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When you look at the photos of Naples old and new, you can't help but wish the "Treasure Island" of blue channels and bays had never changed. Though they once were for tourists to enjoy, today Naples is a series of manmade islands that contain residences. The homes are beautiful, but not real useful to tourists vacationing in Long Beach and Southern California.

You can still fall in love with Naples and enjoy it, however, thanks to its public canals that are especially charming on a gondola ride.  The Gondola Getaway is the biggest tourist attraction in Naples, which consists of the islands filled with narrow streets and houses, a plaza with a beautiful water fountain, and some shops and convenience stores on 2nd Street.

For those who prefer a bit more sport than watch a gondolier row you around the bay, consider renting a lightweight kayak near the Leeway Sailing Center where the gondolas launch daily.

The Alamitos Bay is the kid-friendly, family-friendly, beginner's best place to take up the sport of kayaking.  You'll often see lap swimmers ply the bay waters, watch sabot sailboats (that were invented here), kayaks and kids and adults having fun in the watercraft or just in the water.

To enjoy the Naples gem, fashioned after an Italian waterfront community, head down 2nd Street and turn at Bayshore Drive to find the kayak rentals, gondola rides and a small sand beach that's across the bay from Naples (which doesn't have much in the way of beaches.)