My husband, son and I are in need of some R&R and have the opportunity to stay in Fort Myers for ten days at the beginning of July. We realize it is going to be hot but we have never been to Florida before and are looking forward to some relaxation, swimming, sunning and having fun. Can anyone recommend some great places to eat, things to do, see and what to expect from the weather, etc. Would love to hear more about Fort Myers Beach.

Take the causeway over to Sanibel Island. Great shelling beaches! A nice day trip is to Marco Island.

We just got back from Sanibel (again, just across the causeway from Ft. Myers- a $3 toll). Once we hit the island we never drove back to Ft. Myers, but I'll mention a few restaurants we liked on Sanibel just in case.

If you've been bumming around on the beaches all day and want a burger: Cheeburger, Cheeburger. They serve everything from a 5 ounce burger to a one pounder! Also shakes, malts, onion rings and the like.

Our favorite for atmosphere and killer desserts: The Bubble Room on Captiva (just keep driving north and you can't miss it). Sunsets on Captiva are gorgeous, and the Mucky Duck is supposed to be a fun place with live entertainment every night, but don't show up at 8:30 like we did and expect to get a table. There must have been 40 people ahead of us waiting for tables, so we'll save that for "next time".

Favorite overall: Matzaluna's on Sanibel. I highly recommend the Seafood Siciliana.

Hot or not, you'll love it there! The gulf waters were about 88 degrees this past week.

Hi Kristy,
Visit the Thomas Edison Home and Museum. Very interesting house, laboratory (it looks like he just stepped out for a minute), museum and grounds (10 acres). The ticket includes admission to Henry Ford's home next door. The tour guides are very interesting and knowledgable. Allow two to three hours. There's a lot to see.

Spend a day in Naples, 35 miles south of Ft Myers. Very beautiful town on the Gulf of Mexico. Ft Myers is 15 miles inland. In Naples, walk out on the Pier at 12th Ave South. Great upscale shops and restaurants (some expensive, some not) along 5th Ave South and also on 3rd St South.

If you want to see the real Florida, go to Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary. There's a two mile boardwalk through a stand of virgin cypress trees. You'll see many trees, flowers, birds and animals native to Florida (including alligators). It's a great change of pace from the artificiality of WDW etc.
If you're interested, e-mail me for directions. It's about 25 miles from Ft Myers, depending on the part of town you will be in.

Do the Edison Home and Corkscrew Swamp in the morning, as soon as they open, to beat the heat. In July you can expect high 80's or low 90's during the day and high 70's or low 80's at night. It will probably rain every afternoon between 3 and 4PM for about 30 minutes. Just enough to cool you off but not enough to make you cancel plans to do anything. Use LOTS of sunscreen!

Ft Myers Beach is a long, skinny barrier island about 10 miles from Ft Myers that is wall to wall hotels, motels, restaurants etc. Something for everyone.

Hope this helps. E-mail me if I can help further. Enjoy your first trip to Florida!

Rib City, on the southern edge of Fort Myers, just before you turn for Fort Myers Beach, is informal, reasonably priced, and has great ribs.
The Dingwall narture preserve on Sanibel is worth a visit, and it's best at low tide, when the birds are more likely to be feeding.
A day drive down to Everglas=des City, inclding a boat trip into the swamp, is a good way to spend time.
Try to get reasonably tanned before you get to Florida, because the sun is hot and the angles, etc., mean you'll get burned fast if not used to it. The white sand reflects heat that will cook you, so make sure you have lots of sunscreen, too. As you drive south from Fort Myers beach you reach some state parks; the beaches are much less populated, and a nice change of pace. There's another state park just north of the Ritz Carlton, on the north side of Naples, too.
Enjoy yourselves; this is a great part of Florida, with a mix of nature and sophistication.
BAK

Hi, Kristy! If you take that day trip to
Marco Island, you may want to consider
dinner @ Cafe de Marco (excellent prawns!!) or The Blue Heron (Isle of
Capri). If you go to Naples, I can't
really recommend places to eat because
we usually can't leave the beach @
Marco in time to get up to Naples!
However, when we were last there (a couple of weeks ago) we did try Charlie's Crab in Naples because we had
been going to Charlie's in Lauderdale
for years. What a disappointment!
So, skip Charlie's Crab if you go to Naples! Location is 'peculiar' (you have to see it to know what I mean!)
& the food was way below the standards of Charlie's in Lauderdale. Service
was brusque.
I agree with Brian's assessment(above) of the area! You're going to love it!!
Have a great time!!! (& why don't you consider posting a 'first time in Florida' report upon your return!!?)

I think Brian meant to say the Ding Darling Nature Center on Sanibel Island. It is worth seeing.