I quit running for about five or six years. Part of it was I was working too much and part of it was that I had stopped and stopping means restarting. It is never easy to restart things, especially things that you enjoyed when you were younger and fitter. As a way to get started, after a beer or two, I signed up for a half marathon in Everglades National Park. It was going to be a two birds with one stone scenario as my father lives in Naples, FL and I would get to see him too. Six weeks before the race, I started making some dietary changes in order to drop weight and get my body right. I went vegan, which was fun, and I stopped drinking. Flash forward six weeks to the race being over and me needing a beer and a cheeseburger. Where did we go? The Dolphin Tiki Bar and Grill on Marco Island.

This place is GREAT. They have pelicans. (I am a huge bird nerd.)

I love places that commit to the bit. If you are going to be a tiki bar on a marina in SWFL, go all in, and the Dolphin goes all in. I got my burger and my beer and all was right in the world. On another visit, with just a walk around the Naples Botanical Garden as the cardio for the day, we returned and had an even better experience. It is a great patio and the food was lovely. Get the Conch Fritters. I mean, you are in Florida. GET THEM! The Mahi Mahi Tacos were also stupendous.

There is a good beer list as well as wine and liquor, like any bar and grill, and a number of non-alcoholic alternatives.

There were children on the patio and there was a distinct absence of dogs, probably because the SWFL weather is not conducive to them. Parking was difficult but not impossible.

-EWA

Dolphin Tiki Bar