Vanderbilt Beach

Located within a residential community that’s also named Vanderbilt Beach, Vanderbilt Beach – also called Vanderbilt Beach Park – is a long and popular beach with light brown sand and a wonderful background of oceanfront condominium complexes. 

Vanderbilt Beach is open between 8 am and sunset.

Although Vanderbilt Beach does not have lifeguards, this beach has a loaner facility for life jackets.  In addition, this beach and the area around it have many other amenities including concession stands, a boardwalk, foot showers, restrooms, benches, and nearby rental facilities for beach chairs.

Dogs are not allowed in Vanderbilt Beach.

Vanderbilt Beach offers many fun activities including sunbathing, beachcombing, wildlife watching, fishing, picnicking, hiking, swimming, SUP surfing, kitesurfing, windsurfing, surfing, snorkeling, skimboarding, bodyboarding, paddleboarding, kayaking, canoeing, surf skiing, jet-skiing, water-skiing, parasailing, and boating.

Vanderbilt Beach is ideal for less-experienced swimmers, paddleboarders, canoers, kayakers, and surf skiers because the water here usually has gentle waves.

This beach also occasionally gets windy, making it ideal for windsurfers and kitesurfers.

If you are planning to swim, snorkel, surf, windsurf, kayak, or canoe near Vanderbilt Beach, we recommend being careful because the water here can have unpredictable rip currents and dangerous waves.  In addition, the water here can also have a type of algal bloom named red tide that can cause irritation and damage in eyes and lungs.

If you like birdwatching, Vanderbilt Beach is a great bird watching site and you can see many resident and migratory birds here, particularly during winters.

Another popular activity at Vanderbilt Beach is beachcombing and you can comb this beach for a wide variety of shells – this beach is a particularly ideal beachcombing site in mornings.

Vanderbilt Beach offers beach wheelchairs on a first-come-first-serve basis.

Getting to Vanderbilt Beach is easy – this beach is located near 100 Vanderbilt Beach Road and it is easily accessible from United States Highway 41, which is also locally called the Tamiami Trail.  There are a few metered street parking spaces near the beach, along with a nearby paid parking garage that costs 10 dollars for 24 hours.

We recommend visiting Vanderbilt Beach before 10 am between January and March because this beach can get quickly crowded and it may become considerably more difficult to park in the parking garage or the street parking spaces.

If you like taking pictures with amazing views, Vanderbilt Beach offers amazing Instagram-worthy views of the Gulf of Mexico and the southwestern Floridian shoreline. 

There are many attractions near Vanderbilt Beach.  Pelican Bay Community Park is a recreational park that offers many amenities including tennis courts, racquetball courts, bocce courts, a basketball court, a playground, a softball field, a soccer field, walking trails, a volleyball court, a pavilion, and a lake.  Delnor-Wiggins Pass State Park has a beautiful coastal tropical landscape and it also has  a beach named Delnor-Wiggins Pass State Park Beach – this state park offers fun activities including sunbathing,  wildlife watching, geocaching, hiking, fishing, picnicking, swimming, snorkeling, paddleboarding, surf skiing, jet-skiing, and boating.  Clam Pass Park is a recreational park that has a beach known as Clam Pass Park Beach – this park has many amenities including restrooms, showers, picnic areas, and rental facilities for beach chairs and water sports equipment.  The Golisano Children’s Museum of Naples offers interactive and fun exhibits for kids that educate them about many subjects including science, technology, and art.  If you are looking for another attraction near Vanderbilt Beach, Off The Hook comedy Club is a comedy club that hosts many humorous and fun comedy shows.

If you get hungry, there are many great restaurants near Vanderbilt Beach.  BALEEN Naples offers excellent dishes with local coastal culinary influences for breakfast, lunch, and dinner including seafood, salads, sandwiches, steaks, and pork chops.  The Crust is known for serving amazing Midwest-style pizzas and it also offers amazing salads and submarine sandwiches.  Buzz’s Light House – also known as Buzz’s Lighthouse Restaurant – is a popular waterfront restaurant that is known for serving excellent seafood and it also offers a variety of other delicious dishes including steaks, chicken dishes, sandwiches, salads, and burgers.  Tacos & Tequila Cantina is a Mexican restaurant that is known for serving amazing tacos and it also offers a variety of other delicious dishes including burritos, chile rellenos, quesadillas, and nachos.  This restaurant also serves excellent margaritas.  If you are looking for another good and affordable restaurant near Vanderbilt Beach, Salsa Brava Mexican Grill serves a variety of excellent delicious dishes including tacos, tamales, soups, chile rellenos, and quesadillas.

If you are looking for a hotel near Vanderbilt Beach, there are many great nearby options.  The 5-Star Ritz-Carlton, Naples offers many amenities including multiple restaurants and bars, a spa, rental facilities for bikes and watercraft, a game room, a convenience store, a gift shop, a fitness center, a kids’ club, multiple pools, a hot tub, and tennis courts.  Another upscale hotel is the 4-Star LaPlaya Beach & Golf Resort that offers many amenities including a gym, a kids’ club, multiple pools, a hot tub, poolside cabanas, two bars, a restaurant, watercraft and bike rental facilities, a spa, a golf course, an outdoor firepit, and a restaurant.  Another great upscale hotel is the 4-Star Inn at Pelican Bay that offers many amenities including a market, complimentary breakfast, a pool, a hot tub, and a lounge.  A more affordable hotel is the 3-Star Vanderbilt Beach Resort that offers many amenities including rental facilities for paddleboards, loaner facilities for beach chairs, bikes and beach umbrellas, a pool, a restaurant, a guest-use laptop, a boat dock, and tennis/pickleball court.  If you are looking for another good and affordable hotel near Vanderbilt Beach, the 3-Star DoubleTree Suites by Hilton Hotel Naples offers many amenities including a pool, a fitness center, and a restaurant.