Florida Gulf Coast Facts
»Fishing in the Gulf Coast starts in spring, which is Tarpon season, whilst from August to November there is an abundance of grouper, snapper, mackerel and kingfish.
»The Gulf Coast's Venice is known as 'The Shark Tooth Capital of the World' as its beaches are covered in sharks' teeth.
»Venice has fourteen miles of beaches.
»The movie Gone Fishing with Danny Glover and Joe Pesci was filmed in Naples Florida.
»Naples was the fastest growing metropolitan area in the USA during the 1980s - the population tripled during this time.
»The City of Naples was named in 1886 after Naples in Italy - the two locations are now international sister cities.
»Marco Island is connected to the mainland by the Jolley Bridge.
»Clearwater on Florida's Gulf Coast holds the record for consecutive sunny days in one year - 361 days.
»The annual Clearwater Jazz Holiday, which takes place over four days and nights in October each year, is the largest free jazz festival in the south-eastern United States.
»St Pete Beach officially changed its name from St Petersburg Beach in 1994.
»At Pier 60 on Clearwater Beach two hours before sunset every day, local artisans, street performers and musicians gather to provide free entertainment against the backdrop of the setting sun.
»The largest non-profit wild bird hospital in the USA, the SunCoast Seabird Sanctuary, is in Indian Shores on Florida's Gulf Coast; it houses and treats injured pelicans, herons, egrets, owls, hawks and other birds.
»Along with Marco Island and the Everglades, the city of Naples makes up the popular vacation area known as the Paradise Coast.
»Naples is home to several major land reserves, including the Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary, Everglades National Park, Big Cypress National Preserve, Florida Panther National Wildlife Refuge and Picayune Strand State Forest.
»The Naples Players at the Sugden Community Theatre, along with their Kidzact youth theatre program, has been recognized as one of the top ten Community Theatre companies in the United States.
»The Philharmonic Center for the Arts, located in North Naples, has played host to celebrities including Bill Cosby, and national tours of Broadway Theatre musicals such as Cats and The Drowsy Chaperone, and musical talents from across the globe.
»In 2005, Naples was voted the best beach in America by the Travel Channel.
»John's Pass Village in Madeira Beach has more than 100 unique shops.
»Naturally beautiful Englewood has a large number of parks and nature preserves.
»The annual John’s Pass Seafood Festival, held the last weekend in October, attracts 100,000 people who enjoy the area's fresh local grouper and live entertainment.
»The barrier island community of Treasure Island was once home to the Timucuan Indians and pirates seeking sanctuary from the sea.
»Treasure Island has an award-winning nine-hole golf course surrounded by an intercostal waterway.
»The Gamble Plantation State Historical Site in Ellenton is the only Confederate memorial in Florida.
»The Gulf Coasts' Ochopee Post Office is the smallest in the USA.
»Fort Myers Beach Shrimp Festival in March draws thousands of visitors to the Blessing of the Shrimp Fleet.
»Over 40% of Sanibel Island is a wildlife preserve.
»A museum in Sanibel claims to be the only one in the world devoted solely to shells - it has over 2 million of them.
»Englewood is called the 'Gem of the Suncoast' because of its prime location and miles of stunning beaches.
»The population of St Pete Beach nearly doubles during the winter months, making it one of the most popular tourism areas on the Sun Coast.
»Fort Myers Beach has a reputation as the World's Safest Beach because it has no undertow and shallow water.
»Don Cesar Hotel, the 'Pink Castle' on St Pete Beach, is a US National Historic Landmark known for its clientele such as F Scott Fitzgerald, Franklin D Roosevelt and Al Capone.
»On 1 January 1914 Tony Jannus flew what is claimed to be the world's first scheduled passenger service airline flight from St Petersburg's yacht basin to Tampa.
»Anna Maria Island is only seven miles long but is divided into three separate towns: City of Anna Maria, the City of Holmes Beach and the City of Bradenton Beach.
»The De Soto National Memorial on Anna Maria Island commemorates Spanish explorer Hernando de Soto who came to the new world in the 16th century with a license from the King of Spain to explore, colonise and pacify the Indians of the area known as "La Florida".
»Throughout the 1870s and '80's, magazine and newspaper stories telling of the area's mild climate and abundant fish and game likened it to the sunny Italian peninsula of Naples - from where it took its' name.
»The name Naples caught on when promoters described the bay as "surpassing the bay in Naples, Italy".
»With more than 80 championship golf courses in the Naples area, Naples is the self-titled "Golf Capital of the World", claiming to have more holes per capita than any other community.
»Lemon Bay, on one side of Englewood, is an aquatic preserve with mangroves, sea grasses and oyster communities.
»Naples is within 30 minutes of the Minnesota Twins and the Boston Red Sox spring training facilities. The teams are based in the area through the winter and are an important attraction.
»Notable residents of Naples include Larry Bird – former American NBA basketball player, widely considered one of the best players of all time. Bob Seger – American rock and roll singer-songwriter and musician. Pus, film director Steven Spielberg.
»Beaches of Marco Island comprise of North-Bank Beach, Memorial Beach and South-Shore Beach. In addition to the beaches on the island, a popular public beach is located on nearby Crocodile Island.
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