Friends and Neighbors,
This week's events are fun, and dare I say, unexpected.
There's a festival devoted almost entirely to tropical fruit, complete with mango demonstrations and vanilla tours. Grumpy Goat is taking over Riptide Brewing with free pinball and three types of coffee-infused beer. Then on Sunday, The Naples Players transforms into a candlelit concert hall for a string quartet playing Fleetwood Mac.
Even on the sleepiest summer weeks, Naples always has something to offer—you just have to know where to look. See you out there!
Warmly,
Table of Contents
Top 6 Events This Week: Tropical Fruit Tastings, Fleetwood Mac & Free Pinball
1. Tasting the Tropics
📅 Saturday, June 27 | 8:00 AM – 2:00 PM
📍Naples Botanical Garden, 4820 Bayshore Dr., Naples, FL
Naples Botanical Garden's annual celebration of tropical fruit returns this weekend with tastings, cooking demonstrations, specialty tours, and live music scattered throughout the grounds. Visitors can sample fruits from around the world, learn about everything from mangoes to vanilla vining, and browse a plant sale featuring Garden-grown tropical varieties. Fogg Café is even adding mango habanero chicken wings to the menu for the occasion. Event info.
2. Wandering Goat Summer Series: Free Pinball at Riptide Brewing
📅 Saturday, June 27 | 3:00 PM – 7:00 PM
📍Riptide Brewing, 28120 Hunters Ridge Blvd., Bonita Springs, FL
Twenty pinball machines. Free play all afternoon. Add three different coffee beers brewed with Grumpy Goat Coffee, local vendors like Olde Naples Chocolate and Kristi's Key Lime Cookies, and you’ve got all the makings of a delightful Saturday at one of Southwest Florida's best breweries. The event also supports awareness for the proposed Bonita Estero Rail Trail. Event info.
3. Candlelight: Tribute to Fleetwood Mac
📅 Sunday, June 28 | 8:30 PM
📍Kizzie Theater, Sugden Community Theatre, 701 5th Ave. S., Naples, FL
Fleetwood Mac's catalog gets the string quartet treatment inside the candlelit Kizzie Theater. The program includes Landslide, Dreams, Go Your Own Way, The Chain, Rhiannon, and several others, all performed by the Listeso String Quartet. A concert where the venue is as much a part of the experience as the music. Event info.
PRESENTED BY Naples Florida Rentals
The Backyard Might Be the Main Event 🌴
There are plenty of reasons to spend the day out in Naples.
The beach. 5th Avenue South. Dinner reservations. Shopping. Gordon River paddle access. The usual good problems.
But this 4-bedroom coastal rental makes a strong case for coming back early.
The Stay
A private heated pool with a waterfall. Tropical landscaping. Outdoor dining. A BBQ grill. Seasonal mango trees when the timing is right.
The kind of backyard that turns “let’s stop home for a bit” into the rest of the afternoon.
Best For
Family visits. Friend weekends. Easy coastal trips. Anyone who wants the Naples itinerary without giving up a home base that actually feels like part of the vacation.
The Details
✓ Sleeps 5 to 8 guests
✓ 4 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms
✓ Two king beds, one queen, and two twins
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✓ Private heated pool with waterfall
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✓ Minutes from downtown Naples, 5th Avenue South, the beach, dining, shopping, and Gordon River paddle access
Naples gives you plenty to do.
This place gives you a reason not to rush through it.
4. ZZ Top & Stevie Ray Vaughan Tribute
📅 Saturday, June 27 | 7:00 PM
📍The Norris Center at Cambier Park, 755 8th Ave. S., Naples, FL
Texas Twister brings together two legends in one show, performing the music of ZZ Top and Stevie Ray Vaughan. Expect plenty of guitar solos, blues riffs, and classics like Sharp Dressed Man, La Grange, and Pride and Joy. Event info.
5. Art After Dark
📅 Wednesday, July 1 | 5:00 PM – 8:00 PM
📍Naples Art District, Shirley St., J&C Blvd. & Yahl St., Naples, FL
On the first Wednesday of every month, artists across the Naples Art District keep their studios open late. You can wander in and out, watch artists at work, ask questions, and browse everything from ceramics and jewelry to large-scale paintings without feeling like you're walking through a gallery. Event info.
6. Mercato Nights Music Series ft. Nostaljah
📅 Thursday, July 2 | 6:30 PM – 8:30 PM
📍The Piazza at Mercato, 9110 Strada Pl., Naples, FL
Nostaljah brings reggae to Mercato's weekly summer concert series on Thursday evening. Bring a lawn chair, order takeout from one of the restaurants, and settle into the Piazza while The Pub serves drinks from the outdoor bar. One of the easier ways to spend a summer evening is without making much of a plan. Event info.
Poll Results: Mahjong Minded?
Last week we asked: If someone invited you to Mahjong this weekend, what would you say?
Here’s where you landed:
"Maybe, if they teach me" was the most popular answer this week, with 28% of the vote. Another 22% of you already play, which is more than I was expecting!
For anyone else who had to look it up, mahjong is a strategy game played with tiles rather than cards. It's usually played with four people, and it's equal parts skill and luck, but also a great venue for socializing. Lately, it seems to be everywhere in Naples!
I'm still in the "someone would have to teach me" camp, but I’m definitely interested. Thanks, as always, for voting. I love seeing where everyone lands.
This Week’s Poll: Best Brews?
This week's Wandering Goat event got me thinking: What’s your favorite local brewery? Cast your vote below, and if your favorite isn't listed, hit the last option and let me know what I missed.
Why It Matters
Summer in Naples has a quieter rhythm, but that does not mean the calendar is empty.
Sometimes the best local weeks are the unexpected ones: a tropical fruit tasting, a candlelit concert, free pinball at a brewery, or a reason to wander into an art studio after dinner. These are the small moments that make the season feel less sleepy and more like something worth stepping into.
So whether you’re going for the mangoes, the music, the beer, or just an excuse to get out of the house, I hope you find something this week that makes Naples feel a little more alive.
Enjoy the week ahead,
Elizabeth Bellotti
Editor-In-Chief
Naples, Florida
The Naples Florida Review
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