Fifty miles of sandy beaches, idyllic islands, great wildlife – who could ask for anything more?
When two of America’s most-famous 20th-century entrepreneurs – Thomas Edison and Henry Ford – went in search of a tranquil, semi-tropical retreat they chose the then small community of Fort Myers, Florida. Today, tens of thousands of holidaymakers follow in their footsteps.
The area’s tranquil rivers are popular with canoers
The attraction is not just the homes of the two friends, nestled side by side in a parkland beside the Caloosahatchee River, or even Fort Myers’ charming, downtown River District and nearby sandy beach, but also its proximity to numerous idyllic islands floating in the warm, azure waters of the Gulf of Mexico.
Each of these mainland and island destinations has its own unique appeal. At Fort Myers Beach, located on bridge-linked Estero Island, you can hire a kayak or canoe and view the shell mound remains of an ancient Calusa Indian site as well as gentle manatees floating like giant dirigible balloons just below the water’s surface.
On Sanibel Island, also connected by bridge to the mainland, you can join locals and visitors alike scouring the soft sands for some of the 400 different varieties of sea shells that wash up on these shores. And a stroll along the boardwalks of the 6,400-acre JR ‘Ding Darling’ National Wildlife Refuge may result in sightings of alligators, river otters, bobcats and such colourful birds as egrets, white pelicans, roseate spoonbills and falcons.
Tethered to it by a short causeway is Captiva Island, so named as this was where pirates reputedly kept their female captives. Today, it, like Sanibel, is beautified by shady pathways, swaying palm trees and hedges of brilliant flowers. It’s also the launching spot for cruises, often accompanied by flotillas of frolicking bottlenose dolphins, to the outer islands.
Fishing is one of the major attractions along these Gulf of Mexico shores
A stop by 100-acre Cabbage Key’s Cabbage Key Inn is always amusing as the walls of its picturesque bar are encrusted with dollar bills left by appreciative visitors. The key attraction of tranquil island-sited Cayo Costa State Park is the camping sites in the park, and visitors to Gasparilla Island head for the photogenic Boca Grande Lighthouse & Museum and the historic Gasparilla Inn, located in the colourful town of Boca Grande, which is also popular with tarpon fishermen.
Another favourite for fishermen is Pine Island, linked by a bridge to a tiny islet enhanced by the funky artists’ colony of Matlacha (pronounced Mat-luh-SHAY).
But Useppa Island undoubtedly has the most colourful history. According to legend, this is where pirate Jose Gaspar imprisoned the beautiful Josefa (or Useppa) de Mayorga, daughter of the viceroy of New Spain. In more recent years it has been the private fiefdom of, first, a Chicago streetcar magnate and, later, a New York advertising executive whose guests included US President Herbert Hoover, the millionaire Rockefellers and Vanderbilts, and actresses Gloria Swanson and Shirley Temple. Later, it served as the base for the CIA’s disastrous invasion of Cuba’s Bay of Pigs. Now, you can dine in style at the private Collier Inn Rooms & Suites and learn more about the island’s history at the Barbara Sumwalt Museum.
Thomas Edison spent 50 winters in Seminole Lodge, his Fort Myers home
Back on the mainland, a visit to the Edison & Ford Winter Estates in Fort Myers provides insight into the lifestyles of these two remarkable men. You can visit the guestrooms, library and study of Seminole Lodge, where Edison spent the winter months for 50 years, and admire the view over the gardens and river from the wide porch of Ford’s The Mangoes.
Also on the grounds – the laboratory where Edison, with Ford’s backing, worked on developing a home-grown substitute for imported rubber, and a museum that includes such Edison inventions as the light bulb, telegraph and telephone, plus the custom-made Model T Ford given to him by Ford.
A statue of Edison is among the attractions in the 20-acre surrounding gardens, which also include a pool, tea house, exotic fruit trees, avenues of Royal Palms and one of the largest banyan trees in the USA.
Once here – and on at least one of the nearby beaches or islands – you can understand why Edison, Ford and thousands of others keep returning to the area.
The Best of Fort Myers & Sanibel
This popular Sanibel bar and grill is named for a local fictional character
ART – An Art Walk to the art galleries of Fort Myers’ River District takes place the first Friday and Saturday of each month.
BEACHES –The readers of USA Today named Fort Myers’ Lovers Key State Park one of Florida’s Top 10 ‘best beaches’.
BOOKS – Sanibel Island-based thriller writer Randy Wayne White’s 24 Doc Ford books, featuring the exploits of a marine biologist, are full of local colour. White also hangs out at Sanibel’s Doc Ford’s Rum Bar & Grill.
KIDS ATTRACTIONS – In addition to the previously mentioned activities, downtown Fort Myers’ Imaginarium Museum & Aquarium.
LOCAL HERITAGE –The Sanibel Historical Museum & Village features such early-20th-century buildings as a general store, post office, schoolhouse and a home assembled from a 1925 Sears, Roebuck & Company catalogue.
NIGHTLIFE – Join the Happy Hour (and later) crowd in one or more of the numerous waterfront restaurants and bars, enjoy a dinner theatre, or attend a performance of the Florida Repertory Theatre in Fort Myers.
SEA SHELLS – After scouring Sanibel’s Bowman Beach for your own collection, visit the island’s Bailey-Matthews National Shell Museum, which displays beautiful shells from around the world.
SHOPPING – The Fort Myers River District’s upmarket outlets, antique shops, boutiques and outdoor malls or the quaint shops on Sanibel.
