Fun Things to Do in South West Florida

[Kroeran]

this is something I pulled together for the City Data forum

FUN THINGS TO DO IN SWF & LEE COUNTY

Great thing about Lee County is that everything from Everglades City up to Sarasota are day-tripable. If you like plenty of bars, restaurants, unlimited shopping, beaches, boating, golf, festivals and being 2-3 hours from Miami, Fort Lauderdale, Orlando, Tampa, and 30-90 minutes from Naples and Sarasota, with the Keys close enough for overnight trips, then you WILL have fun here. Starting at the top:
NORTH OF THE COUNTY
Fisherman’s Village| Charlotte Harbour Park| Town of Boca Grande| Gasparilla Inn & Club| Gasparilla Island Museum| Boca Bike Path| Haze Bike Path| Legacy Bike Path| Babcock Adventure| Arcadia Antiques| Ca D’ Zan Mansion| Polo
CAPE CORAL, MATLATCHA AND PINE ISLAND
Yacht Club Beach| Sunsplash Water Park| Paradise Bikes| Cape Coral Art League| Historical Museum| Cultural Park Theatre| Four Mile Cove Preserve| Rotary Park| Boat Rental| Island Girl Ferry| Tropic Star Cruises| Cabbage Key| Pine Island Preserve| Matlatcha| Matlatcha Pass Preserve| Matlatcha Bridge Fishing| Golf
SANIBEL/CAPTIVA
Bailey-Matthews Shell Museum| Ding Darling Refuge| Sanibel Fishing Pier| Sanibel Causeway| Big Arts| Sanibel Bookshop| Andy Ross Lane Beach| Turner (Blindpass) Beach| Captiva Historic Cemetery| Chapel by the Sea| Colgate Sailing School | Green Flash
FORT MYERS & FORT MYERS BEACH
Notable Shopping & Restaurants
Bell Tower Shops| Tanger Outlet| River District| Shell Factory| Veranda Restaurant| Beach Seafood Market| Total Wine| Sun Harvest Citrus| The Bike Route| Schwinn Cyclery |Paradise Bikes| Night Clubs | Fleamasters|
Nature & Sports
Ostego Bay Science Center| Manatee Park| Princess Cruise| Calusa Nature Center| FM Beach & Pier| Imaginarium| J.C. Cruises| Butterfly Estates|
Skatium| Minnesota Twins| Boston Red Sox| 6 Mile Cypress Slough| Key West Ferry| Boat Rental| Bike Paths | FM Golf | Lehigh Golf| Horseback | Sailing Tour| Matanzas Pass
Culture
Edison & Ford Winter Estates| Burroughs Home| SW Florida Museum| Laurel Art Gallery| Arts for ACT Gallery| Arts Cultural Center| Davis Art Center| Alliance for the Arts| Reperatory Theatre| Theatre Conspiracy| Broadway Palm Dinner Theater| Mann Arts Centre| Gulf Coast Symphony| SW Florida Symphony| Murder Mystery Dinner Train | Mound Key| Bridge
BONITA SPRINGS/ESTERO/IMMOKALEE
Lover's Key Park| Dog Beach Park| Miromar Outlets| Poker Room | Gannon’s Antique Mall| Coconut Point Mall| Koreshan Historic Site| Kayaking| Corkscrew Sanctuary| Airboats| Seminole Casino| Bonita Golf| Estero Golf
COLLIER COUNTY (NAPLES, MARCO ISLAND, EVERGLADES CITY)
Naples Pier| Tin City| Segway Tours| Trek Bikes| N. Cyclery|Alley Bike Path| 5th Ave. South| Waterside Shops| Naples Golf| Botanical Gardens| Museum of Art| Zoo| Co. Museum| Turtle Club Restaurant| Bach Ensemble| Opera Society| Philharmonic| Theatre Zone| United Arts Council| Von Liebig Arts Centre| Flying Club | Stilts Restaurant| Tiger Tail Beach| Manatee EcoTour| Everglades City Airboats| Ave Maria|
FURTHER AFIELD (Google Map Travel Time)
Daytona (4 hours - NASCAR)
Orlando (3 hours – Disney World, Universal Studios, Sea World)
Tampa (2.25 hours – Ybor City)
St. Petersburg (2 hours – Dali Museum)
Palm Beach (3 hours – Flagler Museum)
Fort Lauderdale (2.5 hours – Sawgrass Mall)
Miami (2.5 hours – South Beach, Vizcaya)
Keys and Key West (5 hours – Dolphin Swim, Bahia Honda Park, Sunset Celebration)