Cape Coral Florida
 

I am leaving to visit my father in Cape Coral, Florida. I will only be there for two days. I believe Cape Coral is 45 minutes from Ft. Myers. Can anyone suggest things to do and see in this area besides spending time at the beach? Does anyone know if a day trip to the Everglades might be possible?

In Fort Myers on McGregor Blvd. is the Edison winter home and laboratory. They have tours of the grounds and labs and it is very interesting with fantastic gardens. Everglades City is a couple of hours south and the park department takes rides out into the mangrove area on the gulf side. A little further going towards Miami is Shark valley were the park service does tours into the swamp which is also very interesting. Go to www.nps.gov and click on florida then shark valley for information. We have done these in one long day but not on the same day. A little south of Ft. Myers is Corkscrew Swamp which is run by the Audubon society. It has a raised platform that goes through a cypress swamp and is fascinating. Finally over the causway on Sanibel is Ding Darling a ride through a wildlife area with lots of nice birds and alligators. And Cape Coral is right next to Ft. Myers, depending on what part of each place you are in it will only be a couple of minutes to get from one to the other.

Thank you your reply was very helpful.

Forty-five minutes is the maximum from Cape Coral to Ft.Myers(depending on where you want to go) Right off of Cape Coral is Pine Island with some great quirky stops and the village of Matlachey (not sure of spelling) pronounced Matt-la-shay... In the other direction, you can easily get to Sanibel/Captiva for the parks... I would use my two days to drive around in the car and stop at anything that looks interesting..... theres also shopping and outlets, water sports, edison/ford houses and decent fun places to eat... have fun!

Pine Island Sound might be more interesting than the Everglades. Much more opportunities to see wildlife, fish, etc.

Look here:
http://www.dep.state.fl.us/coastal/sites/pineisland/
and here:
http://calusablueway.com/articles/pa...e-island-sound

For a real "florida" dive bar and restaurant look at:
http://www.bertsbar.us/
There are few places in Florida with a more natural view

The water is pristine, calm and perfect for day trips kayaking, etc. Cape Coral is minutes away. There is no reason to look further.

Out on Pine Island is a great restaurant that gets no mention,

http://www.tarponlodge.com/dining/

Enjoy your trip.