Tin City is just off 5th Avenue in the city of Naples and provides a glance at some of the area’s nautical history. Naples, Florida is a high end community that boast its statics as being one of the highest income earnings cities in America. Its abundance of millionaires per capita status puts it very close to the top of the list in the United States.
Tin City consist of several sections that include shops, restaurants/bar & grills and docks that provide a variety of boat tours. We are starting with the shops.
There are two rustic and nautical themed buildings. They are constructed of wood from head to toe. The authentic décor sends you back to the past 
when shops advertised their owners craftsmanship. Most of the overhead signs give us an idea of the shops contents.
The walls in the common areas are a collection of nautical paraphernalia, memorabilia and photos of past days when Florida was creating itself as a vacation haven.
We made our way through the first building popping in and out of the many boutiques. They all had their uniqueness and specialty items
. There is even a magic shop and a small food court (pictured, left) around the corner that was giving away free ice cream samples. Tin City offers everything a modern day indoor mall has without the contemporary design, glitzy lighting and name brand shops. You won’t find many teenagers here hanging out and looking for cute guys.
We walked from building one to building two. They where pretty much identical and paralleled the same ambience (pictured, left). The difference is the shops and restaurants they host. We maneuvered our way 
through the aged-wooden hallways that are home to more unique tole-design storefronts that advertise very catchy names. One of the handed painted bill board like signs caught my attention. The creative Mon “Key” Bread Factory sign sat very appropriately on its thatched roof staring down at me. How can you not notice it!
As I mentioned, each building has a selected waterside eatery. Building one has Pinchers Crab Shack. Pinchers 
is a locally grown restaurant chain that has several locations scattered throughout Florida. They have a great 24/7 happy hour, fantastic menu, and waterside views from almost anyplace you station yourself. They have comfortable indoor or open air patio dining areas.
Building two has a restaurant that we decided to try since we ate at Pinchers the last time we visited Tin City. The 
Riverwalk eatery is a nautical theme restaurant with great waterside views. The Riverwalk Restaurant menu offers a variety of appetizers, sandwiches, combination baskets and full meals.
After eating lunch we walked the small pedestrian walkway that borders the canal. The fishermen shown left are 
cleaning their passengers catch. We watched the Pelicans beg for the throwaways like dogs waiting for any unwanted table scrapes.
Various tour boats navigate the canal’s waterway about every thirty to forty-five minutes. They slowly make their way to port, drop off and pick up their guest, and immediately head right back out to open 
waters. I noticed the restroom labels placed on the appropriate doors in the photo shown left are pretty cute. They read “Buoys” and “Gulls”. How many passengers get confused? That’s one I would like to tally up.
We walked over the bridge and nosed around. The other side of the canal isn’t part of Tin City. However, it is the 
home port for the Naples Princess. This floating palace is perfect for a romantic sunset dinner, weddings, special occasions or just a tour of the area. Their site offers a variety of tours and cruises.
The view up the canal allows us a glance of the intersecting waterways. The mouth of the canal connects to even a larger thoroughfare, which leads out to the serene Caribbean fed waters of the Gulf. The amount of vessels that navigate these aquatic roadways is rather astonishing. We took a few moments to watch the many personal, tour and charter boats cross paths. It is not a bad advantage point if you are trying to get some ideas for a new boat.
We spent a good part of the morning and early afternoon walking around Tin City and its immediate area. It is during the week and things were a little slow, which is how I prefer it after a very busy season. Its a great way to spend time with your partner, family or close friends. You won’t need a lot of money unless you like to shop. Its also a great place to enjoy a nice meal and/or your favorite beverage. Time just slips by as the ambience surrounds you.
Author: Anthony Scopel
Photographer: Anthony Scopel
Chief Editor: Independent
Technical Mastering & Support: Matt Kemper
Publisher: YMATD
