Marco Island - Mangroves, Manatees & Man
Florida, November 2010
Located on the Gulf Coast of Florida, almost directly across from Miami, lies a very unique island. From space it looks entirely man-made. Perfectly uniformed canals have been jig-sawed out of the island creating thousands of waterfront homes. However, just a couple of miles off the coast you are surrounded by mangrove islands oozing with so much wildlife you would think you were in a nature reserve.
you will find it impossible to resist picking up a shell
The 2 hour journey from Miami International Airport to Marco Island couldn’t set the scene better. The Tamiami Trail cuts right through the middle of the Everglades and you can easily spot alligators basking in the shallow waters as herons and egrets fly low across the saw-grass marshes. In fact, the only signs of human life are the Airboat Tours dotted along the eighty miles of virtually straight road. A road you certainly wouldn’t want to break down on!
Before it was developed in the 1960’s, Marco Island was virtually uninhabited and mosquito infested. Over the centuries man has made several attempts to live here. The Calusa Indians were the first to settle and it was Spanish explorers who named it San Marco. The first hotel opened in 1896 by Captain Bill Collier, who arrived on the island in 1870 with his wife and 9 children. However, it was Barron Collier, an advertising magnate from New York and no relation to Captain Bill, who had the first plan to really develop the island. Unfortunately, his vision was shattered by the 1920’s Depression and after that, the only significant structures to be built on the island were a clam factory and a missile tracking station.
It was the Mackle brothers from Miami that eventually turned Marco Island into a paradise holiday destination and created a brand new community for those escaping the cold winters of the North. Today it’s easy to see what they saw in the location. The island is 6 miles long and 4 miles wide and has a wide, powdery sand beach that runs the full length of the coastline from Tiger Tail Beach to the crescent shaped South Marco Beach with its single row of high rise condos and hotels. The waters of the Gulf of Mexico lap the shell covered beach and there are more birds in the sea than people.
As you walk on sand as soft as flour, you will find it impossible to resist picking up a shell and by the end of your trip you will have your own private collection. I wasn't the least bit surprised to discover that it is in fact an officially recognised activity on Marco known as "shelling". Although the beaches are stunningly beautiful you could easily be anywhere on the Florida coastline but it’s what lies offshore that makes Marco Island such a special place.
Marco is the first island in a ninety-nine mile stretch known as Ten Thousand Islands. It doesn’t take long before civilisation feels a million miles away and you could easily become lost in the intricate maze of identical looking islands covered in ancient mangroves. By far the best way to explore this area is on a jet-ski or by canoe. Flocks of pink and white flamingos take flight at the sound of your approach and as they skim across the water, you could easily imagine yourself somewhere along the Amazon River.
is a mixture of roller-coaster adrenalin as you roar full-throttle parallel to the beach
However, you don’t need to leave Marco Island to see wildlife. All around the island there are signs saying “Caution Manatee Area”. These strange looking sea mammals are herbivores and feast on the mangrove leaves but can be spotted around the moorings and the concrete shuttering that surrounds the majority of the island. As you head down one of the finger-like canals, with their sought after waterfront homes, you regularly spot dolphins jumping through the air or gliding under winched-up speedboats and jet-skies. Fish, the size of small children, travel up and down these canals and eagles and ospreys land on the alien palm trees set in manicured gardens.
Quite a few of the houses on Marco are winter homes. Those from the upper Midwest states come here to escape the harsh cold months and eventually many stay for good. Marco Island was jokingly described to me as having "a Q-Tip population with the average age being dead"! Indeed, there are a lot of retirees but it’s the perfect place for families to visit parents and grandparents and by doing so the next generation of Marcoites become hooked on the Island.
By far the best way to explore Marco is by boat. A trip round the island is a mixture of roller-coaster adrenalin as you roar full-throttle parallel to the beach combined with 5 mile an hour wake-free cruising along the canals, lagoons and the Marco River. There are several places where you can moor and hop ashore for lunch such as The Snook Inn and Old Marco Lodge. Live bands play in the afternoon and bad dancing - even in daylight hours - is highly tolerated and in fact encouraged. There is something about arriving at a restaurant by boat that you just can’t beat. Mooring a boat is so much more glamorous than parking a car in the car park!
Another famous spot for lunch is Stan’s especially on a Sunday. We were lucky to be there on Veteran’s Day and were moved to hear the snow-white bearded owner and Marco Island legend, Stan Goble pay tribute to his younger brother who was a Lieutenant Colonel in the US Airforce. (Stan did point out that his brother didn’t die serving his country but from cancer!) As Stan played his favourite recording of the Star Spangled Banner everyone stood and silently faced the large American flag flying over the main building. Afterwards the band started up, more beers and cocktails were ordered and everyone headed for the dance floor.
but its what lies off-shore that makes Marco Island such a special place.
The bar’s slogan is “Stan’s Idle Hour” but the majority that Sunday looked settled in for the afternoon. A row of Harley Davidson’s formed a periphery around the white plastic tables and chairs crammed tightly together next to the outdoor stage and dance floor. Stan’s is so popular with locals and visitors alike that during the high season you will be lucky to find a space to park along the ½ mile road from the Goodland Bridge.
Looking around it appeared most of Stan’s clientele had visited the Island Queen boutique located on the other side of the dance floor from the bar. The shop sells everything from souvenirs, t-shirts, resort wear and jewellery but it’s the bizarre selection of comical hats that makes everyone smile. The most popular were the sun visors and bandanas that came complete with a mop of fake hair and allowed their new owners to either act 10 years younger or pretend to be a biker for the day.
The residents of Marco Island love their dogs but how much I hadn’t realised until we had delicious brunch at the colourful Chef’s Express in Old Marco where they have a section of their menu devoted to canines! In the evenings there is a wide selection of restaurants to choose from although 9pm is known as Marco Midnight as almost everyone dines early.
The Star Bar at the Esplanade shopping mall and marina is a popular place to have a cocktail as the sun sets over the million dollar boats moored in Smokehouse Bay. Afterwards there is the choice of having dinner at either CJ’s or Tara’s Steak and Lobster House. Alternatively, the food and amazing service at the family run, Da Vinci’s, at Marco Walk Plaza is excellent – especially the homemade tiramisu.
Marco Island is an amazing example of man creating a brand new community from scratch. With perseverance, incredible engineering skills together with ridding the island of mosquitoes, the dream has now been a reality for the last forty years. I have to admit, my first impression of Marco Island was that it was a little bit too perfect. However, I now realise that for man to live in harmony with the mangroves and manatees it can be nothing but perfect. Marco Island may be man-made but it’s as close to nature as you can get!