The Lower Gulf Coast
We’ve compiled the best of the best in The Lower Gulf Coast - browse our top choices for the top things to see or do during your stay.
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We’ve compiled the best of the best in The Lower Gulf Coast - browse our top choices for the top things to see or do during your stay.
To experience what this part of Florida was like before civil engineers began draining the swamps, drive 17 miles east of North Naples to these 13,000 acres of pine-flatwood and cypress forest, grass-and-sedge "wet prairie," saw-grass marshland, and lakes and sloughs filled with water lettuce. Managed by the National Audubon Society, the sanctuary protects North America's largest remaining stand of ancient bald cypress, 600-year-old trees as tall as 130 feet, as well as endangered birds, such as wood storks, which often nest here. This is a favorite destination for serious birders and is the gateway to the Great Florida Birding and Wildlife Trail. If you spend a couple of hours to take the 2¼-mile self-guided tour along the boardwalk (which is completely wheelchair accessible), you'll spot ferns, orchids, and air plants, as well as wading birds and possibly alligators and river otters. A nature center educates you about this precious, unusual habitat with a dramatic re-creation of the preserve and its creatures in the Swamp Theater.
Fort Myers's premier attraction pays homage to two of America's most ingenious inventors: Thomas A. Edison, who gave the world the stock ticker, the incandescent lamp, and the phonograph, among other inventions; and his friend and neighbor, automaker Henry Ford. Donated to the city by Edison's widow, his once 12-acre estate has been expanded into a remarkable 25 acres, with three homes, two caretaker cottages, a laboratory, botanical gardens, and a museum. The laboratory contains the same gadgets and gizmos as when Edison last stepped foot into it, and you can see many of his inventions, along with historic photographs and memorabilia, in the museum. Edison traveled south from New Jersey and devoted much of his time here to inventing things (there are 1,093 patents to his name), experimenting with rubber for friend and frequent visitor Harvey Firestone, and planting hundreds of plant species collected around the world. Next door to Edison's two identical homes is Ford's "Mangoes," the more modest seasonal home of Edison's fellow inventor. The property's oldest building, the Edison Caretaker's House, dates from 1860. Guided tours and self-guided audio tours are available. One admission covers the homes of both men; separate museum-and-laboratory-only tickets and botanical-garden tour tickets are also available.
Kids love the wonderful interactive exhibits at this lively museum–aquarium combo that explores technology, physics, weather, and other science topics. Check out the stingrays and other marine life in the aquariums, touch tanks, and the USS Mohawk artificial reef tank featured on Animal Planet’s show Tanked. Feed the fish, turtles, and swans in the outdoor lagoon; see a tarantula, python, hissing cockroach, juvenile alligator, and other live critters in the Animal Lab; dig for dinosaur bones; watch a 3-D movie in the theater; take part in a hands-on Animal Encounter demonstration, and touch a cloud. Other highlights include the Mini Museum early childhood area, Backyard Nature, aquaponics area, Nano Lab, Idea Lab engineering design center, Build-Your-Own-Coaster, and Science of Motion. History exhibits include underwater plane wrecks, a Columbian mammoth, and giant ground sloth, as well as a replica Cracker House.
Head here to cool off when summer swelters. Nearly two dozen wet and dry attractions include 10 thrill waterslides; the Sand Dollar Walk, where you step from one floating "sand dollar" to another; pint-size Pro Racer flumes; a professional sand volleyball court; a family pool and Tot Spot; and a river-tube ride. Rates go down after 2 pm, plus the park offers Family Fun Night specials.
This cool, contemporary museum at Artis–Naples displays provocative, innovative pieces, including renowned miniatures, antique walking sticks, works by modern and contemporary American and Mexican masters, and traveling exhibits. Dazzling pieces by glass artist Dale Chihuly include a fiery, cascading chandelier and an illuminated ceiling layered with many-hued glass bubbles, glass corkscrews, and other shapes that suggest the sea. This installation alone warrants a visit, but with three floors and 15 galleries, your cultural curiosity is sure to pique elsewhere, perhaps in the glass-domed conservatory. Reward your visual arts adventure with lunch at the on-site café.
Giant shell photos by nature photographer Henry Domke draw you into this wonderful museum with more than 30 permanent and short-term exhibits. Get a close-up look at mollusks in the 8-foot-long, live-viewing tank. See a life-size display of native Calusa and how they used shells. From tiny to enormous, view local specimens and a variety from around the world. Play in the colorful kids' lab and have fun creating a keepsake with the museum's shelling craft kit. Watch movies about how shells are formed and where to find them. The museum has two full-time marine biologists who lead daily tank talks and host daily guided beach walks. From colossal squids to Shelling 101, make this your first stop and you’ll be giving your own talks on the beach. Don't miss the museum store, filled with upscale nautical gifts.
This long, wide beach on Sanibel's northwest end is the island's most secluded strand, but it also has the most amenities. Park facilities include a playground, picnic tables, grills, bathrooms, and bike racks. It is famed for its shell collecting and spectacular sunsets at the north end—try to spot the green flash, said to occur just as the sun sinks below the horizon. For utmost seclusion, walk north from the two main access points where bridges cross an estuary to reach the beach. It's a long walk from the parking lot over the estuary to the beach, so pack accordingly and plan on a long stay. Tall Australian pines provide shade behind the white sands. Typically gentle waves are conducive to swimming and wading with kids. Amenities: parking (fee); showers; toilets. Best for: sunsets; swimming; walking.
This wide, virtually untouched expanse—about 166 acres—of open beach makes visitors feel transported from the bustling high-rises and resorts just a few blocks south. A full roster of eco-inclined features, like a designated fishing zone, hard-bottom reef (one of the few in the region and close enough to swim up to), boat dock, and observation tower hooks anglers, nature lovers, and water-sports enthusiasts drawn to the peaceful, laid-back vibe. Parents love the educational displays on the local environment and the ranger-led sea turtle and birding programs, not to mention the picnic tables, grills, and plenty of shade offshore. A concession stand offers food, drinks, and beach gear easily accessible to those less inclined to self-catering. Amenities: food and drink; parking (fee); showers; toilets; water sports. Best for: snorkeling; solitude; walking.
More than half of Sanibel is occupied by the subtly beautiful 6,300 acres of wetlands and jungly mangrove forests named after a conservation-minded Pulitzer prize–winning political cartoonist. The masses of roseate spoonbills and ibis and the winter flock of white pelicans here make for a good show even if you're not a die-hard bird-watcher. Birders have counted some 230 species, including herons, ospreys, and the timid mangrove cuckoo. Raccoons, otters, alligators, and a lone American crocodile also may be spotted. The 4-mile Wildlife Drive is the main way to explore the preserve; drive, walk, or bicycle along it, or ride a specially designed open-air tram with an onboard naturalist. QR-coded signs link to interactive YouTube videos and a new Discover Ding app combines social media, GPS, and trivia to make learning on-site fun. There are also a couple of short walking trails, including one to a Calusa shell mound. Or explore from the water via canoe or kayak (guided tours are available). The best time for bird-watching is in the early morning and about an hour before or after low tide; the observation tower along the road offers prime viewing. Interactive exhibits in the free visitor center, at the entrance to the refuge, demonstrate the refuge's various ecosystems and explain its status as a rest stop along a major bird-migration route. Wildlife Drive is closed to vehicular traffic on Friday, but you can still kayak and do tours from the Tarpon Bay Recreation Area.
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