What started as a celebration of the “end of season” transformed into an almost fifty-year-old tradition to pay homage to the locals of Naples, Florida. Explore the many themes and awards that captivated participants and onlookers of the Great Dock Canoe Races. Also learn how and where the races operate today!

The art gallery hosts several exhibitions each year. A partnership with the United Arts Collier brings annual exhibitions of painting, photography and mixed media by artists from Collier and Lee County. The exhibits are juried by local art experts and follow Rookery Bay’s environmental mission with a central theme of plants, waters and wildlife of Southwest Florida. Most works are available for purchase.

$75 (Camp Scholarships Available)

Locations Vary

Registration is required www.rookerybay.org/calendar

Learn from Marine Scientists this summer with Rookery Bay Research Reserve! Join Rookery Bay Research Reserve for a perfect marine science camp for 7^th to 10^th grade students who want to get hands-on with marine life and learn from real scientists. This flexible camp is filled with nature and science activities including time in Rookery Bay’s labs. Discover the birds, sharks, sea turtles and other amazing wildlife that call Rookery Bay’s amazing coastal habitat home. Camp scholarships are available.

June 5, 19 & 26 and July 10 & 17 – “Sleuthing the Lagoon” – Ever wonder what it’s like to be an animal living in an estuary? Experience their unique habitat by surveying fish with nets for collection, scooping crabs and worms out of sand and observing birds wading through water.

Location: Tigertail Beach
430 Hernando Dr., Marco Island, FL 34145

June 12 and July 31 – “Invertebrate Investigation”– Join staff in the lab for an exciting exploration of invertebrates and learn about their amazing adaptations. Students will use microscopes to take an in-depth look at some of the smallest estuary inhabitants: plankton!

Location: Rookery Bay Environmental Learning Center

300 Tower Rd., Naples, 34113

July 24 – “Biology on Bike – Explore the Uplands on Bicycle” Learn to identify plants and animals and how scientific data is collected at the Reserve.

Location: Shell Island Road Field Station

10 Shell Island Road, Naples FL, 34113

What started as a celebration of the “end of season” transformed into an almost fifty-year-old tradition to pay homage to the locals of Naples, Florida. Explore the many themes and awards that captivated participants and onlookers of the Great Dock Canoe Races. Also learn how and where the races operate today!

The art gallery hosts several exhibitions each year. A partnership with the United Arts Collier brings annual exhibitions of painting, photography and mixed media by artists from Collier and Lee County. The exhibits are juried by local art experts and follow Rookery Bay’s environmental mission with a central theme of plants, waters and wildlife of Southwest Florida. Most works are available for purchase.

FREE with Admission to Environmental Learning Center

Explore your wild side through nature-themed crafts!

Join us on Saturdays this summer for fun, self-guided, family-friendly crafting activities inspired by nature. Each month features a new theme and all supplies are included with admission … just bring your creativity!

Where: Shirley Street Galleries

Experience Art After Dark in the Naples Art District! Meet talented local artists in their working studios and explore an exciting variety of original artwork available for purchase or commission. Enjoy an evening filled with creativity, fun, and connection in a vibrant artistic atmosphere. Light refreshments will be served.

During the event time, go to the home page of naplesartdistrict.com and click STUDIOS OPEN NOW to find participating studios and galleries.

Free admission.

FREE with Admission to Environmental Learning Center

Explore your wild side through nature-themed crafts!

Join us on Saturdays this summer for fun, self-guided, family-friendly crafting activities inspired by nature. Each month features a new theme and all supplies are included with admission … just bring your creativity!

The Case of the Maltese Crow Murder

Gibson House Mystery Production

August 8, 2026

3:00 PM

The MALTESE Crow Murder! ..a 1940’s Film Noir Whodunnit

By Katie Hassett – Revisions by John Gibson

We’re pleased to present Sam Shovel--that world famous San Francisco detective. He has been invited to share with us his recollections of a case he solved in the mid 1930’s, which he called “The Case of the Maltese Crow Caper”

 The Audience will participate in this Murder Mystery Caper to Help Solve The Crime

FREE with Admission to Environmental Learning Center

Explore your wild side through nature-themed crafts!

Join us on Saturdays this summer for fun, self-guided, family-friendly crafting activities inspired by nature. Each month features a new theme and all supplies are included with admission … just bring your creativity!

** THIS EVENT IS CANCELLED AND WILL BE MOVED TO A LATER DATE**

Step back in time and learn about the art and functionality of candle making! In this fun, hands-on workshop, we’ll show you how candles were made before electricity—using wax, wicks, and matches. Discover how candles were once essential for light and warmth and are now a way to add cozy charm to any space or enhance scents in your home.

Meet the Artists of Shirley Street This Summer. Explore the Creativity. Take home original art.

Experience the creative energy of the Naples Art District, where our artists invite you into their working studios and galleries. Find Art for every taste and budget, with opportunities to purchase or commission a custom piece made just for you. This immersive experience invites visitors to see, learn and connect in Southwest Florida’s most vibrant creative community.

During the event time, go to the home page of naplesartdistrict.com and click STUDIOS OPEN NOW to find participating studios and galleries.

Pick up a free catalog in any of our studios and galleries.

Free admission.

Stage 2 Improv

June 20, July 11, August 15, 2026

7:30 PM

Stage 2 Improv is a unique live performance experience! Stage 2 Improv is dedicated to making your experience as much fun as possible! Thet will interact with you (the audience) to create content for the show. You never know what to expect when Stage 2 Improv is in the house!

For this Family-Friendly show we will be using audience suggestions to drive the games and songs we perform! It’s for you, by you! If you like the tv show “Whose Line is it Anyway?” You’ll love this!

It’s unscripted, unrehearsed games and scenes inspired by audience suggestions and sometimes, participation!

THIRD THURSDAYS LECTURE SERIES:
Visit the Museum of the Everglades every third Thursday for a local history lecture. Museum of the Everglades | 2:00 – 3:00 PM

In this fun and feel-good presentation, Museum Manager Thomas Lockyear will celebrate the life and work of one the earliest pioneer settlers in the region of Southwest Florida known as the Chokoloskee Bay Country: Charles Greenleigh McKinney.

A Civil War Veteran who spent time making moonshine (which he called “Low Bush Lightning”) before making the 10,000 Islands his home, McKinney opened a trading post and established the area’s first post office he would later hand over to Ted Smallwood. The postal address bore the ironic name “Comfort” – a reference to the profound lack of it caused by the abundant “Swamp Angels”: mosquitos.

McKinney, a registered midwife who delivered dozens of babies and acted as the area’s de facto dentist, also wrote a regular column for the American Eagle newspaper published in nearby Estero. Reporting local happenings with what would be today known as a Will Rogers-style wit, his wry observations about pioneer life and freely shared folk wisdom earned him the honorific moniker of “Sage of Chokoloskee”.

FREE with Admission to Environmental Learning Center

Explore your wild side through nature-themed crafts!

Join us on Saturdays this summer for fun, self-guided, family-friendly crafting activities inspired by nature. Each month features a new theme and all supplies are included with admission … just bring your creativity!

$55

Registration is required www.rookerybay.org/events

If you want to get the best pictures possible and a true understanding of your camera’s features, this camera workshop is for you. The class covers the essentials of your digital camera. You will learn how to use your camera’s shutter, aperture, ISO control and the drive modes to create images with impact and creativity. Sonny Saunders has over 35 years of experience in photography and instruction and is renowned for his ability to communicate to a wide variety of students. No previous camera or photography experience is necessary, just a desire to learn.

Put on your creative cap and join us for Al Fresco Art Family Day! We’ll provide all the brushes, paints, canvases, and tools you need to create a take‑home masterpiece while enjoying the fresh air.

Be inspired by the work of E. George Rogers, a key figure in Naples since the 1950s. He helped establish the Naples Art Association, taught art for free in Collier County schools, and served as the first president of the Mental Health Association of Collier County. We will have prints of his art available to spark your creativity.

Readers Theatre – Play Reading

“Ladies Night”

August 23, 2026 3:00 PM

By Kristyn Estes

The comedy kicks off when the girls reconvene their dormant elementary school club into a monthly Ladies Night, replete with themes, costumes, humor, alcohol, and plenty of gossip. The drinks flow, old grudges rear their ugly heads, and the women confront the challenges of aging, marriage, and shared history while navigating the ugly-beautiful reality of lifelong friendship.

The Vibe:

Think Neil Simon meets Bridesmaids…fast paced, heart-felt and unapologetically joyous.

Another Friday night in?
Get a change of scenery with Retro Game Night at the Naples Depot Museum!

It’s a new take on the classic family game night tradition! Bring your own blanket and revisit your childhood game closet with the following retro games: Twister, Monopoly, Trouble, Sorry! Uno, Simon, Yahtzee, Chutes & Ladders, Battleship, Operation, Clue, Candy Land, Guess Who? and The Game of Life.

Have a favorite game that is not listed? You’re always welcome to bring it to add to the fun!
Play games and enjoy the ice cream sundae bar, provided by Dairy Queen of Downtown Naples, all free! All ages are welcome.
Bring friends and family and join us on the last Friday of each month from 5:00pm to 8:00pm at Naples Depot Museum.

FREE with Admission to Environmental Learning Center

Explore your wild side through nature-themed crafts!

Join us on Saturdays this summer for fun, self-guided, family-friendly crafting activities inspired by nature. Each month features a new theme and all supplies are included with admission … just bring your creativity!

The art gallery hosts several exhibitions each year. A partnership with the United Arts Collier brings annual exhibitions of painting, photography and mixed media by artists from Collier and Lee County. The exhibits are juried by local art experts and follow Rookery Bay’s environmental mission with a central theme of plants, waters and wildlife of Southwest Florida. Most works are available for purchase.

Where: Shirley Street Galleries

Experience Art After Dark in the Naples Art District! Meet talented local artists in their working studios and explore an exciting variety of original artwork available for purchase or commission. Enjoy an evening filled with creativity, fun, and connection in a vibrant artistic atmosphere. Light refreshments will be served.

During the event time, go to the home page of naplesartdistrict.com and click STUDIOS OPEN NOW to find participating studios and galleries.

Free admission.

Meet the Artists of Shirley Street This Summer. Explore the Creativity. Take home original art.

Experience the creative energy of the Naples Art District, where our artists invite you into their working studios and galleries. Find Art for every taste and budget, with opportunities to purchase or commission a custom piece made just for you. This immersive experience invites visitors to see, learn and connect in Southwest Florida’s most vibrant creative community.

During the event time, go to the home page of naplesartdistrict.com and click STUDIOS OPEN NOW to find participating studios and galleries.

Pick up a free catalog in any of our studios and galleries.

Free admission.

The art gallery hosts several exhibitions each year. A partnership with the United Arts Collier brings annual exhibitions of painting, photography and mixed media by artists from Collier and Lee County. The exhibits are juried by local art experts and follow Rookery Bay’s environmental mission with a central theme of plants, waters and wildlife of Southwest Florida. Most works are available for purchase.

Chameleüns

October 2, 3, 4, 2026 

a weirdly funny love story

By Rochelle Burdine, Frank Blocker

Through a series of hilarious vignettes, two actors morph into different characters searching for love, hope or even a little faith.  Real-life couple Patrick and Dixie Huey inhabit a total of 15 characters including infomercial emcees, therapists, performance artists and your not-so-every-day Joes.  With each change, they’re strange love grows.  All good shapeshifters know that if you at first you don’t succeed in a relationship, become someone else.

Chameleüns

October 2, 3, 4, 2026 

a weirdly funny love story

By Rochelle Burdine, Frank Blocker

Through a series of hilarious vignettes, two actors morph into different characters searching for love, hope or even a little faith.  Real-life couple Patrick and Dixie Huey inhabit a total of 15 characters including infomercial emcees, therapists, performance artists and your not-so-every-day Joes.  With each change, they’re strange love grows.  All good shapeshifters know that if you at first you don’t succeed in a relationship, become someone else.

Chameleüns

October 2, 3, 4, 2026 

a weirdly funny love story

By Rochelle Burdine, Frank Blocker

Through a series of hilarious vignettes, two actors morph into different characters searching for love, hope or even a little faith.  Real-life couple Patrick and Dixie Huey inhabit a total of 15 characters including infomercial emcees, therapists, performance artists and your not-so-every-day Joes.  With each change, they’re strange love grows.  All good shapeshifters know that if you at first you don’t succeed in a relationship, become someone else.

Puccini’s poignant score follows the tragic tale of Cio Cio San, a young Japanese girl who falls in love with American naval officer Pinkerton, with devastating consequences.

Set in early 20th-century Nagasaki, Japan, Madama Butterfly explores themes of love, heartbreak, betrayal, and cultural differences. This tragic love story starts with an arranged marriage between a young Geisha, Cio-Cio-San, also known as Butterfly, and an American naval officer, Pinkerton. Shortly after their wedding, Pinkerton abandons Butterfly and returns to America; it becomes clear he had deemed the marriage temporary. Years later, Pinkerton returns to Japan with his new wife and learns that Butterfly has since given birth to their child. Upon learning that Pinkerton has a new wife and won’t live in Japan with Butterfly, she agrees to give up her son and commits hara-kiri.

Featuring unforgettable arias like the iconic “Un bel dì” and the tender “Flower Duet,” performed with full orchestra, chorus, and world-class soloists, bringing Madama Butterfly to life in all its emotional beauty.

The Golden Era of Puccini comes to Marco Island. The most beloved opera composer of his time, Puccini changed the art form by trading myth for real lives, real heartbreak, and music that has never stopped being sung. From Madama Butterfly and La Bohème to Tosca and Turandot, his arias are the ones audiences still arrive humming a century later — and tonight, they fill the Gulfview Room at Hideaway Beach Club. 

The evening begins at 5:00 PM with an Italian-inspired jewelry collection experience by Deborah Gaspar, customized to reflect the beauty of Puccini. At 5:30 PM, guests are welcomed with a Puccini cocktail. Dinner follows at 6:00 PM, curated by Chef Tim in tribute to the cuisine of Tuscany — the region Puccini called home — and accompanied by complimentary wine pairings. Gulfshore Opera’s world-class artists take over the room with a selection of the composer’s most beloved melodies. An elegant, intimate evening with the master who taught opera how to feel.

Celebrate the lively variety of Italian music with an unforgettable evening from Gulfshore Opera. This vibrant program features beloved opera arias and ensembles, traditional canzone Napoletana, and popular Italian favorites performed by a quartet of Gulfshore Opera’s Professional Artists in Residence.

Let yourself be swept away by soaring melodies. Premium ticket holders are invited to enjoy an exclusive post-performance reception with the artists, featuring classic Italian refreshments.

Celebrate the lively variety of Italian music with an unforgettable evening from Gulfshore Opera. This vibrant program features beloved opera arias and ensembles, traditional canzone Napoletana, and popular Italian favorites performed by a quartet of Gulfshore Opera’s Professional Artists in Residence.

Let yourself be swept away by soaring melodies. Premium ticket holders are invited to enjoy an exclusive post-performance reception with the artists, featuring classic Italian refreshments.

Join our annual Style and Song Luncheon at the Club at the Strand in partnership with Kay’s on the Beach. Begin the afternoon by browsing two exclusive pop-up boutiques featuring an Italian-inspired jewelry collection by Deborah Gaspar and luxury handcrafted handbags from Argentina presented by Daniella Ortiz.

            Enjoy a delicious lunch while being serenaded by the dashing men of Gulfshore Opera, and indulge in an exclusive style show. This elegant afternoon promises delightful entertainment and great style with proceeds supporting GO Community Engagement programs.

Nobody does romance like Puccini. Fall into an evening of his most beloved scenes alongside hidden gems, pairing the iconic moments of Tosca and La Bohème with quieter treasures from La Rondine, Manon Lescaut, and Il Tabarro. A quartet of nationally acclaimed artists delivers the arias and duets that have shaped the lives of opera lovers for over a century: longing whispered across rooftops, devotion sung against the clock, and passion that costs everything. Each scene is a small drama complete in itself, each voice pushed to the edge of what a human can feel and still sing. Some passages will feel familiar as memory; others will arrive as discoveries. Together, they form the most romantic evening of the season.

One evening. Three acts. Endless intrigue. Not everything you see is real, and not everything real can be seen. Gulfshore Opera invites you to an extraordinary world of illusion, beauty, and operatic extravagance as its signature fundraising gala transforms Artis-Naples into a dreamlike landscape of mirrors, candlelight, and mystery.

The evening begins with a private concert featuring scenes of illusion and mystery from some of opera’s most captivating works, including Faust and Tales of Hoffmann, where the boundary between reality and imagination dissolves from the very first note. Guests will then ascend to a rooftop reception to enjoy the Naples golden hour over the Gulf before entering an elegant dining experience.

Gulfshore Opera’s acclaimed artists weave live performance throughout the evening, from cocktails to dinner to the excitement of the live auction – creating a fully immersive experience where opera is not simply observed but lived.

More than a gala, this is an evening of atmosphere, artistry, and wonder in support of Gulfshore Opera’s mission to bring accessible world-class opera to SWFL.

Join us for a unique prelude to Gianni Schicchi at the Taste of Opera at Colony Bay Club. Set in a refined, waterfront venue, the evening features a selection of Italian cuisine paired with operatic favorites by the artists of Gulfshore Opera’s Gianni Schicchi. This intimate dinner-and-performance setting offers patrons a flavorful immersion into Puccini’s world, setting the stage for Gulfshore Opera’s new immersive theatrical experience.

Gulfshore Opera brings a new immersive theatrical experience to SWFL. In Act I, a wealthy patriarch dies, his family descends, and The Will turns out to be nothing as they had hoped. Into the confusion walks the scheming Gianni Schicchi, already thinking three steps ahead. Set in early 1950s Fellini’s Italy, where people dress well, argue loudly, and treat an inheritance like a matter of life and death, this one-act comic opera features a cast of 15 highly acclaimed singing actors as the scheming relatives, accompanied by a chamber orchestra. In Act II,  the evening shifts from the stage to The Wake, where the Italian family is now in a room with drinks, food, more music, and you, still scheming how to get their share of the inheritance. English surtitles provided.

Gulfshore Opera brings a new immersive theatrical experience to SWFL. In Act I, a wealthy patriarch dies, his family descends, and The Will turns out to be nothing as they had hoped. Into the confusion walks the scheming Gianni Schicchi, already thinking three steps ahead. Set in early 1950s Fellini’s Italy, where people dress well, argue loudly, and treat an inheritance like a matter of life and death, this one-act comic opera features a cast of 15 highly acclaimed singing actors as the scheming relatives, accompanied by a chamber orchestra. In Act II, the evening shifts from the stage to The Wake, where the Italian family is now in a room with drinks, food, more music, and you, still scheming to get your share of the inheritance. English surtitles provided.

Gulfshore Opera brings a new immersive theatrical experience to SWFL. In Act I, a wealthy patriarch dies, his family descends, and The Will turns out to be nothing as they had hoped. Into the confusion walks the scheming Gianni Schicchi, already thinking three steps ahead. Set in early 1950s Fellini’s Italy, where people dress well, argue loudly, and treat an inheritance like a matter of life and death, this one-act comic opera features a cast of 15 highly acclaimed singing actors as the scheming relatives, accompanied by a chamber orchestra. In Act II, the evening shifts from the stage to The Wake, where the Italian family is now in a room with drinks, food, more music, and you, still scheming to get your share of the inheritance. English surtitles provided.