Fort
Myers gateway to islands, wildlife
Fort
Myers, a thriving city rich in history and
nature, serves as gateway to a stretch of islands known
for their white-sand beaches, bird life and recreational
opportunities. The city hugs the shores of the wide
Caloosahatchee River, which created the town and levered
its importance during the Seminole Wars. Since the early
1800s, settlers and visitors of fame and wealth came to
Fort Myers and area, most notably light bulb inventor
Thomas A. Edison, who built his home, laboratory and
botanical gardens between the river and McGregor
Boulevard, the town’s most celebrated drive, thanks to
Edison. He lined the old road with stately royal palms
that remain a signature today. His contributions to the
city (he also plugged Fort Myers into electricity) are
celebrated on his birthday every February with the
Edison Festival of Light Pageant, culminating in a
nighttime parade.
 Edison eventually persuaded his friend Henry Ford, of
automobile fame, to build next door and both homes are
open today to inform visitors of local history, along
with other historic museums and sites. One of the area’s
most unusual historic attractions, Koreshan State
Historic Site, memorializes a turn-of-the-20th-century
utopian cult that brought culture to the wilderness. It
is located in Estero in the vicinity of
Florida’s youngest state university, Florida Gulf Coast
University.
Professional theater, a sophisticated performing arts
hall and two sports parks, which host the Boston Red Sox
and Minnesota Twins for spring training, provide
entertainment in the Fort Myers area. Downtown is
evolving into a lively night scene where clubs, coffee
houses, street performers and cafes draw a young, artsy
crowd. For nature lovers, parks preserve fragile habitat
while providing trails for hiking, biking and paddling.
Manatee Park is home to a herd of endangered Florida
manatees that come to winter in its warm waters every
year. Visitors can kayak among them or listen to their
singing through special hydrophones.
Cape Coral, popular for its family
entertainment attractions, and
North Fort Myers,
home to the vintage Shell Factory & Nature Park, face
Fort Myers on the Caloosahatchee River’s northern banks.
Pine Island, a long island that holds
tenaciously to its deep fishing and farming heritage,
hides in the Intracoastal Waters off Cape Coral. Ancient
Calusa Indian mounds and a funky small-town artist
village bring culture-seekers to this island that
celebrates its signature crop each July at the
MangoMania festival.
Main among Fort Myers’ litany of barrier islands are
Fort Myers Beach, a bustling beach town
priced for families; Sanibel Island,
centered around its famous shelling beaches and birding
mecca at J. N. "Ding" Darling National Wildlife Refuge;
Captiva Island, a jumble of quirky
shops and restaurants; and
Bonita Beach,
where the Great Calusa Blueway paddling trail begins to
head north 90 miles. Sanibel is also home to the
one-of-a-kind Bailey-Matthews Shell Museum, plus a
historic village and a couple of nature attractions. Its
Tarpon Bay lies along the Blueway and is part of the
wildlife refuge. Roseate spoonbills, bald eagles,
ospreys, manatees, dolphin, sting rays, tarpon and bob
cats dwell in forests and waters of the refuge.
Besides canoeing and kayaking, the islands lure with
nature boat tours, fishing and shelling charters, a
sailing school, boat rentals, parasailing, sightseeing
voyages, and cruises to the upper islands, reclusive and
accessible only by boat. Shelling, secluded beaching,
nature hikes, camping, lunching and cottage or home
rentals beckon adventurers to these castaway islands and
have since the days of Zane Grey, Mary Roberts Rinehart,
and Hedy Lamar. Teddy Roosevelt based his circa-1914
fishing excursion on Captiva Island, a favorite haunt
also of aviator Charles Lindbergh and his wife Anne
Morrow Lindbergh, who penned her Gifts From the Sea
there. |
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