in the city: banyans, low white houses, and almost no traffic.
Common questions
- Do you need a fishing licence at Naples Pier?
- No. Florida does not require a saltwater fishing licence for anglers fishing from a public pier.
- Is Naples Pier open after Hurricane Ian?
- The pier sustained major damage in 2022 and has been through reconstruction. Access and hours have varied during works, so check current City of Naples information before planning an evening around it.
