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Island and Inland Intrigue in Old Florida

Port Charlotte, Fort Myers, Cape Coral, Marco Island and Naples

With unspoiled alabaster beaches, exotic wildlife and lush subtropical foliage, southwest Florida - comprised of Charlotte, Lee, Collier, Hendry and Glades counties -- combines the sophistication of a pampered island resort with the relaxed style of Old Florida. From the Ten Thousand Islands that lie in tranquil azure waters off its coast, to the vast wilderness preserves that claim its southern reaches, Southwest Florida luxuriously rolls out the welcome mat, beckoning visitors to enjoy idyllic beach getaways and captivating backcountry adventures.

Family-Friendly Vacations

Along Florida's southwestern coast, family adventures reach the beach and expand inland to wild animal parks and historical sites galore!

The Lee Island Coast, from Boca Grande to Bonita Springs, offers more than 50 miles of beaches famous for rare shells and calm Gulf of Mexico waters. Families particularly enjoy the gently sloping sands of Fort Myers Beach on Estero Island, long recognized as one of the world's safest beaches. Brilliant sugar-white sand for sculpting sandcastles, and numerous public parks with plenty of amenities, make Fort Myers Beach an ideal family playground.

Heading to the mainland, families can hop on the downtown tram for a narrated tour of Fort Myers' colorful history. Along the way, stop at the side-by-side winter estates of Thomas Edison and Henry Ford, two famous friends who spent years as neighbors along the Caloosahatchee River. At the Edison Winter Home, let the kids explore the "old-Florida" style home, laboratory and experimental gardens of one of the most inventive men who ever lived. Also on the grounds is a museum showcasing the world's largest collection of Edison's inventions and memorabilia, including 200 Edison phonographs and his collection of rare antique automobiles. In 1916, automobile pioneer Henry Ford bought the house next door, with only a fence -- called the "Friendship Gate" by both families -- separating the two estates. Today, visitors will find Ford's 16-room, bungalow-style home, known as "Mangoes," much the way it was in the 1920s when he and his wife Clara lived there. A beautiful Florida garden of citrus and palm trees surrounds the home and antique Ford vehicles fill the garage.

Let the living history lesson continue at the Burroughs Home, where charming tour guides in 1920s-era costumes share insight about the Georgian revival-style home, considered Fort Myers' first luxury residence. And the Fort Myers Historical Museum, housed in a restored Spanish-style train depot, showcases exhibits from ancient Indian civilizations to early European settlers. On the museum's grounds, explore a plush private rail car and a replica of a rustic 1800s Florida cracker-style cabin.

Jump into the modern era at Imaginarium Hands-On Museum and Aquarium, where kids will enjoy interactive exhibits on weather and gravity, and touch live sea creatures in a hands-on aquarium. At the Children's Science Center, in Cape Coral, kids will marvel at the dazzling optical illusions, ferocious dinosaurs and stunning solar systems on display.

The Lee Island Coast also offers plenty of "wild" family adventures. Visitors are immersed in native flora and fauna at the Calusa Nature Center and Planetarium, in Fort Myers, which features three nature trails, live-reptile exhibits, a freshwater aquarium and a natural history museum just for kids. Wander along rustic boardwalks through subtropical surroundings to a Seminole Indian village or stare at the heavens during the planetarium's star and laser-light shows. Located in Bonita Springs, Everglades Wonder Gardens is one of Florida's oldest wildlife attractions. The zoo and botanical gardens, established in 1936, feature exotic Everglades wildlife, from bears and birds of prey to panthers and crocodiles. During the zoo's wildlife shows, kids of all ages will laugh at the antics of otters and gasp at the ferocious agility of alligators. For wild water fun, head over to Sun Splash Family Waterpark in Cape Coral, where 12 acres of slides and rides offer lots of thrills and spills for everyone.

In Collier County, families can enjoy beachcombing along the pristine shores of Naples and the Ten Thousand Islands. Public beaches offer plenty of picnic facilities, playgrounds, showers and other amenities for a memorable day in the sun and sand. Setting off from Marco Island, the largest inhabited isle of the Ten Thousand Islands, visitors can explore a maze of mangroves and marshes. Or head for Collier County's wild back country on guided airboat tours through the Everglades.

From teddy bears to tiger lairs, families can experience it all in a fun-filled day. The one-of-a-kind Teddy Bear Museum, in Naples, whimsically displays nearly 3,000 teddy bears, from antique to animated and tiny to tremendous. Visitors can attend a teddy bear wedding, observe a "Beard of Directors" meeting and spot bears hibernating in their dens. A life-size replica of the Three Bear's house is sure to be a favorite with the kids. And after meeting such famous literary bears as Pooh and Paddington, parents can read stories to their youngsters in the museum's reading library, which is stocked with books about nothing but bears.

Nearby, the 52-acre Caribbean Gardens and Zoological Park offers close encounters with some not-so-cuddly animals. Enjoy free-roaming primates as they entertain the crowd from their own private island, or hold your breath as expert handlers come face-to-face with wild lions, tigers and leopards. Kids can meet prickly hedgehogs or get the ride of a lifetime on the backs of an elephant. Families can end their visit with a scenic stroll through one of the oldest botanical gardens in the Southeast.

Take the family to the Collier County Museum, where prehistoric fossils and vanished Indian civilizations are on display. Kids can explore a typical Seminole Indian village, observe an archeological dig site and climb aboard a steam locomotive.

Off-the-Beaten-Path

The southwest coast of Florida features one eccentric beach enclave after another. Roaming through the region's coastal villages and small barrier islands, wayside wanderers will find pirate hideouts, unusual pioneer settlements and famous winter retreats. Many of the area's most unique off-the-beaten-path locales are best reached by boat and best navigated on foot or by bicycle.

In Fort Myers, visitors biking or driving down McGregor Boulevard will soon discover how the town came to be known as the "City of Palms." Originally a cattle trail, the scenic boulevard is now lined by nearly 1,800 royal palms, some planted by the city's famed winter resident Thomas Edison. Edison's mark can be seen elsewhere in the picturesque city. Beyond his famed winter estate, travelers can explore the Edison Park subdivision and find the Thomas Edison Congregational Church as well as an assortment of Mediterranean revival, neoclassical and Greek revival homes dating back to the turn of the century.

Sparkling off the Lee County coast, Sanibel and Captiva Islands are among the best known islands in the region, popular for their excellent shelling and captivating beaches. But visitors will also find picturesque paths and historical gems tucked along Sanibel's main thoroughfare -- Periwinkle Way. On this lush island, where all the buildings must be lower than the tallest palm, the sites are best seen by cycling along Periwinkle Way's canopy of whispering pines and expansive banyans. Visit the Sanibel Historical Village and Museum, which showcases the island's history with special touches such as a pioneer-vintage island residence and 1920s-versions of a general store, post office and tea room. Or stop by the Bailey-Matthews Shell Museum for a dazzling display of shells that wash up on the island. At the east end of Periwinkle Way, travelers can get an up-close look at one of the region's most photographed landmarks, the Sanibel Lighthouse, which dates back to 1884 when the entire island was a wildlife refuge. Its two adjacent stilt houses are typical of Florida architecture at the turn of the century.

East of Sanibel, Pine Island is peppered with tiny fishing villages along miles of waterways and can be accessed by the "fishing-est bridge in the United States." It was here that tarpon fishing originated nearly a century ago. Today, vacationers can visit the Museum of the Islands for a lesson on how Lee County's islands were formed. Or catch a glimpse of an altogether different era at Sunburst Tropical Fruit Company, where visitors can tour one of the state's oldest mango groves, featuring trees planted in the 1920s.

Next, island hop to a string of colorful communities with histories as retreats for the rich and famous. Situated at Milemarker 60 in the Intracoastal Waterway, Cabbage Key is actually a 100-acre ancient Calusa Indian shell mound. Accessible only by boat, the island centers around a white clapboard inn built by mystery writer Mary Roberts Rinehart and her son in 1938. Today, the inn offers rustic guest rooms and cottages, plus a restaurant wallpapered entirely in autographed $1 bills. According to legend, a local fisherman tacked the first one to the wall so he would be guaranteed a cold beer on his next visit. Subsequent visitors followed suit and today an estimated $20,000 covers the walls. The inn's famous clientele, past and present, include Ernest Hemingway, Walter Cronkite and Julia Roberts. Music fans will be interested to know it was the inn's delectable fare that inspired Jimmy Buffet's song "Cheeseburger in Paradise." Daytrippers can enjoy the inn's hospitality and climb a wooden water tower for a spectacular view of Pine Island Sound.

A short boat ride away, and connected to the mainland by a short causeway near Punta Gorda, Boca Grande is a snapshot of "Old Florida." This sleepy Southern town located on the seven-mile-long Gasparilla Island has succeeded in maintaining its quaint fishing village atmosphere. As a result, visitors can wander through numerous historic shops and inns that have been in business for nearly a century. The Gasparilla Inn, built in 1912 as a stylish resort for the upper class, still hosts a famous clientele. Fugate's, a department store owned and operated by the same family since 1915, still sells everything from rain slickers to wedding gowns. Relaxing island pastimes include strolls along Banyan Street, an enchanting avenue lined with tangle-limbed Banyan Tree in Ft. Myers, Florida. Great prices on vacation villa rentals, or bike rides down paved paths perfect for exploring. At the south end of the island in the shadow of an 1890s lighthouse, Gasparilla Island State Recreation Area offers a pretty stretch of beach with particularly good shelling during the winter months. Daytrippers can explore these communities on island-hopping boat trips from Sanibel and Captiva.

Along the southern boundary of Lee County, the remnants of an unusual pioneer settlement are preserved on the banks of the Estero River. At the Koreshan State Historic Site, curious passers-by can tour a dozen buildings that once comprised an enclave for members of the Koreshan Unity, an extinct religious sect formed in the 1890s. Also on display is a one-of-a-kind globe illustrating the Koreshan belief that the earth was a hollow sphere with all life, planets, moon and stars within it.

The sophisticated seaside retreat of Naples, in Collier County, stridently protects its "old Florida" charm by guarding its natural resources and preserving older districts, so that visitors can now bicycle through the city's quiet neighborhoods to explore its diverse architectural past. Spot intriguing widow walks and open porches around homes built nearly a century ago or bright tin roofs and wide verandas of down-to-earth Florida cracker-style homes. In Old Naples, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, cyclists can ride past unchanged, turn-of-the-century homes where members of Naples' original families still live. At day's end, join locals at the landmark Naples Pier and watch as the dazzling Gulf Coast sunset illuminates the beachfront estates known as "Millionaires' Row."

Tucked amid the Ten Thousand Islands strung along the southernmost reaches of the Gulf of Mexico, visitors will find Marco Island. Although today a popular beach vacation destination, the island still retains remnants from its days as a turn-of-the-century Indian trading post. Visitors can dine at Olde Marco Inn, a quaint gathering place for islanders since 1883 or stop by Smallwood's Store, a 1906 general-store-turned-museum that displays old patent medicines, ledgers and hand tools, plus pelts and hides once swapped for supplies. For more ancient and mysterious sights, visit the remains of the Marco Island witch's watchtower, remnants of the Caxambas clam colony, ancient Indian burial mounds or the Cushing Archaeological Site, where 3,500-year-old Native American artifacts have been unearthed. On the mainland, Everglades City, known as "the town where time stood still," breathes the legacy of Indians, poachers and gun-runners. The town's historical centerpiece is the Rod and Gun Club, a grand Southern lodge built in 1840 by fur traders. Now a 17-room inn with an eccentric eatery, the club offers visitors a wide veranda where they can sit in the same surroundings that once hosted millionaires and dignitaries such as President Roosevelt.

Nature-Based Travel

The three counties of Southwest Florida boast more than one million acres of beach recreation areas, wildlife sanctuaries and nature preserves, making it easy for vacationers to explore the unspoiled natural beauty of Florida on pristine beach getaways or backcountry wilderness adventures. Stretching from Don Pedro Island in the north to Marco Island in the south, vacationers will find hundreds of barrier islands offering an array of activities from beachcombing and fishing to sunbathing and diving. The region is particularly renowned for its excellent shelling. Along Lee County beaches, shellseekers will find more varieties than anywhere else in North America. In fact, the shelling posture is so common, it's been given a name -- the Sanibel Stoop! More than 400 varieties of shells can be found covering the beaches, particularly after especially high or low tides. Vacationers can hop on scenic cruises to nearby uninhabited barrier islands for beaches blanketed with rare sea treasures, such as brown speckled junonia, sculpted lion's paw, golden tulip and Scotch bonnet. Also along the Lee Island Coast, visitors can observe the endangered West Indian Manatee in their natural habitat during the winter months of November through March at Manatee Park.

Along miles of shell-strewn sand edged by turquoise-blue waters, vacationers can enjoy typical beach pursuits as well as unique eco-adventures. In Charlotte County, the Don Pedro Island State Recreation, accessible only by private boat or ferry, offers secluded beaches ideal for nature study. Nearby the barrier island of Boca Grande, Cayo Costa State Park is as close to a deserted tropical island as most vacationers can get. The park's vast stretches of sand offer sensational shelling and acres of pine forest, oak palm hammocks and mangroves swamps provide for a spectacular display of bird life.

Sport fishermen will want to visit Boca Grande Pass, considered the "Tarpon Fishing Capital of the World," where the majestic tarpon congregate during the May through September spawning season. Anglers will have their hands full with the massive fish, known for its aerial explosions and pulse-quickening rushes when hooked.

To the south, vacationers can enjoy delightful footpaths, winding canoe trails and a five-mile scenic drive past lush mangroves and sabal palms at the J.N. "Ding" Darling National Wildlife Refuge, a 6,000+-acre preserve, on the northeast side of Sanibel Island. The refuge offers abundant opportunities for naturalists to witness raccoons washing up before breakfast, alligators snatching a quick bite or long-legged wading birds stalking their prey.

A 25-cent trolley service takes sunworshipers to the popular Fort Myers Beach, Bonita Beach and Bowditch Park recreation areas. Nearby, nature lovers will find several parks of particular historical and natural interest. At Matanzas Pass Wilderness Preserve on Estero Island, wander through more than 40 acres of unspoiled live oak hammock and mangrove shoreline along an elevated boardwalk. Off the tip of Estero Island, Mound Key, which is largely constructed from shells deposited here by Calusa Indians hundreds of years ago, is a favorite with professional archaeologists, history buffs and picnickers. And at Lovers Key Recreation Area, between Fort Myers Beach and Bonita Beach, visitors walk through a scenic mangrove forest to a secluded beach.

Continuing south to Collier County, vacationers can spend the day canoeing through mangrove forests teeming with wading birds or wandering along an elevated boardwalk ending in the sugary sand of a Gulf Coast beach at Clam Pass Park, selected as one of the country's top 20 environmentally pristine beaches. Also in Naples, Barefoot Beach State Recreation Area is a preserve for purists offering practically untouched stretches of sand. Off the southernmost tip of the county, Marco Island's long, crescent-shaped beach provides miles of whitewashed sand edged by calm turquoise waters. Vacationers can take wave runner tours through thousands of mangrove islands, spotting dolphins, manatees, ibis and bald eagles along the way.

After enjoying the region's beaches, head into its back country for unparalleled wilderness exploration. In Charlotte and Lee counties, Babcock Wilderness Adventures offers a taste of real Florida and the excitement of a true wilderness adventure. Visitors can take naturalist-guided swamp buggy rides through the beautiful woods and deep dark waters of the Telegraph Cypress Swamp, spotting alligators, panthers, bison, exotic birds and wild turkeys along the way. To the south, Collier County is the perfect place for combining vacation pursuits with environmental awareness and education. With the Big Cypress National Preserve covering its eastern wilds, Ten Thousand Islands floating off its western shores and the Everglades hugging its southern border, the county is dominated by pristine wildlife sanctuaries and nature conservancies.

Two nature centers run by the Conservancy of Southwest Florida give visitors access to some of the area's wild places. At the Naples Nature Center, situated on 13 acres bordering a tidal lagoon teeming with wildlife, visitors can join naturalist-guided trail walks or take boat rides through mangrove forests. Or wonder through nature exhibits featuring a pelican/shorebird pool, aviary, loggerhead sea turtle tank and "Snakes Alive" serpentarium. At the Briggs Nature Center, located in the 12,700-acre Rookery Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve near Marco Island, adventurers can take guided bird watching, shelling and nature cruises. Or stay on land and spot plenty of wildlife and native flora along a half-mile boardwalk through pinelands and mangroves. Both centers offer canoe and kayak rentals for vacationers interested in self-guided exploration.

Bird-watchers and nature photographers will love the National Audubon Society's Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary in Lee and Collier counties, where a meandering two-mile boardwalk winds through a natural cathedral formed by the largest strand of virgin bald cypress trees in the country. The 11,000-acre wilderness preserve is also home to alligators, bobcats, otters and endangered wood storks, who use the swamp as their winter nesting grounds. To the south, hikers can explore more than six miles of wilderness trails at Collier-Seminole State Park. Wildlife sightings are common in the park's tropical hardwood hammock and salt marshes, which are a haven for many threatened and endangered species, including red-cockaded woodpeckers, mangrove fox squirrels, Florida black bears and panthers. For an overnight adventure in the wild, backpack to the park's primitive campgrounds. Or launch canoe excursions into the upper portion of the Ten Thousand Islands, a collection of mangrove islands off the southern Gulf Coast, where saltwater crocodiles are known to hide.

In the eastern interior of Collier County, nature lovers can explore the vast freshwater marshlands of the Big Cypress National Preserve, located 35 miles south of Naples. The sanctuary affords leisurely automobile or bike rides along miles of scenic roads, where wild pigs, otters, alligators and wading birds can be easily spotted. In Fakahatchee Strand State Preserve, located near Everglades City, visitors can take a rugged off-trail "swamp tromp" deep into the heart of the strand, including portions waist-deep in water. But the preserve's regal rows of royal palms, exotic orchids and 600-year-old cypress trees are also visible from the hard-packed limestone road that cuts through the strand and along the 2,000-foot elevated boardwalk that wanders into ancient forests.

Situated in the southeastern-most tip of Collier County, Everglades City is the western gateway to Florida's largest natural attraction -- Everglades National Park. This expansive "river of grass" spans more than 1.2 million acres in south Florida's Dade, Monroe and Collier counties. Endangered species, exotic birds and the most fragile wetlands remaining in the country are showcased along 31 miles of tranquil observation sites. Visitors looking for backwater adventure will find it on the 100-mile Wilderness Waterway that weaves through the golden sawgrass prairies and tangled mangrove pathways of the Everglades. Guided air boat excursions offer up-close views of the preserve's rich wildlife. More than 400 species of birds have been identified in the park, along with 60 species of amphibians and reptiles, 25 species of mammals and 125 species of fish. Wandering through the remote wilderness, fortunate travelers can spot at least 14 endangered species such as the Florida panther, Southern bald eagle and Everglades mink. Virtually every natural treasure in Southwest Florida can be reached using a variety of water transport. Cruise boats go on picturesque searches for the perfect seashell. Topsail schooners ply the Gulf on sailing adventures. Kayaks explore uninhabited mangrove islands under the moonlight. Pontoon boats glide through wildlife-filled Estero Bay. Canoes provide tranquil exploration of the Everglades' grassy vastness. Swamp buggies take rock-and-roll rides in alligator-infested swamps. Wave runners skim across island waterways harboring quiet manatees. And of course fishing boats head to offshore reefs for the big catch.

In addition, several hotels in the region coordinate special activities designed for vacationers interested in discovering and sampling the area's diverse environments.

Romantic Getaways

Sunset strolls along the shell-strewn beaches that inspired Anne Morrow Lindbergh to write her best-selling philosophy on life "A Gift from the Sea" are just the beginning of what Southwest Florida has to offer couples looking for the perfect romantic getaway. Nestled in the region's tropical island communities and sun-soaked beach neighborhoods, couples will find treasures in the sea as well as jewels on the land.

A visit to the scenic shores of Sanibel is a must for couples searching for the perfect place to wile away the day. Attracted by secluded stretches of sand and stunning sunset scenes, many newlyweds also choose to honeymoon on nearby Captiva Island.

After shellseeking along the soft sand, visitors can bike down lush island paths to Sanibel's Bailey-Matthews Shell Museum, a one-of-a-kind museum showcasing shells from around the world as well as ones likely to wash ashore on area beaches. Couples will enjoy viewing "sailor's Valentines," whimsical creations by sailors trying to pass time. In North Fort Myers, the Shell Factory offers a treasure chest of Neptune's jewel. At the pearl pavilion, couples can pluck pearls from Japanese oysters and select exquisite jewelry settings.

Combing for treasures of another kind, visitors can explore Lee Island Coast's quaint shopping districts. Along historic First Street in downtown Fort Myers, shoppers will find apparel shops, book stores and restaurants as well as street musicians and artists. On Sanibel, the island's main thoroughfare, Periwinkle Way, is Sunday-drive picturesque with interesting shops, art galleries and restaurants tucked along a canopy of Australian pines. The island's historic trolley provides the perfect transportation from one shop to the next.

The Lee Island Coast is already a popular honeymoon destination spot, but couples can also get married in unique ceremonies high over the glistening Gulf in hot air balloons, on the beautiful, secluded beaches on Lovers Key or surrounded by Georgian-revival splendor at the Burroughs Home in Fort Myers. For a romantic excursion, hop aboard the Seminole Gulf Railway's old-fashioned dining trains for a first-class meal and a round-trip jaunt from Fort Myers to Bonita Springs and back.

Couples will find a wealth of pleasures await them further south in the seaside paradise of Naples, where romantic pursuits include window shopping along waterfront avenues, bicycling through friendly neighborhoods and sight-seeing aboard an old-fashioned trolley.

Picturesque shopping districts steeped in history offer a special ambiance for strolling, shopping, dining or simply absorbing the relaxed lifestyle for which Naples is famous. Hugging the sparkling Gulf of Mexico, Old Naples retains much of its turn-of-the-century charm and many of its original structures are still in use today. Visitors will find upscale boutiques and gourmet eateries tucked inside 1920s-era buildings as well as art galleries, outdoor cafes and antique shops tucked off fountained courtyards and lush green parks. And couples will be delighted by the Village on Venetian Bay's pastel-hued shops topped with terra cotta roofs. Reminiscent of its Italian namesake, the village offers sunny sidewalk cafes, art galleries and boutiques set along the sparkling waterfront. Nearby, the Waterside Shops provide an open-air setting nearly as spectacular as the shops themselves. Couples can stroll along covered walkways en route to dozens of designer boutiques and elegant restaurants or relax on garden benches amid cascading waterfalls and lush tropical plants. Shoppers-in-the-know make stops at Tin City and Dockside Boardwalk, where treasures and trinkets are sold side-by-side in a rustic waterfront setting.

Scenic tours of the city can be made by trolley, horse-drawn carriage or boat. The Naples Trolley offers daily tours covering more than 100 points of interest, and guides tell fascinating tales about the days when Ponce de Leon, the Calusa Indians and Gaspirilla the Pirate were exciting residents in the area. On Naples Horse and Carriage Tours, couples can explore Old Naples to the gentle clip-clop of horse's hoofs. Or hop aboard an authentic riverboat sternwheeler for dining and dancing under the stars over Naples Bay.

In romantic counterpoint to the wildness of the Florida Everglades, Marco Island offers pampered resort getaways along sprawling white-washed beaches and turquoise Gulf waters. Romantic accommodations range from exotic chickee huts tucked under palmetto hammocks to elegant plantation-style inns. For the perfect end to a Marco Island day, couples can sip champagne as the setting sun casts passionate purple shadows across the sky.

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