A Travel Guide to Southwest Florida
Greetings from sunny Cape Coral, Florida! I spent my last spring break (sad) not partying it up in Ft. Lauderdale but lounging by my grandparents’ pool, which is definitely alright with me. We actually packed a lot in last week, going to Ft. Myers, Sarasota, Naples, Pine Island, and Cayo Costa beach. With me and my sister Peyton as each other’s personal photographers, here are some pictures and recommendations of what to do if you ever find yourself in Southwest Florida! This is not an exhaustive list, but these are a few of the things and places I did or visited this week.
The Ringling – Sarasota
The Ringling is an art museum, garden, historic home, circus museum, and education center of John Ringling, one of the founding brothers of the Ringling Circus. Sarasota was where John built his winter home and gave his priceless European art to the public after his death. There is so much to see and learn about here, and it was definitely my favorite thing we did in Florida.
Edison & Ford Winter Estates – Ft. Myers
The winter homes of friends and neighbors Thomas Edison & Henry Ford. Stroll through the museum to see hundreds of Edison’s inventions, his laboratory, and Ford’s Model T, then explore the grounds and their homes. Super beautiful and historical.
Mote Marine Laboratory & Aquarium – Sarasota
A world-class research lab and aquarium where you can learn about how climate change is threatening marine life and get close to sea turtles, otters, sharks, manatees, and coral reefs. It’s really cool to visit an aquarium where many of the marine life is native to the area and research is being done in real time.
Matlacha – Pine Island
Matlacha (mat-la-shay) is a family favorite, close to my grandparents’ house in Cape Coral. It’s a tiny island town between Cape Coral and Pine Island with many shops, restaurants, and fishing boats. The most famous shop is of Leoma Lovegrove, impressionist-expressionist painter known for vivid colorful paintings. My favorite restaurant is Blue Dog, where you need to try the stone crab. Don’t forget to kayak through the canals–you may see a manatee or dolphin!
Fleamasters Fleamarket – Ft. Myers
A labyrinth of stores for just about anything you could want (or don’t want). They claim to have a million and counting “items you won’t find on Amazon.” It’s an interesting time to spend a couple hours there.
Boat to Cayo Costa Beach – Cayo Costa
Cayo Costa is a barrier island between Boca Grande and Captiva/Sanibel. It’s a state park of rugged forest and beach, accessible only by boat or kayak. It took us about two hours to boat out there from Northwest Cape Coral, but the clear waters and views of the Gulf were worth my seasickness.
Happy travels!
