Things to do in SW Florida (Miami, Tampa: hotel, homes, theater)

[wrightflyer]

I'm a twenty-something college student coming down to the Cape for some time with family in a week. I haven't been down to SWF in a few years (I think 2006 or '07 was my last visit), but have been here numerous times prior to then. I've done the Edison homestead, Sanibel, Ft. Myers Beach, Babcock Farm, and even been up to Sarasota for the aquarium. What I am wondering is, what else is there to do in SWF? I enjoy museums, biking, shopping, and sightseeing, and am pretty open to anything as long as it doesn't involve a boat. The last part is because my grandmother does not like open water and hates boats. Any suggestions for this northerner would be greatly appreciated.

[BakinMama]

There is a lot of stuff to do in the Fort Myers area...

FORT MYERS
Calusa Nature Center and Planetarium
Southwest Florida Museum of History
Ostego Bay Marine Science Center
Shell Factory
Broadway Palm Dinner Theater
Manatee Park
Lover's Key State Park
Bell Tower Shops
Miromar Outlet
Tanger Outlet

SANIBEL/CAPTIVA
Bailey-Matthews Shell Museum
Ding Darling
Sanibel-Captiva Conservation Foundation

NAPLES
Naples Pier
Philharmonic
Naples Botanical Gardens
Corkscrew Swamp
Naples Museum of Art
Collier Co. Museum
Waterside Shops
Fifth Avenue South

Additionally, if you are willing to travel a little ways, you can find great places to visit just a short drive away in places like St. Pete, Venice, Miami, and Tampa.

[kroeran]

Gaspirilla "downtown", the old hotel and the regional history and nature museum at the lighthouse on Boca Chica - have to drive around through Port Charlotte

Dog Park at Lovers Key

Swamp Boat tours (not open water) south of Naples

Seminole Gulf Railway Dinner Theater Train

Fort Myers downtown shops

Real Poker at the Dog Track

6 Mile Slough nature walk

Kayak Estero River

Captiva for lunch, walk beach at end of road, shelling at SanCap gap.

Fishermans wharf at Punta Gorda

Stilts restaurant at Marco, separately, Tigers Tail beach

Veranda Restaurant in Fort Myers downtown

Burroughs Mansion tour Downtown Fort Myers (I think Fridays only, look it up)

River Boat tours (not open water)

Day trip to Miami

2 Day trip down to Key West and back

The BIIIIG Fort Myers fleamasters flea market weekends, take MLK exit

FM beach sand sculpture competition first weekend Novembers

Lunch on beach at Turtle club, Naples

Big Antique place just south of FM on trail, east side...Gannons I think?

Sun Harvest Citrus tourist thingy a mile east of SFM Walmart, great orange icecream, on Ben C Pratt parkway curves toward the trail

Antique paradise at Arcadia...check for once a month sidewalk sale, 4th Saturday each month

Broadway Palm dinner theatre

Koreshan Historic Site structures - weird cult that died out

[justNancy]

All the above suggestions are good with the exception of doing anything at the Dog Track. Even a poker game will continue to perpetuate the inhumane treatment of man's best friends. After the fire, I was hoping it would be the end of that torture chamber where neglected dogs live tightly muzzled in small cages, run around in the blazing heat, and suffer with broken bones & spinal injuries so we can bet on them. In fact, Florida has the worst record for greyhound abuse & killing in the country. If you love dogs, don't support the bloodsport called greyhound racing.

[kroeran]

point taken

I will start a new thread to brainstorm doing something about this

[John Buettner]

Also we have 4 nice bowling centers, one in N. Ft Myers, Cape Coral,and Port Charlotte, N. Naples.

[kroeran]

Originally Posted by justNancy

All the above suggestions are good with the exception of doing anything at the Dog Track. Even a poker game will continue to perpetuate the inhumane treatment of man's best friends. After the fire, I was hoping it would be the end of that torture chamber where neglected dogs live tightly muzzled in small cages, run around in the blazing heat, and suffer with broken bones & spinal injuries so we can bet on them. In fact, Florida has the worst record for greyhound abuse & killing in the country. If you love dogs, don't support the bloodsport called greyhound racing.

apparently the track is saying they would give up the dog track if they could get permission to build a casino

VIDEO/TRANSCRIPT: Bonita Springs clinic, red-light cams and redevelopment» Naples Daily News

[wrightflyer]

Thanks for all the suggestions. Some things, like shelling on Sanibel and the Shell Museum I've done before, but it's been a while so I might check it out. My family is not much into gambling and I couldn't stomach watching dogs run around a track all day, so the grey hound track is out regardless. About how far is it from the Cape to Naples on a typical weekday in the winter? Specifically, from around Pine Island Rd and Veterans down to the heart of Naples and the beaches there?

Also, I came after Charley all but stripped Sanibel and Captiva of their vegitation (also been there before it was clear-cut). How has the regrowth been going there?

[John Buettner]

Originally Posted by John Buettner

Also we have 11 nice bowling centers, N. Ft Myers, Cape Coral,and Port Charlotte, N. Naples, Englewood

Good excercise on a rain day.

That should be 11 not 4

[justNancy]

I used to go candlepin bowling when I lived in MA. I even had my own shoes & balls.

One thing I learned when I used to travel frequently was that we often feel the need to do too much when away from home. I can understand visiting museums and interesting sites not common to one's place of residence, but I found that relaxing is a great way to enjoy a vacation.

From Cape Coral to Naples is about an hour, but that depends on the part of the Cape and your destination in Naples. After all, the Northwest Cape can often be a 20 minute drive from the Southeast Cape. I used to see a dentist on Del Prado and it took me about 40 minutes from the intersection of 41 and Bonita Beach Road. Downtown Naples is 25 minutes from Bonita Beach Rd. The time of day will make a big difference. From Bonita Beach Rd to Matlacha at 9 in the morning took me about an hour, so add 20 minutes to get to/from 5th Ave or 3rd Street South in Naples.

Here are some December events in Naples.

[URL="http://www.fifthavenuesouth.com/events.php"]Fifth Ave Naples[/URL]

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