• Home
  • North America
    • Mexico
    • United States
      • Alabama
      • Arizona
      • California
      • Colorado
      • Connecticut
      • Florida
      • Hawaii
      • Idaho
      • Maine
      • Massachusetts
      • Nevada
      • New Mexico
      • New York
      • Ohio
      • Rhode Island
      • Tennessee
      • Texas
      • Wyoming
  • Europe
    • Italy
    • Scotland
    • Spain
  • Central America
    • Belize
    • Costa Rica
    • Nicaragua
  • South America
    • Panama
  • Caribbean
    • Dominican Republic
  • Asia
    • China
    • South Korea
  • Pacific Islands
    • Philippines
  • Travel Farther Smarter
  • Submissions
  • About Us
  • We invite you …
  • Privacy Policy
  • Contact Page
  • Submissions
  • About Us
  • We invite you …
  • Privacy Policy
  • Contact Page
facebook twitter youtube reddit tumblr
You Me and the Dock
  • Home
  • North America
    • Mexico
    • United States
      • Alabama
      • Arizona
      • California
      • Colorado
      • Connecticut
      • Florida
      • Hawaii
      • Idaho
      • Maine
      • Massachusetts
      • Nevada
      • New Mexico
      • New York
      • Ohio
      • Rhode Island
      • Tennessee
      • Texas
      • Wyoming
  • Europe
    • Italy
    • Scotland
    • Spain
  • Central America
    • Belize
    • Costa Rica
    • Nicaragua
  • South America
    • Panama
  • Caribbean
    • Dominican Republic
  • Asia
    • China
    • South Korea
  • Pacific Islands
    • Philippines
  • Travel Farther Smarter
Home  >  Come Travel with Us • Florida • Fort Meyers Beach • North America • United States  >  Fort Myers Beach, Florida
Come Travel with UsFloridaFort Meyers BeachNorth AmericaUnited States

Fort Myers Beach, Florida

Tony Scopel Posted onAugust 5, 2014April 20, 2017 Comments are off 3124 Views

fort myers beachFort Myers Beach (FMB)officially incorporated in December 1995. This SW Florida island is a popular destination for snowbirds and vacationers alike. The town of FMB resides on Estero Island. It is seven miles long and is approximately a quarter mile-wide. It has an estimated  6,300 year-round residents. Estero Bay, which is the body of water that separates the island from the mainland, is a rich food producing estuary  that is filled with lots of ecological wonders. Estero and its adjoining Black Island was a haven for pirates in the 1870’s. One pirate in particular named Black Augustus, which Black island is named after, made it his final home. Rumors have circulated saying that Black Island still has buried treasures on it.




San Carlos sign Shrimp Fleet 1The island of San Carlos, which is part of FMB is  connected to Estero Island by a large pillared light blue structure named Matanzas Pass Bridge. San Carlos Island harbors a large fleet of shrimping  boats. The “pink gold” these vessels fish from the gulf waters are celebrated with an annual festival. The Shrimp  Festival takes place on FMB in the month of March. The two day event  provides specially prepared name-sake dishes, along with a parade and the selecting of a queen and her court. The celebration is FMB’s largest two day annual event.

fort myers beachThe inland city of Fort Myers was the winter home for Thomas Edison and his family. He often entertained many famous people at his estate. One such family was Henry Ford’s. It has also been rumored that Edison entertained many dignitaries on Estero Island who wanted a reprieve  from their public fame. In those days you could only reach the tropical island by boat.

fort myers beachFMB is still a desirable destination for lots of people looking to shake the winter blues. Over 1.8 million people visit the island each year. They enjoy the beaches, shopping, restaurants and the outdoor activities. The island carries a distinctive ambience of being non-commercial. Most of its shops and eateries are located on the north end of the island and are home grown establishments. Estero Island is well known for its sugar-white fine sandy beaches, Caribbean fed Gulf waters and sunny weather. The tropical climate of SW Florida attracts a lot of winter time residences to its warmer temperatures caused by the Gulf Stream.

Time Sq DT 1Downtown FMB has its own version of Time Square. There is always some type of entertainment happening during the day, night or a combination of both. The center of the pedestrian only square offers easy access to the FMB pier and public beaches. The DT FMB shopseateries and shops continue from Time Square  down Old San Carlos Blvd to the back bay. You can watch the Captains maneuver their vessels through Matanzas Pass and out to open waters from a small gazebo perched right on the waterway. The back bay also has a variety of  restaurants that offer great views while enjoying your favorite cuisine and beverage. Find a place to park your car and walk around the nautical town. There are plenty of places to stop in and listen to some of the local musicians play anything from rock to country.




fort myers beachThe south end of the island offers a little less in the way of shopping and side-by-side eateries and bars. It is home to most of the island’s high rises and housing communities. There is an executive nine hole golf course, a few marinas and smaller plazas that are a little more low-key than its downtown rival. It also provides direct access to a nationally recognized state park called Lovers Key State Park.

The Big Carlos Pass bridge (pictured below) takes you to Black Island and Lovers Key State Park. For many years Lovers Key was LK Big Carlos Pass 1only accessible by waterway and was a place where adoring lovers went to enjoy seclusion and its romantic setting. There are four barrier reefs that make up the park’s small islands.  They all have an abundance of wildlife which includes aquatic mammals, birds and ground roving animals. The park has been featured on the Travel Channel and other televised documentaries. The sanctuary is a protected habitat for all  the plants, animals and ecological elements within its confines. Lover Key State Park offers kayaking, bike trails, guided and self-guide tours. The park does have a minimal entry fee. You, Me and The Dock will be doing a feature article on Lovers Key State Park in the near future. Nothing like a little piece of heaven here on earth.

Back Bay LKArticle Author: Anthony Scopel
Photographer: Anthony Scopel
Published By: YMATD

0
SHARES
ShareTweet
Previous Article The Media Myths About Mexico
Next Article Ft. Myers Beach Library and So Much More

Related Posts

  • The Greeley Independence Stampede Demolition Derby

    August 9, 2023
  • virginia city nevada

    Welcome to Virginia City

    July 29, 2023
  • Parrot Key Caribbean Grill’s Car Show

    April 3, 2023

Where We’ve Traveled

Visit Villas De Cisnes
Subscribe to You, Me and the Dock and we'll take you around the world with us.
Loading

Archives

  • September 2023
  • August 2023
  • July 2023
  • June 2023
  • April 2023
  • March 2023
  • February 2023
  • January 2023
  • December 2022
  • November 2022
  • October 2022
  • September 2022
  • August 2022
  • July 2022
  • June 2022
  • May 2022
  • March 2022
  • December 2021
  • November 2021
  • October 2021
  • September 2021
  • August 2021
  • July 2021
  • June 2021
  • March 2021
  • January 2021
  • December 2020
  • November 2020
  • October 2020
  • September 2020
  • August 2020
  • June 2020
  • April 2020
  • March 2020
  • January 2020
  • November 2019
  • October 2019
  • September 2019
  • May 2019
  • April 2019
  • March 2019
  • January 2019
  • December 2018
  • November 2018
  • October 2018
  • August 2018
  • July 2018
  • June 2018
  • May 2018
  • March 2018
  • February 2018
  • January 2018
  • December 2017
  • November 2017
  • October 2017
  • September 2017
  • August 2017
  • July 2017
  • June 2017
  • May 2017
  • April 2017
  • March 2017
  • February 2017
  • January 2017
  • December 2016
  • November 2016
  • October 2016
  • September 2016
  • August 2016
  • July 2016
  • June 2016
  • May 2016
  • April 2016
  • March 2016
  • February 2016
  • January 2016
  • December 2015
  • November 2015
  • October 2015
  • September 2015
  • August 2015
  • July 2015
  • June 2015
  • May 2015
  • April 2015
  • March 2015
  • February 2015
  • January 2015
  • December 2014
  • November 2014
  • October 2014
  • September 2014
  • August 2014
  • July 2014
  • June 2014
  • May 2014
  • April 2014
  • March 2014
  • February 2014
  • January 2014
facebook twitter youtube reddit tumblr
Powered by Kemper Kreative, LLC © Copyright 2023. You, Me and the Dock.