FLORIDA PLACES AND DESTINATIONS:
FORT MYERS BEACH
Because of its gently sloping shoreline, Estero Island, home of Fort Myers Beach, has long been recognized as one of the “world’s safest beaches”. The sand is particularly soft and white, akin to powdered sugar, and you can walk the entire 7-mile length of the island along these sandy shores, on the way finding fishing, shopping, dining, golf, tennis and entertainment.
During the winter, Estero Bay is home to an extensive shrimp and fishing fleet. Life on Estero is especially suited for family vacations. Here one finds every imaginable water toy, from windsurfer to catamaran and parasailing. Numerous marinas operate boating and fishing charters. Local restaurants benefit from the catch, which generally includes red snapper and grouper.
Matanzas Pass Wilderness Preserve is a peaceful retreat on Estero Bay where visitors can explore a live oak hammock and mangrove forest on a wandering boardwalk and foot trails. An historic cottage complements the Nature Center, which chronicles the history of Fort Myers Beach.
In the northern section of Estero Island in the Times Square shopping, dining, and entertainment district next to the fishing pier, the Lynn Hall Memorial Park provides the perfect setting for family outings. Picnic tables, restrooms, showers, barbecue grills, and a playground are available to visitors.
Mound Key, just northeast of the southern tip of Fort Myers Beach, is an island, like so many in the Fort Myers/Sanibel area, constructed from shells deposited by the Calusa Indians more than 2,000 years ago.
For an afternoon picnic, there is no better spot than Lovers Key on Black Island, just south of Estero. Visitors proceed by open tram across a scenic vista of mangrove islands, arriving at a secluded beach less than 10 minutes later. Ample driftwood and seashells decorate the shore, while pesky raccoons compete for scraps with flocks of sea gulls and other shore birds.
Continuing south, and still on the peninsula, Bonita Beach occupies the southern boundary of the Lee County area. Here traces of old and new Florida peacefully coexist along gently winding beaches deemed among the best in the region. Further inland in Bonita Springs and Estero, history buffs can take a walk through remnants of the Koreshan Unity movement, an extinct religious sect that practiced equal rights for women long before the concept became popular. More modern adventurers enjoy the excitement of greyhound racing at the Naples-Fort Myers Greyhound Track.
Photo: Visit Florida
