We got up late and had a relaxing breakfast followed by a few chores to make our new home more homey (hanging mirrors, assembling bathroom storage cabinets, etc. By 11:00 AM we were ready to head out. Our location is pretty handy, we’re five miles east of Naples, two miles from access to I-75 Eastbound (Miami), two miles in the other direction from access to I-75 Northbound (Tampa), there is a WalMart one mile away, and all other essential shopping needs are available within one mile. So we pulled out of our condo complex onto Davis Blvd, took an immediate right onto Santa Barbara Ave for a mile, left on Golden Gate Rd for half mile and jumped on I-75 North. Twelve miles later we exited on Bonito Springs Road, turned left for two miles, then right on Old Hwy 41 for a mile arriving at Everglades Wonder Gardens.
It was a little Hokey from the ads and entrance but we decided to go in anyway. Once in the museum we learned about the beginnings of the place. It was almost 80 years ago, that Bill and his brother Lester Piper — loaded with cash from their days as Michigan bootleggers running whiskey from Canada and into the United States during Prohibition — moved to Bonita Springs on the Imperial River. During construction, the Pipers collected injured critters and nursed them back to health. “Word got out that grandpa was collecting all these animals,” said David Piper, 47, grandson and owner of the Everglades Wonder Gardens. “People were always knocking on his door wanting to see the animals. Eventually, he said, ‘Well, if I’m going to show these animals, I might as well get paid for it.’” And that’s how one of the oldest roadside attractions in Florida was born.
All the animals seemed well cared for with very clean cages. The guide did a very nice job explaining their long colorful history, talking knowledgeably about each of the species of animals in the park and their conservation efforts on behalf of wounded and maimed animals brought to them and their efforts to reintroduce them to the wild if possible. Leaving the Gardens, we headed back towards Old Hwy 41, stopping at two Flea Markets. At the second one we got a great mirror for the bedroom for $50, just need to spend a little time cleaning the frame.
Just as we were about to make our turn we spotted a place called “Pottery as Art” so we decided to stop there too. This was a great place for colorful pottery art, with large jugs, containers of every shape and color, wall hangings, mirrors, garden art and other really unique pieces (http://www.potteryasart.com/). 
As we wandered around, I spotted several items for different friends or family, but the two items I liked for us were too expensive. Tina spotted a nice mirror that would be great for the guest bathroom so we picked that up, then decided to go out to lunch at a little place called “Dolly’s Produce Patch and Eatery” where we enjoyed a couple of great sandwiches.
As we wandered around, I spotted several items for different friends or family, but the two items I liked for us were too expensive. Tina spotted a nice mirror that would be great for the guest bathroom so we picked that up, then decided to go out to lunch at a little place called “Dolly’s Produce Patch and Eatery” where we enjoyed a couple of great sandwiches. From Dolly’s we headed west through Bonita Springs toward Ft Myers Beach so we could spend a couple of hours at “Lovers Key” State Park (http://www.floridastateparks.org/loverskey/). We were there two years ago when we were staying at the “Red Coconut” RV Resort. After paying our entrance fee, we were directed to park in Lot Three. From there it was about a quarter mile to the beach.
Crossing two waterways we got the shoreline and took off our sandals to walk barefoot in the gentle surf and sand. Along the way we had a chance to see Ospreys nesting, several species of shore birds, beach art and lots of other people enjoying the sun. We walked about a mile picking up shells for our collection, turned around and went back to the entrance, picked up our sandals and beach towel and picked a spot to sit and just enjoy the beautiful day. Leaving Lovers Key we drove home, had dinner , watched a little TV, read a little and went to bed.
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