Fort Myers, Florida, has attracted natives and settlers ever since it was a Seminole War outpost, and its location on the Caloosahatchee River makes it a lively, scenic metropolitan center today. Tourists visit Fort Myers not only for the city itself but for all that the Fort Myers area has to offer, from Cape Coral and North Fort Myers to Bonita Springs.
The barrier islands of Fort Myers Beach, Sanibel and Captiva attract hordes of tourists who flock there to stay in hotels overlooking the shore, loll on white-sand beaches and swim in the surf. Tourists also enjoy exploring the mangrove-clogged waterways, fishing, boating, golfing, playing tennis and other outdoor pursuits available in the Fort Myers area.
Fort Myers Beach is a popular tourist destination. It bustles with watersports, fishing and nightlife, and its southernmost area contains a state park teeming with birds. Sanibel Island is well-known for its magnificent, intact seashells and its diligent wildlife conservation. Captiva Island serves as a gateway to a string of upper islands accessible only by boat.
Fort Myers itself supports a burgeoning arts scene buoyed by galleries, theaters and festivals that attract tourists. Historic McGregor Boulevard in Fort Myers never fails to impress with its rows of majestic royal palms that were planted by Thomas Edison. Cape Coral remains largely residential and family-oriented. South of Fort Myers, a state university that opened in the late 1990s has ushered in a boom of development and shopping opportunities that appeal to tourists.
Sights—Edison & Ford Winter Estates; beaches on Sanibel and Captiva islands.
Museums—Imaginarium Hands-On Museum; Southwest Florida Museum of History.
Memorable Meals—Local seafood with a southern accent at Veranda; fried seafood at the Shrimp Shack.
Late Night—The Bridge Restaurant; Big M Casino cruise.
Walks—Strolls along Fort Myers Beach and Sanibel Island beaches.
Especially for Kids—Imaginarium Hands-On Museum; Sun Splash Family Water Park; Greenwell's Bat-A-Ball and Family Fun Park.
The Caloosahatchee River runs between Fort Myers on its south banks, and Cape Coral and North Fort Myers to the north. The river flows into San Carlos Bay, which separates the mainland from the barrier islands and is part of the Intracoastal Waterway.
Across the Intracoastal Waterway, the string of islands includes Bonita Beach in the south, trailed by Fort Myers Beach on Estero Island, then Sanibel Island. Bridges connect the three islands directly to the mainland. Sanibel links to Captiva Island to the north with a short bridge. Black Island hooks up with Bonita Beach at one end and Fort Myers Beach at another, and Lovers Key lies on its west side. There are more islands near Captiva Island that are inaccessible by car, and countless keys and islands lie leeward of the barrier islands in the bay waters.
The area between Fort Myers and Bonita Springs is filled with mostly residential communities such as San Carlos Park and Estero.
Fort Myers' waterways and balmy climate drew the Calusa Indians to the area, where they subsisted off seafood and shellfish, leaving behind great shell mounds as evidence of their activities. The fierce Calusa kept Spanish explorers at bay in the 1500s, but European diseases killed off most of the tribe. Those who survived blended in with the Cuban fishers who arrived later on the barrier islands to export mullet and roe back to their homeland. The government quickly labeled the region as a scurrilous land populated by outlaws, half-breeds and other unsavory types.
First known as Fort Harvie, Fort Myers became well-known around 1858 during the Seminole Wars. Soldiers who were stationed in the strategic location often stayed, seduced by the area's pleasant climate. The region's far-flung ports saw their share of blockade-runners during the Civil War, which brought yet another influx of soldiers-cum-settlers. The cattle industry brought "cow hunters" to the area. Cow hunters, known for their raucous lifestyle, would drive descendants of the longhorn steers left by early Spanish explorers to Punta Rassa, where today's Sanibel Causeway makes landfall.
With the arrival of Thomas Edison, Henry Ford and Harvey Firestone in the late 1800s, the Fort Myers region began its rise as a destination for the wealthy and adventurous. Teddy Roosevelt, Edna St. Vincent Millay, Zane Grey and Mary Roberts Rinehart were among those who went to the area to fish for tarpon. Others began to discover Fort Myers' natural charms, and today the area is one of Florida's fastest-growing tourist areas.
For 15 mi/24 km, Fort Myers' McGregor Boulevard is lined on both sides with statuesque royal palm trees, the first 200 of which were imported from Cuba and planted by Thomas Edison.
Thomas Edison, who spent many winters in Fort Myers, is considered the most inventive man who ever lived, holding 1,093 patents for everything from light bulbs, cement and phonographs to the natural rubber he made from goldenrod.
The banyan tree at the Edison Winter home, a gift from industrialist Harvey Firestone, is the largest specimen in the U.S. The tree's aerial roots have a circumference of more than 400 ft/124 m.
There are more than 100 coastal islands west of Fort Myers, some residential and others uninhabited. Tarpon fishing became a big sport there after a Chicago streetcar mogul built the Isaak Walton Club on Useppa Island in 1911.
In the 1985 B-movie classic Day of the Dead, directed by George A. Romeros, Fort Myers is the setting for the city of zombies and the human heroes escape to the beach of Sanibel Island.
The walls of Cabbage Key's historic inn are papered in more than US$30,000 worth of autographed US$1 bills. The inn, built by playwright Mary Roberts Rinehart and her son in 1938, serves breakfast, lunch and dinner to guests and boaters at Mile Marker 60 on the Intracoastal Waterway.
