Southwest Florida
Channels snake between islands, occasionally branching into smaller, narrower channels to form confusing labyrinths. Many of the channels lead to wide bays, where bottle-nosed dolphins suddenly sprout, linger near the surface, and then disappear. Ospreys scream from their massive nests wedged in the crowns of large black or red mangroves.
Other smaller, canopied channels, bathed in a green glow from light filtered through the interlacing tangle of mangrove branches overhead, lead to quiet backwater lakes. On calm days, the silence is almost absolute, broken only by an occasional croak from a night heron roosting in the mangroves or the crashing of a snook chasing finger mullet through shallows among the mangrove roots.
Cape Coral - Across the Calosoahatchee River from Fort Myers is the much younger and much larger city of Cape Coral-a haven for boaters. Access to the water is easy in Cape Coral, which lies just up the river from the Gulf of Mexico Those who don’t have their own boats can rent one or, even better, charter a boat that’s piloted by a captain experienced in the shallow, sometimes tricky Southwest Florida waters.
Conceived in the 1950’s as a Mecca for retirees, Cape Coral has come of age as a diverse community of all ages, interests and nationalities. It is Florida’s second largest city land wise, yet many are drawn by the small town feeling it retains. A stroll though Cape Coral’s shops or a stop in one of its restaurants will bring to ear a variety of Spanish and German voices mingled with English and other languages. Visitors and seasonal residents are drawn from around the world to Cape Coral’s friendly and homey environment as well as to its renowned waterfront.
(Cape Coral Chamber of Commerce, 2051 Cape Coral Parkway, Cape Coral, FL 33904; 239/549-6900 or 800/226-9609,www.capecoralchamber.com)
Fort Myers - On the south side of the Caloosahatchee River, the rhythm of the city blends with staid beauty and history in downtown Fort Myers. People in business suits hurrying from the courthouse of financial offices pass vacationers n shorts meandering through the collection of specialty shops or pausing in the shade of a sprawling banyan tree outside grand, historic buildings. Yachts dock at the marina at Centennial Park and Yacht Basin alongside sailboats and smaller pleasure crafts stopping for a nice meal or a relaxing sunset.
Fort Myers is the seat of Lee County and home of much of the area’s history. It’s apparent in the architecture downtown and in nearby neighborhoods-most notably just south of the downtown area, where Fort Myers most celebrated residents lived. The Edison-Ford Winter Estates-the former homes of seasonal residents and friends Thomas Alva Edison and Henry Ford-is arguably the city’s most popular spot for visitors. A tour of the estates takes peoples through the winter homes of these two remarkable men as well as through Edison’s laboratory and extensive gardens. Fort Myers celebrated Edison annually with the Edison Festival of Light, featuring pageants, parties, a parade, and other activities and events.
History buffs can learn much more at the Fort Myers Historical Museum about the area’s prehistory when huge armadillo-like creatures walked the earth, to the history of the Calusa Indians, U.S. soldiers, Florida Crackers, and homesteaders who subsequently left their marks on the region.
Sports enthusiasts have terrific opportunities in Fort Myers- apart from the obvious water activities that abound. Baseball fans flock to Fort Myers each spring to watch the Boston Red Sox and the Minnesota Twins in spring training. In the summer, the Twins farm team, the Fort Myers Miracle, keep fans at the Lee County Sports Complex happy. Hockey lovers and ice skaters indulge their passions at the Fort Myers Skatium or a few miles south in Estero, where Germain Arena is home to the Florida Everblades team.
Those in search of arts and culture find them at the Arcade Theatre downtown, where Florida Repertory Theater Company stage regular productions, and the Broadway Palm Dinner Theater and its associated Off-Broadway Palm Theater, where professional musicals and other productions take place. Lee County Alliance of the Arts offer classes and presents art exhibits, as well as drama productions and music in its indoor and outdoor venues. Among these are cutting-edge dramas by Theatre Conspiracy, which also hosts the annual playwright contest. And the Barbara B. Mann Performing Arts Hall, home of the Southwest Florida Symphony Orchestra and Chorus, offers a regular menu of ballet, rock groups, Broadway productions, chamber music, comedians and a pleasing diversity of other arts and entertainment. Families also have plenty of options, including the Imaginarium where children explore science through sensory attractions and activities.
Southwest Florida’s natural places make the region different from any other on earth, and visitors can explore mangrove forest, swamps, and other unique habitats in several areas. Calusa Nature Center and Planetarium provides an informative look and special programs about the region’s natural systems and animals. Special presentations also are staged periodically in the planetarium. Manatee Park allows winter visitors to get a close-up look at these gentle water giants in their natural habitat, and Six Mile Cypress Slough gives visitors a feeling for the region’s wetlands and the creatures that inhabit them. Lakes Park is a good spot for those who prefer to walk or bicycle along nature trails-simply to relax after a busy day sightseeing around Fort Myers.
Sanibel Island - The trip from the mainland across the Sanibel Causeway hints at what the islands of Sanibel and Captiva have to offer. Bright sunlight glittering on the water, lazy palm trees, and arching dolphins breaking the surface invariably inspire drivers to pull over to take pictures. Simply crossing the causeway invokes a sense of serenity from the natural beauty that prepares visitors for the island themselves.
Sanibel is noted for its strong conservation ethic and natural beauty. Many newcomers are struck by its lack of high-rises and by the lush foliage- which might explain why the extensive bike paths are often bustling with those who prefer to park their cars and take a more natural route. Much of the island is preserved as natural habitat for the wildlife that share the island with humans, so don’t be surprised to see egrets and herons stalking prey in watery swales along the roads, raccoons scuttling across parking lots, or occasional alligators sunning on a golf course. But don’t think that they are tame. These animals are wild and dangerous, especially the alligators, and a sure way to make them even more dangerous to people is by feeding them.
One of the best places to learn more about the island’s nature and to see its wild inhabitants is at the J.N. “Ding Darling” National Wildlife Refuge. Stop at the refuge’s new Education Center for activities and displays, then drive a bicycle along the five-mile Wildlife Drive for a closer look at the mangrove forest that dominates the refuge, and the wild residents. There are also walking trails and those who want to get closer to the water can rent a canoe or kayak at Tarpon Bay Recreation Area. A haven for migratory birds, “Ding” Darling refuge is a destination for bird-lovers and photographers from around the world.
Just down the road, Sanibel-Captiva Conservation Foundation has walking trails and an ongoing schedule of environmental education programs, and the nearby Clinic for Rehabilitation of Wildlife (CROW) offers daily tours.
Adjacent to the foundation is the Bailey-Matthews Shell Museum, a logical facility for an island internationally renowned for its shelly shores. The museum is a natural history museum dedicated to shells from around the world with a stunning abundance and variety of information, from the scientific to the artistic.
Sanibel and Captiva have long fascinating histories, colored by the distinctive characters that have made them their homes. Sanibel’s Historical Village offers glimpses into these people and their lives.
Next door to the village is B.I.G. Arts (the Barrier Island Group for the Arts), which offers courses, exhibits, performances, poetry readings, and all things art. In addition, J.T. Smith, an island institution, stages his witty musicals at the Old Schoolhouse Theater. Sanibel also has become known internationally for its music festival, which draws some of the world’s best musicians to perform in a winter-spring series each year.
Beyond Sanibel lies Captiva, with its beautiful, relatively vacant beaches overlooking the Gulf of Mexico in all its brilliant blue-green glory-the island’s main attraction. Its downtown area is small, but well worth the time to browse its boutiques shops, galleries and restaurants.
Which sort of sums up Sanibel and Captiva. These islands have something for everyone, from the outdoors enthusiasts, to vacationing families, to those in need of upscale down time.
Naples - Beautiful, uncrowded beaches, luxury accommodations, fine dining, sophisticated entertainment, pristine natural areas. It’s no wonder Naples and Marco Island have developed such lofty reputations.
Naples has blossomed into an upscale playground, where multimillion-dollar second, third or fourth residences are not uncommon, and where celebrities and business and government leaders retreat to relax in the sunshine and play on golf courses or tennis courts. Downtown Naples, notably Fifth Avenue, is a shopper’s delight of upscale boutiques, galleries, and restaurants.
In the evening, take in a performance at the Naples Dinner Theater or the popular Naples Players at Sugden Community Theater. Or revel in world-class dance, music, or other entertainment at the Philharmonic Center for the Arts, home of the Naples Philharmonic Orchestra. Be sure to arrive early to meander through the art galleries at the Phil, but an art lover’s experience in Naples isn’t complete without visits to the von Liebig Art Center and the Naples Museum of Art.
Nearby Marco Island is noted for its lovely beaches and high standards in welcoming visitors. As in Naples, accommodations offer full amenities, and many of them are right on the beach. Although Naples and Marco are the places to go for some well-deserved pampering, that’s not the only reason to visit the area!
Fascinating history lessons lie beneath the polished exteriors, and standing firm at the edge of the manicured lawns and well-tended golf courses is the daunting wilderness of the Florida Everglades and the Ten Thousand Islands. This is the territory of dangerous alligators, of birds with plumes so beautiful they were hunted nearly to extinction. And this is where the Seminole, refusing to surrender to federal forces, retreated to rebuild and exist.
Collier County has three museums that explore the history of the region and its various inhabitants, in Naples, Everglades City, and Immokalee. In addition, the Palm Cottage shows visitors a glimpse of the area’s architectural history.
Experiencing the Everglades gives people a better understanding of what early settlers endured. Not too far from Naples and Marco is Big Cypress National Preserve and Fakahatchee Strand State Preserve, which offer views of the unique ecosystem Marjory Stoneman Douglas dubbed “The River of Grass”. A visit to the Conservancy of Southwest Florida and the Briggs Nature Center takes visitors into the wet wildness of the region.
For all Naples’ attractions, the beaches and the Gulf of Mexico will always be the main event. Miles of beautiful, white sand beach stretch along the waterfront, and the town’s central gathering spot is the Naples pier, where people of all interests and walks of life meet, play, fish, and chat. Delnor-Wiggins Pass State Recreation Area north of Naples, Lowdermilk Park, Clam Pass and Vanderbilt County Park and Tigertail Beach County Park on Marco Island are the favorite spots to get outside and enjoy the water and natural beauty of Southwest Florida. Those looking for a slightly different outdoor experience find it by venturing on a shelling charter, and ecotour, or thrilling a trip into the Everglades by airboat.