Southwest Florida

If you decide to pay a visit to Southwest Florida, don't say you weren't warned: many of the area's tourists become residents before long. But if you throw caution to the wind and venture forth, you are sure to be rewarded with a memorable trip.

The Thomas Edison home in Fort Myers

Hugging the shores of the Caloosahatchee River, Fort Myers offers up rich history, cultural attractions and amazing natural wonders. The city was once the home of inventor Thomas Edison and his mark is still found on palm tree-lined McGregor Blvd. Edison's home, along with Henry Ford's home right next door, now serves as a local history museum. Nearby, Koreshan State Historic Site allows visitors to enjoy magnificent surroundings while fishing, picnicking, boating, hiking and camping.

Cape Coral lies just south of Fort Myers, with more than 400 miles of canals winding through the city. Guests enjoy scenic boat rides, long, lazy days of fishing for snapper and black drum, and exhilarating water sports. If you have children, they'll beg you take them to Sun Splash Family Water Park to try out the 5-story twisting tube slide. Afterward, treat yourself to a round of golf at one of two local courses.

Beautiful Ft. Myers Beach, located on an island gently sloping into the Gulf of Mexico, is capped off with a lovely little beach village to the north and beachfront resorts to the south. For a more cosmopolitan flavour, set off for Naples, where a bustling cultural center boasts the Philharmonic Center for the Arts, a range of art galleries, and historic sites paying homage to the area's Native American Indian and pioneering heritage. A golfer's paradise, Naples offers up more than 35 golf courses, the highest ratio of golf courses to golfers in the country.

Visitors to Southwest Florida don't stop there. This area is the gateway for the state's breathtaking barrier islands, yet another reason holiday-goers have a hard time leaving. So pack an extra suitcase, you might want to stay a little longer than planned.