Sign in with Facebook5607 Estero Blvd, Fort Myers Beach, Florida, 33931, United States
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Funky beach town setting in Fort Myers Beach, FL
SOB (smokin oyster brewery)
Estero Bay
Beach Seafood Market
hello everyone , i spent quite a bit of time in fort myers as a kid as my grandparents lived there , BUT its been 20 years since visiting. now i have my own kids and thought it was time to show them what an amazing place it is. I am wondering if anyone can tell me where the best shelling areas are in the area, as i dont remeber as a kid, my two boys are really showing an intersest in shells and actually seeing them in the water, we will be there throughout the the christmas holidays. so any help would be muchly appreciated. thanks fred
I don't know about Ft. Myers Beach but nearby Sanibel Island is still popular with shelling. But I don't believe it's as good as it used to be some 25-30 yrs. ago. (I too had grandparents in Ft. Myers.) I remember mounds of shells washed up. I visited over a year ago and visitors were scouring the beaches. More sand than shells but live specimens could still be seen. Sanibel Island also has the Bailey-Matthews Shell Museum which is definitely worthwhile and would probably be of interest to your kids. They feature not only local specimens but a collection from around the world.
thank you for replying , i will definatly check out that museum, also made plans to take them to the shell factory/waltzing waters. i remeber that place impressed me as a kid fred
I don't remember the shell factory.......is that in Ft. Myers? The Shell Museum was $5 per adult, not sure of the price for children. An excellent museum though.
Another point of interest in Sanibel is the J.N. Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge. But in order to enjoy the to the fullest you must drive slowly. Some visitors just raced thru and probably didn't see any of the wildlife. Enjoy your trip!
ya the shell factory is in fort myers, i remeber as a kid going there and they had a few rides ,bumper boats is the only one i remember, but at night they had the waltzing waters, a fountain that moves to the music with lights very impresive, this is the link to there website http://www.shellfactory.com/waters.html
so thanks for the info . fred
It is also possible to take a boat out to one of the seperate Islands, and actually be alone on the beach on the private islands for the day. i found some beuatifull conches, but left them there because it still ahd animals in it, still a great kick to find one though!
thats sounds very cool, i seen something like that on a website somewhere, any idea what they would charge to do that . thats definatly a possibility. thanks
fred
I don't know how it was booked and what the cost was, I was invited along, we left captiva island from a little harbour, can't be of much more help unfortunately
I lived in Ft Myers area for a couple of years (1998-2000) and it has grown considerably in the past 10 years. It is still a gorgeous area. In fact, for shelling and collecting, you can't beat Bowman's Beach or Captiva. Both are public access and easy to reach on Sanibel by causeway. I was engaged there in fact.
The beaches are relatively safe year-round.
Only 2 notes of caution: Be careful of ripcurrents when swimming. The other thing is typical of rapidly growing cities; bring a club or anti-theft device and use it. There isn't much violent crime, but car thieves will steal vehicles in broad daylight, especially in Ft Myers and North Ft. Myers. My wife learned this the hard way in a "nice" neighborhood.
When you get into pretty much any town aways try to find the coupons boxes and grabs some, you never now what you may find. We have gotten some great ideas of thing to do that we never would have thought of if we didn't come across them in the coupons bookslets. One thing that is invaluble is the maps that you can find which helps you get to know the area better. So make sure and stop and find these before you go any where.
It only consists of several blocks, located near Times Square. But it is fine if you want to kill an hour or two and check out some funky beach stores and the whole ambviance of a beach town. Lots of surfer shops.
Looking back towards the bridge to get onto the island. Estero Bay is a great fishing estuary full of big tarpon and snook. You will also see lots of dolphins and the occasional manatee. This photo was taken from the front door of our hotel room - the balcony overlooked the beach and Gulf of Mexico.
We stayed at the Pink Shell Resort right on the beach. We were visiting for a wedding but of course the kids were more interested in swimming.
Get up early and and you will be awarded with beautiful sunrises and great fishing.
Florida´s Gulf Coast is a slice of paradise! And some of the most beautiful beaches of the Gulf Coast are located close to Ft. Myers. Take a ride to Captiva and Sanibel Island. Those two small islands are reachable by car. They connected with the mainland by bridges. On the islands you can find empty beaches with sand as white as snow. The sea is warm... and the sun always shines...
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Q: gulf of mexico "Is the water clear at FT Meyers beach,were coming in July.We usualy stay in FT Lauderdale."
A: "I live in North Fort Myers for a summer and I went to the Ft Myers beach. I wasn't that impressed with the beach itself. The water wasn't exactly what I was expecting it..."
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