Things to do in Fort Myers, FL

Both the Boston Red Sox and Minnesota Twins conduct their annual spring training in Fort Myers, each in their own ballfield.  Late February sees legions of baseball fans flocking to southwest Florida for spring training games - which run through the end of March - against MLB rivals like the New York Yankees or Chicago White Sox.   It's a lot of fun and the best weather of the year.   Fans get tan and baseball bliss all at the same time. 

Winter is a sport watched on the Weather Channel, in Fort Myers.   Winter is a little unpredictable in December and January but "plunging temperatures" often means into the 60s, with sunshine.   Winter temps can be as high as 80.   Come to play.   Spring is lovely as well, with 70s and 80s for the highs until - typically - May, when summer comes calling.  Summer is hot (high 90s) and humid, but what will you care?  You'll be in the pool, on the beach, and never fighting any crowds;  summer is off-season here.   "Fall" offers the lowest prices of year in hotels and the heat of summer, until about the third week of October, when it cools down to 70s for a high. 

Southwest Florida has legendary beaches.   Sanibel Island is...  

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Both the Boston Red Sox and Minnesota Twins conduct their annual spring training in Fort Myers, each in their own ballfield.  Late February sees legions of baseball fans flocking to southwest Florida for spring training games - which run through the end of March - against MLB rivals like the New York Yankees or Chicago White Sox.   It's a lot of fun and the best weather of the year.   Fans get tan and baseball bliss all at the same time. 

Winter is a sport watched on the Weather Channel, in Fort Myers.   Winter is a little unpredictable in December and January but "plunging temperatures" often means into the 60s, with sunshine.   Winter temps can be as high as 80.   Come to play.   Spring is lovely as well, with 70s and 80s for the highs until - typically - May, when summer comes calling.  Summer is hot (high 90s) and humid, but what will you care?  You'll be in the pool, on the beach, and never fighting any crowds;  summer is off-season here.   "Fall" offers the lowest prices of year in hotels and the heat of summer, until about the third week of October, when it cools down to 70s for a high. 

Southwest Florida has legendary beaches.   Sanibel Island is world-renowned for shelling;  its seashell-laden beaches are filled with treasures year-round.   Tiny Captiva Island faces west, so its beach is a bastion of happiness at happy hour, nightly.   Fort Myers Beach, on Estero Island, is a laid-back beach with tourist bars serving drinks right in the sand.   Pristine Lovers' Key is for paddling and sunning in seclusion.   A few other beaches are reached by charter boat or water taxi only.   All have white sand and most have lots of wildlife. 

Vacations are often built around sunsets in southwest Florida.   Whether you watch sunset from the beach with a cocktail, or from the deck of a tour boat, to the sounds of a tropical guitar player . . . your sunset memories from Fort Myers are sure to be remarkable.   Watch for the "green flash," a seaside phenomenon that ony happens in certain weather conditions and shoots a 1-2 second bright green flash across the watery horizon. 

Fishing, tennis, golf, walking, paddling, shelling . . . Fort Myers is all about these activities.  A full calendar of sunny days and temps which are rarely cold (or never cold, depending upon your home latitude) give Fort Myers visitors their choice of outdoor activities.   Fishing is great offshore or on;  golf and tennis clubs pepper the area.   Lakes Park is a particularly popular area to get outside, with its long hiking trails and canoe rentals.  The Calusa Bluewway - a water-based trail for paddlers - brings kayakers galore to the Fort Myers area. 

It seems quite fitting to call Fort Myers the "City of Palms" while strolling through streets that are beautifully lined with royal and queen palm trees. A city known for its backyard Gulf coast beaches, Fort Myers and remains a top vacation spot for travelers from all over.   Its location on the calm Gulf of Mexico lies just below the latitude where most cold fronts stall, giving it winter temps that are often warmer and more pleasant than those in Sarasota or Tampa.  Fort Myers also attracts a large number of friendly midwesterners:  license plates from Ohio, Indiana, Michigan, Illinois, Wisconsin and Minnesota are prevalent.  

Established in the mid-1800s, Fort Myers was originally a military installation that saw service right through the Civil War. Fort Myers' real claim to fame, comes from legendary inventor Thomas Edison having built his riverfront winter home and laboratory, Seminole Lodge, on what is now McGregor Blvd.  Nearly 20 years after Edison finished construction, Henry Ford joined him in his balmy paradise, moving in next door.  The Edison-Ford Winter Estates are now open to the public, and no Fort Myers vacation is complete without stopping by and seeing some of Edison's lesser-known inventions and...  Read more »

It seems quite fitting to call Fort Myers the "City of Palms" while strolling through streets that are beautifully lined with royal and queen palm trees. A city known for its backyard Gulf coast beaches, Fort Myers and remains a top vacation spot for travelers from all over.   Its location on the calm Gulf of Mexico lies just below the latitude where most cold fronts stall, giving it winter temps that are often warmer and more pleasant than those in Sarasota or Tampa.  Fort Myers also attracts a large number of friendly midwesterners:  license plates from Ohio, Indiana, Michigan, Illinois, Wisconsin and Minnesota are prevalent.  

Established in the mid-1800s, Fort Myers was originally a military installation that saw service right through the Civil War. Fort Myers' real claim to fame, comes from legendary inventor Thomas Edison having built his riverfront winter home and laboratory, Seminole Lodge, on what is now McGregor Blvd.  Nearly 20 years after Edison finished construction, Henry Ford joined him in his balmy paradise, moving in next door.  The Edison-Ford Winter Estates are now open to the public, and no Fort Myers vacation is complete without stopping by and seeing some of Edison's lesser-known inventions and the mind-blowing collection of plants he amassed from around the world.   The city's annual Festival of Light, held on Edison's birthday (February 11th) and lasting for two weeks of non-stop excitement, is capped by a nighttime parade, the likes of which you've never seen.    

There's an endless number of things to do in Fort Myers, day and night.  Sunshine lures most to area beach communities and islands such as Sanibel Island, Captiva Island, Estero Island's Fort Myers Beach (where Edison and Ford commonly camped), Bonita Springs, and a few other smaller islands accessible only by boat, a Fort Myers vacation is sure to provide ample opportunity to experience fun in the sun.

For sports fans, the city is also home to the spring training sessions of the Boston Red Sox and the Minnesota Twins.  Golf is a huge pasttime, as is tennis, and weather allows both year-round.   Fishing, of course, is paramount for many:  offshore, onshore, in the flats and bayous, on the beaches.   May is when the tarpon are rolling;  hire a guide to show you the "silver kings" even if you don't fish.
Sunset is a heralded institution and because so many folks moved to Fort Myers for a tropical lifestyle, dress codes are nearly uniformly casual.  Tommy Bahama style shorts, a collared short sleeve shirt and Topsiders is considered evening wear for men in 95% of restaurants.
RSW International is serviced by all the major airlines, including low-cost carrier Southwest.   Other nearby airports include Punta Gorda (20 min);  Sarasota's SRQ (1 hour);  Tampa's TPA (2 hours);  Fort Lauderdale's FTL (2 hours) and Miami MIA (2.5 hours).