Fort Myers

The Forrest Country Club

• The Forrest Country Club is a private, member owned club, catering to golfers, racquet sports, and social events. The club has two golf courses, tennis center with 6 Har-Tru clay courts and four pickleball courts, fitness center, two lighted Bocce courts, and a selection of dining rooms and bars.

Gulf Harbour Yacht & Country Club

• Gulf Harbour Yacht & Country Club is a 1,600 home community that houses an impressive 186 slip deep water yacht basin and marina that accommodates yachts from 30 feet to 100 feet. Members enjoy an 18-hole championship golf course along with a shorter executive course for those wanting increased playability. The tennis center at Golf Harbor Yacht and Country Club is home to one of Southwest Florida’s most active tennis communities with over 300 members and 20+ women’s and men’s league teams. The facility offers 8 Hydro-Grid clay courts, showers, steam rooms, and saunas. Lastly, the health and fitness center offers members the latest workout equipment and the day spa is a great place to decompress and renew.

Olde Hickory Golf & Country Club

• Olde Hickory Golf & Country Club is an exclusive low density golf community. Home to an 18-hole championship golf course designed by Ron Garl, 2 Har-Tru tennis courts, 4 pickleball courts, state of the art fitness center, pool and spa.

The Verandah Club

• The Verandah Club is a private community and country club with two championship 18-hole golf courses designed by Jack Nicklaus and Bob Cupp. Also on property are 5 Har-Tru clay tennis courts, resort style pool, spa, and fitness center.

The Fort Myers dining landscape has seen an uptick in more modern and upscale restaurants which is driving competition and delighting patrons across the city. Many of the best establishments are small and cozy with under 30 seats ensuring high end service and special attention to detail. But Fort Myers has more to offer than just intimate fine dining. Seafood, southern specialties, and European cuisine are popular in this city and there are new restaurants popping up all the time just waiting to be discovered.

Edison Mall is the only enclosed, climate controlled indoor shopping mall in Southwest Florida. It is home to over 160 retail and specialty shops that you would expect to see in a large indoor mall such as this.

The Gulf Coast Town Center is a shopping center populated with all the big box national brand name stores you could ask for such as Homegoods, Super Target, Costco, Bass Pro Shops, Best Buy, Staples, JCPenny, Marshals, and many others.

The Sanibel Outlets have all your favorite designer and name brand manufacturers like Polo Ralf Lauren, Coach, Calvin Klein, Banana Republic, Nike, Under Armor and more.

The Franklin Shops is a unique shopping destination downtown featuring 100 individual shops selling items such as jewelry and fashion, art work, furnishings, accessories, beauty products, and gifts. They have a full slate of musical and fine arts performances that add to the lively atmosphere of the River District.

With over 900 stores and 400,000 square feet of shopping, Fleamasters Flea Market is one of the largest Flea Markets in Southwest Florida. Expect to find new and vintage art, jewelry, crafts, 20+ food stands, fresh fruits and vegetables, and other unique items.

The Edison and Ford Winter Estates are the one time winter estates of good friends and neighbors Thomas Edison and Henry Ford.  Today these magnificent properties are open for the public to enjoy. Visitors will see historical buildings, award winning gardens, the Edison Botanic Research Lab, and the Inventions Museum.

The Six Mile Cypress Slough Preserve is 3,500+ acres of wetland ecosystem. One can explore the diverse population of plants and animals on its boardwalk trails. The Interpretive Center on site provides an introduction to the Slough along with displays and educational programs.

Sanibel Island has 15 miles of beaches that are world famous for their pure sands and incredible abundance of over 250 types of shells. Shelling is so popular here that they even have a name for the bent over posture, the “Sanibel Stoop.”

The J.N. Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge is part of the largest undeveloped mangrove ecosystem in the United States. The Refuge is famous for its migratory bird populations that call it home for parts of the year. Exploring the park can be done on foot, bike, canoe, kayak, or by car.

Manatee Park is a refuge for Florida Manatees. Best viewing is during the winter season due to the animals hanging around the warmer waters from the discharge canal of the Florida Power and Light facility. Occasionally on a cold day upwards of 50 manatees can be seen swimming in the warm waters.

Fort Myers is home to two Major League Baseball teams spring training facilities. The Boston Red Sox reside at JetBlue Park which has come to get the nickname “Fenway South.” The Minnesota Twins make their home at Century Link Sports Complex about five miles to the west.

The beaches of Fort Myers are known for powder white sand and above all else, shells. People come from all over to search these shores for the little treasures. Sanibel Island, Fort Myers Beach, and Lovers Key Beach all top the list of quality gulf coast beach destinations and each offers a little something different from the others.

Residents of Fort Myers enjoy boating in the waters of the Caloosahatchee River, Pine Island Sound Aquatic Preserve, Estero Bay Aquatic Preserve, and the Gulf of Mexico. Because of all the preserves there is a great deal of natural area to explore. There are a number of inlets in the area for access to Gulf of Mexico waters.

Fishing out of Fort Myers offers a number of inshore and offshore opportunities. The undeveloped mangrove shorelines just southwest of the city provide ideal snook habitat and the many passes in the area are a gathering place for tarpon. Depending on where you put your boat in it can be a long run out one of the inlets in the area and then another good run out to productive fishing grounds. To reach 100 foot of water off Fort Meyers is around a 45-50 mile run. Popular offshore species include grouper, snapper, king mackerel, and cobia.

Fort Myers public schools are controlled by the School District of Lee County. The School District of Lee County has over 92,686 students in grades PK, K-12 with a student-teacher ratio of 16 to 1. According to state test scores, 53% of students are at least proficient in math and 52% in reading. Niche.com gives the school district a B rating and has it as the 31st best school district in the state. Several notable private schools include Bishop Verot Catholic High School (Roman Catholic), Canterbury School, Evangelical Christian School (Christian), St Francis Xavier School (Roman Catholic), and St. Michael Lutheran School (Lutheran Church Missouri Synod).

The City of Fort Myers has a total of 42 golf courses with 2 courses being municipal. Within a short 20 mile drive you will find another 58 courses of which 14 are public and 0 municipal.

Eastwood Golf Course is one of the city’s two municipal courses. Designed by Robert Von Hagge and Bruce Devlin in 1977, it is an 18-hole par 72 layout.

It’s sister course is the Fort Myers Country Club Golf Course designed in 1916 by Donald Ross. It has a great reputation for being a well kept, affordable golf course.

The Plantation Golf & Country Club is a private 18-hole course designed by Dr. Michael Hurdzan and Dana Fry. The luxuriously appointed modern clubhouse named the “Great House” with pub/bistro is a great place to spend some time after a day on the course.

The Golf Club at Magnolia Landing is home to a Gordon Lewis designed 18-hole championship golf course that meanders through natural pine forests and oak groves. It is recognized on Golf Advisor to be one of the top courses in Southwest Florida.

San Carlos Golf Club is a member owned semi-private facility with a 18-hole championship golf course designed by John E. O’Connor. Practice facilities include an aqua driving range, practice bunker, putting green, and pitching and chipping area.