Naples, Florida is the gateway to popular Everglades National Park. Yes, only in Florida can they take the world's biggest swamp and turn it into a tourist attraction.

But Naples isn't all about muddy water, alligators and shirtless guys named Billy Joe Bob. It also has some of the coolest festivals you'll ever see. So here are the top annual events in the Naples area.

Mullet Festival, January.
Finally - a celebration of shaggy hairstyles of the 1980s! Oh wait, this is a festival of mullet fish. How disappointing. For me and my mullet. Stan's Idle Hour Seafood Restaurant in Goodland, FL hosts this three-day festival where there's plenty of smoked and fried mullet to be had. There's also the crowning of the "Buzzard Lope Queen" and dancing to "The Buzzard Lope Song" created by restaurant owner and "Buzzard King" Stan Gober. And if this all sounds like some bizarre polygamist cult to you, you're not alone.

Everglades Seafood Festival, February
You can pop on over to Everglades City for this festival with rides, attractions and, obviously, seafood. Featured foods include: Fresh stone crabs, fresh shrimp, fresh blue crabs, fresh fish, fresh catfish, fresh fish chowder, and frog legs. Personally I'm glad to see frog legs are listed on the menu, since after eating all that fish I really start to crave the basics, like severed amphibian limbs.

Naples Winter Wine Festival, February.
A posh event for people who love fine wine and dropping a million dollars over a weekend. That's right, their annual auction to benefit children's charities raised $14 million in 2008, with one single lot going for a cool million. It's understandable though, since that lot did include a guest appearance on Kelsey Grammer's show, "Back To You." On the other hand, this may be the only way they can find actors who can stand being around Kelsey Grammer.

Great Dock Canoe Race, February
A wildly popular Naples event where elite canoeists converge on Naples to paddle it out! But you don't need to perform a perfect J-stroke to enjoy the competition. You just have to like good food, a good race and watching bizarre concepts in canoe decorating as contestants try to win the $1000 "Best Dressed Canoe" prize. The 2008 theme was "Whatever Floats Your Boat." A vast improvement over 2007's "It Ain't The Size Of The Boat, It's The Motion In The Ocean" theme, which led to some rather shocking designs.

Taste of Collier, First Sunday in May.
Downtown Naples hosts this celebration of local cuisine, as Collier County restaurants wow attendees with their gastronomic creations. The Taste of Collier features live local entertainment, the "Wait staff Games," and an ice carving competition. Because nothing says southern Florida in May like ice carving.

And finally...

Swamp Walk, Labor Day weekend.
For people who enjoy walking waist-deep in muck, you can join local photographer Clyde Butcher on his annual Swamp Walk in Ochopee. Alligator wrestling is not only free, it's likely unavoidable!

Learn more about this author, Mike Mulhern.
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