South West Florida
An ideal region for sun worshippers, nature-lovers and artists, the South West of Florida is home to Fort Myers and a string of beautiful beaches and historic towns.
Home of lightbulb inventor Thomas Edison and corporate giant Henry Ford, Fort Myers has a heritage of science and engineering, with a range of interesting museums and tourist attractions. It has been the place of residence of important characters since the 1800s, many of whom have left their mark on the area. The homes of both Ford and Edison are open to the public, and Edison is celebrated every February with the festival of light.
The region’s range of beautiful beaches and secluded islands offers other experiences for visitors and residents alike. Besides canoeing and kayaking, the islands lure with nature boat tours, fishing and shelling charters, a sailing school, boat rentals, parasailing, sightseeing voyages, and cruises to the upper islands, reclusive and accessible only by boat. Shelling, secluded beaching, nature hikes, camping, lunching and cottage or home rentals beckon adventurers to these castaway islands and have since the days of Zane Grey, Mary Roberts Rinehart, and Hedy Lamar. Teddy Roosevelt based his circa-1914 fishing excursion on Captiva Island, a favourite haunt also of aviator Charles Lindbergh and his wife Anne Morrow Lindbergh, who penned her Gifts From the Sea there.
With its gentle Gulf of Mexico waves, shell-strewn beaches, neighbourly attitude and laid-back tempo, Fort Myers and its islands coerce a mood of creativity and inspiration. Today’s tales of wily Doc Ford take their setting from the islands, written by local mystery writer Randy Wayne White. Artists from Robert Rauschenberg to the lady on Pine Island who paints postcards on coconuts have found their Muse here.
