 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
||||||||||||
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
||||||||
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
||||||
 |
 |
 |
|
||||||||||
 |
|
||||||||||||
 |
 |
|
|||||||||||
 |
 |
|
|||||||||||
 |
|
||||||||||||
Fishing Party boats and charter boats abound at the many docks around the Beach. A license is not required by non-residents for this -- just pay the captain and you're on your way to boating the big ones in the Gulf of Mexico. The boats range from 60-100 ft. The average cost per person for half day is $25.00 and full day $40.00, alltogether $200 to $400 per day. For the backbay fisherman, the catwalk under the Matanzas Pass Bridge is a good spot to angle for sheepshead, ladyfish and trout around the pilings and fenders of the bridge. For the adventurous angler, many marinas nearby offer small boats for rent that are perfect for exploring and angling in Pine Island Sound and Estero Bay -- a huge, shallow body of water dotted with hundreds of mangrove keys, home to many species of game fish. A fishing license is needed to fish the back bays. Nor is the diehard freshwater fisherman slighted. Lee County is interlaced with freshwater canals and water management ditches, all of which are richly populated with bass, bluegill, crappie and a variety of other panfish. You'll need a license for this fishing, too. Licenses are available from the tax collector's office Monday through Friday at the Summerlin Square annex, and from many tackle shops and stores such as Wal-Mart. Non-resident License Fees:
So bring your rod, reel and plenty of tackle -- Sanibel, Fort Myers Beach and Captiva are truly a fisherman's paradise. Golfing Fort Myers Beach Fort Myers Eastwood Golf Course, a par 72 course owned and operated by the City of Fort Myers at Colonial and Six-Mile Cypress in Fort Myers. $27.00 until 1:00pm, $20.00 from 1:00-3:30, and $7.50 from 3:30-6:00. Prices include cart fee and tax. Play from 7 a.m. to dark. Driving range available. Phone: 275-4848. Driving time: about 20 minutes. Fort Myers County Club , a Don Ross design par 71 course owned and operated by the City of Fort Myers on McGregor Blvd. in Fort Myers. Play from 7 a.m. to dark. Before 1:00 $15.00 to walk and $25.00 to ride. Between 1:00 and 3:30 $12.50 to walk and $20.00 to ride. After 3:30 $10.00 to walk and $17.50 to ride. Phone: 936-3126. Driving time from the Beach: 20-30 minutes. There is also a driving range behind the Summerlin Square Shopping Center at Summerlin Road and San Carlos Boulevard, about a 10-minute drive from the Islands. Sanibel/Captiva South Seas Plantation
Golf Course - (private) The Dunes Golf &
Tennis Club, Sanibel Island, FL Gambling Seminole Indian Casino of Immokalee: 506 S. 1st St., Immokalee. (800) 218-0007. Video gaming gambling machines, low-stake poker and bingo. There's a restaurant, bar and nightly entertainment. Free shuttle buses leave from a number of locations in Lee County. Call for information. The Naples-Fort Myers Greyhound Track: 10601 Bonita Beach Rd., Bonita Springs. Exit 18 off I-75. Phone: 992-2411 or 540-2254. Live greyhound racing, plus simulcasting of horse, greyhound and harness racing from tracks around the country on TVs. Admission is $2 for the grandstand, where there are benches, chairs, picnic tables and a snack bar; $3 for the clubhouse, with a restaurant and box seats. The track opens daily at 11:30 a.m. and closes about 4 p.m. It reopens at 6:30 p.m. and the last race starts at about 10:30 p.m. Attractions Everglades Wonder Gardens features a large collection of Florida Wildlife in a beautiful jungle-like tropical setting. You can see cougars, hawks, deer, will boar, otters, flamingos and many other native animals. Admission is $12 for adults, $6 for children 3 to 12. Hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily except Christmas. The last tour leaves at 4:15 p.m. Located at 27180 Old U.S. 41 in downtown Bonita Springs. Phone 992-2591. Ostego Bay Marine Foundation on San Carlos Island at Fort Myers Beach. Features marine exhibits such as a touch tank and aquarium. Open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday. Admission is free, but donations are accepted. Located at 718 Fisherman's Wharf. Phone 765-8101. If you're really into shelling, you'll want to visit the Shell Factory in North Fort Myers. This big complex has thousands of rare and exotic shells, corals, a video arcade, African lounge, restaurants, pick-a-pearl aquarium, bumper boats, sponges and fossils. Free guided tours. The South Florida Railroad Museum is here also. 2787 North Tamiami Trail. Phone 995-2141. Six-Mile Cypress Slough Preserve is a 2,000-acre wetland ecosystem and home to a diversity of plants and animals, some of which are endangered. Features a mile-long boardwalk through the swamp, where one can see alligators, turtles and birds. Located on Six-Mile Parkway at Penzance Road north of Daniels Parkway. Phone: 338-3300. J. N. "Ding" Darling National Wildlife Refuge, a 5,000-acre sanctuary for native and migratory birds on Sanibel Island, is a favorite attraction for both residents and visitors. Features a five-mile drive through unspoiled mangrove swamp and island uplands, foot trails and a canoe trail. The Visitor Center just off Sanibel-Captiva Road offers literature and exhibits. Excellent opportunity to see alligators up close -- but don't feed them. Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary, owned and operated by the National Audubon Society, teems with native and migratory birds and other wildlife along two miles of nature trails through the largest virgin bald cypress forest in the United States. Located southeast of Bonita Springs, 15 miles east of I-75, Exit 17. Phone: 657-3771. The Calusa Nature Center and Planetarium is a complex of buildings housing many facilities connected by wooded walks and decks. Exhibits deal with wildlife, fossils and native habitats. The Audubon Aviary is home to many injured birds. The planetarium offers star shows, among other interesting events. Located in Fort Myers at 3450 Ortiz Ave. near I-75 Exit 22. Phone: 275-3435. The Bailey Matthews Shell Museum is the only museum in the United States solely devoted to seashells. It features educational displays on local shells and shells of the world. Hours are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday. Located at 3075 Sanibel-Captiva Road on Sanibel Island. Phone: 395-2233. The Fort Myers Historical Museum, housed in the restored historic railroad depot in Fort Myers, displays a fine collection of items from Southwest Florida's history. Open daily. Located at 2300 Peck St. Phone: 332-5955. Lynn Hall Memorial Park, the main public beach, is the central attraction at Fort Myers Beach. It features a newly improved playground for kids, fishing pier, picnic huts, benches, a new information kiosk and loads of shops and restaurants at the Time Square pedestrian mall area, which has lights, palm trees and outdoor tables. Bowditch Point Park, just up the road at the north end of Fort Myers Beach, is an unspoiled, uncrowded, wide sandy beach with lots of native vegetation. The peaceful 17-acre park fronts both the bay and the Gulf of Mexico. Amenities include restrooms, showers, changing rooms, picnic tables, grills, hiking paths, benches, bike racks, a handicap-accessible boardwalk to the beach and a beautiful courtyard pavilion. Admission is free. Beach Access Points Along Estero Boulevard. In many places along Estero Boulevard, the main road running the length of Fort Myers Beach, you'll see white fabric signs denoting beach access points. These are great places to go and just enjoy some peace and quiet, since the beach is much less crowded in these areas. They're often isolated, so bring a cooler. Some are just a short walk from cafes. Shelling is better along these areas than at the main beach. Along The Island
Chain. Sanibel Beaches Causeway Beaches. Great for swimming, fishing, windsurfing and picnicking. Pull your vehicle right to the waters edge. There is no fee when you park on the causeway beach. Located along both sides of the road. Restrooms are available. Lighthouse Beach & Fishing Pier. This is the site of our historic functioning lighthouse. Located on the eastern tip of Sanibel, wrapping around to the bay side. This is where the t-dock-fishing pier is and a boardwalk nature trail winding through native wetlands. Turn left on Periwinkle Way from the Causeway Road. Gulfside City Park. Picnic tables and shady pines welcome you, located mid-island on Algiers Lane off Casa Ybel Rd. Mid Island. Tarpon Bay Beach. Easy parking for recreational vehicles, and a short hike from the parking lot to the beach. Located at the south end of Tarpon Bay Rd. at West Gulf Drive. Mid Island Bowmans Beach. Pristine and quiet, you won't find any hotels here. Park and walk over a bridge to secluded white beach. There is an outdoor shower located at this beach. This is the only beach with barbecue grills. Located off Sanibel-Captiva Rd., turn left on Bowmans Beach Rd. Up Island. Captiva Beaches Turner Beach (Blind Pass). Located on both the Sanibel and Captiva side of the Blind Pass Bridge, this beach is popular with shellers and fishermen. Signs warn against swimming because of the swift currents. Located on Sanibel-Captiva Rd. at Blind Pass Bridge. Captive Beach. A great place to watch the sunset. There are no restroom facilities here and parking is very limited. Located at the end of Captiva Dr. Parking is free. Watersports There are a number of marinas with charters and boat rentals available, including offshore fishing for the big ones! Also, in a number of locations along the beach at Fort Myers Beach you'll find vendors renting jet skis waverunners, dolphin tours, and parasailing. Daytripping Alligators abound, often coming within a few yards of the buggies. You'll see woodland animals such as panthers, deer and bison up close and natural. There's even a three-horned cow named Lulu. Later, browse through the Babcocks' Old Country Store, or sample native Cracker cuisine in the food service area, a rustic, natural wood building nestled under tall southern slash pines. Or visit the bunkhouse, for years the cultural center of the Crescent B. The entrance is on State Road 31 about seven miles north of the Lee County Civic Center in North Fort Myers. Tours are by reservation and every day is different, call for rates. Phone: 1-800-500-5583. On your way to the Babcock Ranch, you might stop off at the Octagon Wildlife Sanctuary and Rehabilitation Center, just off State Road 31, which has a host of animals, many of which are retired circus performers. Hours are 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. weekends. Donations of $5 for adults and $2 for children are requested. Five miles north of the Lee County Civic Center on S.R. 31 in North Fort Myers. Phone 543-1130. Wooten's Total Everglades Adventure, on the Tamiami Trail at Ochopee south of Naples, is an animal sanctuary and exhibit offering airboat and swamp buggy tours through the swamp. At Wooten's compound, you can see exhibits of native animals, 'gator wrestling and a lake so populated with alligators you could walk across it on them and stay dry (not suggested). Take I-75 south to Exit 15, then S.R. 951 south to the Tamiami Trail. Turn east and go to Ochopee, which, incidentally, has the smallest post office in the United States. Open daily. Children under 6 free. Tours leave every 30 minutes. Gift, souvenir shop and snack bar. Everglades National Park and Boat Tours feature a scenic boat ride through the famed ecosystem. Tours include the Ten Thousand Islands, wilderness and shelling trips. Located just south of Everglades City, a short drive from Naples. Phone (800)445-7724. Jungle Larry's Zoological Park, a tropical, nature-themed attraction featuring exotic animals and reptiles, offers daily animal shows, tram and boat rides through islands populated with monkeys. Located at 1590 Goodlette Rd., Naples. Phone: 262-4053. Festivals The Fort Myers Beach Lions Club Shrimp Festival celebrates the Beach as home of one of the nation's largest shrimp fleets. The event, sponsored by the Fort Myers Beach Lions Club, includes an early morning "Shrimp Run" for elementary school children and the Queen's Dance that evening. A 5-K Run kicks of the main weekend on a Saturday in mid-March, with a parade and the crowning of the festival queen. In the afternoon a shrimp boil lasts until early evening. The shrimp boil gets underway again in the morning on Sunday at the public park, along with a blessing of the shrimp fleet. In addition to those events, there is an arts and crafts show. Except for the parade, it all happens at the Lynn Hall Memorial Park at the public beach and pier. The Edison Festival of Light is one of the area's largest and most celebrated annual events, commemorating the birthday of the area's most famous winter resident, Thomas A. Edison. The festival features three weeks of events in February, culminating with the spectacular Parade of Light through downtown Fort Myers. Main events include opening ceremonies; a gala ball, a fashion show, the Edison Festival 5-K Race, and Crafts on the River A complete list of events is available from the Edison Festival of Light Office. Phone: (941) 334-2999. Labelle Swamp Cabbage Festival: February. Annual festival celebrating "old Florida," with a parade, food, arts and crafts booths and contests under towering, spreading live oaks in Barron Park at LaBelle. The featured dish, of course, is swamp cabbage, a right tasty concoction of boiled and seasoned heart of the Sabal, or cabbage palm, which also is the state tree. About an hour's drive from the Beach and makes a great day trip. Phone: (941)675-0125. Everglade's Seafood Festival at Everglades City. About a two-hour drive from the Beach but well worth it. Music, entertainment and an arts and crafts fair. Seafood platters featuring stone crab, for which the area is famous. German-American Social Club Fests celebrate the German-American heritage with German food and beer February, March and April. Hundreds of folks have attended these rollicking affairs for many years. German-American Social Club, 2101 Pine Island Rd., Cape Coral. 283-1400. Annual Sanibel Shell Fair: March. Show features shell displays and crafts with prizes awarded. Spectacular displays of shells from local waters and all over the world. Food and entertainment. Sanibel Community Center, Periwinkle Way, Sanibel Island. Phone: 472-2155. Bonita Springs Tomato Seafood Festival: March. Bonita Springs celebrates its history with food and product booths. Local bands, cloggers and square dancers perform throughout the day. Phone: 992-2556 or 992-2943. Shooting
Ranges Port of The Islands Gun Club is attached to the Port of the Island Resort on the Gulf of Mexico. Both are on U.S. 41 south of Naples. The club offers four skeet and three trap fields and a pistol/rifle range. Phone: (239) 642-8999. Port Arms Indoor Gun Range sells firearms and offers a 25-yard pistol range, NRA certified instructors and gunsmithing services. 3685 Fowler St. in Fort Myers. Phone: 275-4867. Bars
and Restaurants Fleamarkets/Shopping Fleamasters' Giant Flee Market at 4135 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. in Fort Myers hosts more than 100 vendor's shops, selling everything from fresh fruit and vegetables to silk flowers, kitchen utensils and life and casualty insurance. It's open year-round every Friday, Saturday and Sunday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Phone: 334-7001. Ortiz Flee Market on Ortiz Boulevard east of Fort Myers is an outdoor bazaar emphasizing locally grown produce. There are vendors selling everything from old gramophone records to used jeans, new clothing and western wear. More old, American-made and campy stuff than Fleamasters. Open Friday 7 a.m. to 1 p.m., Saturday and Sunday from 6 a.m. to 4 p.m. Shoppers Village : Located at McGregor Boulevard and College Parkway in Fort Myers, it's more a craft market than a flea market, but there's also sportswear, jewelry, antiques and tools. Open Thursday to Sunday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Service
Organizations Veterans of Foreign Wars . First and third Thursday, 8 p.m. Auxiliary, weekly dinners, music. 16701 Pine Ridge Road. Phone: 466-6400. Veterans Club of America . Second Monday, 7 p.m. 16701 San Carlos Blvd. Phone: 466-3177. Fort Myers Beach Masonic Lodge 362 . Corner Summerlin Road and San Carlos Blvd. Phone: 466-6363. Fort Myers Beach Shrine Club . Second Thursday, 8 p.m. 850 San Carlos Blvd. Phone: 463-6627. Kiwanis Club of Fort Myers Beach . P. O. Box 2507, Fort Myers Beach 33932. Meets Fridays at 7 a.m. at Island Pancake House. Phone: 454-8090. Knights of Columbus . Meets at Church of the Ascension, Fort Myers Beach. Phone: 463-6754. Lions Club of Fort Myers Beach . Second and fourth Wednesday 6:30 p.m. social; 7:30 p.m. dinner. American Legion Post 274. Phone: 466-4228. Loyal Order of Moose . Second and fourth Thursday, 8 a.m.; Auxiliary, first and third Wednesday, 8 p.m. 19090 San Carlos Blvd. Phone: 463-7733. Rotary Club of Fort Myers Beach. P. O. Box 2775, Fort Myers Beach 33932. Thursdays, 7:30 a.m. Phone: 454-6789
|
