Things To Do In Fort Myers

Blessed with some of Florida’s finest scenery and natural beauty, Fort Myers is a city with plenty to offer visitors. Holidaymakers can simply appreciate the area’s flora and fauna by exploring it independently or by taking advantage of the many attractions aimed at showcasing the large variety of plant and animal species that are indigenous to this section of the Florida coastline. History lovers won’t be disappointed, with museums and attractions covering some of the city’s most important and influential people and events.

Edison Ford Complex

Popularly hailed as the city’s greatest tourist attraction, the Edison Ford Complex offers a visitor centre based around the properties and land that were once owned by the city’s most famous residents, Thomas Edison and Henry Ford. Visitors can take guided tours that take in Edison’s house, which contains the famous laboratory where so many of his experiments took place. The museum at the centre is home to the original Model T Ford that Henry Ford presented Thomas Edison with, along with over 200 of the latter’s phonographs.

Imaginarium

Set on the site of the city’s old water treatment plant, the Imaginarium is an attraction offering visitors the chance to explore some 60-plus nature-based exhibits with themes such as zoology, meteorology, ecology and palaeontology. The centre’s focal points are the three 900-gallon aquariums and 500-gallon living coral reef tank, all of which play host to a large number of fish and other water-based creatures. An outdoor lagoon features octopi, eels, sharks, alligators and more. One of the old plant’s remaining water tanks has been converted into a movie theatre and has space for up to 100 spectators to view a variety of educational film presentations.

Shell Factory

Located in North Fort Myers, the Shell Factory is an interesting visitor centre, offering the biggest collection of rare shells, coral sponges and fossils in the world. The collection features species from all seven of the planet’s seas and includes more than five million shells as well as aquariums, wildlife exhibits and various live animals. After you’ve exhausted the nature-based attractions, you can spend time enjoying the miniature golf, Bumper Boat lagoon and video game arcade.

Calusa Nature Center & Planetarium

Operating on a strictly non-profit basis, the Calusa Nature Center & Planetarium is a privately owned attraction with the primary agenda of providing information about indigenous animal species and the environment in which they live. The centre is set on 105 acres of land and offers daily tours, during which visitors have the chance to get up close and personal with creatures such as alligators, snakes and crocodiles. There are also nature trails, a planetarium, aviary, museum, gift shop and picnic areas.

Manatee World

Manatees, also known as sea cows, make seasonal visits to the Fort Myers area in order to seek warmth and food. Manatee World offers visitors the chance to view these fascinating creatures in their free and natural state via boat cruises that visit some of the manatee’s favourite gathering points. Cruises explore the scenic Florida wilderness and include guided commentary, which pays attention not only to the manatees but also to plants, birds and other indigenous wildlife.

Koreshan State Historic Site

Located just outside of Fort Myers, the Koreshan State Historic Site showcases the contributions of Cyrus Reed Teed to the area’s development. During the late 19th century, Teed set up a colony on what is now the visitor site and established a community based around a new religion, which he called Koreshanity. The site now belongs to the state and is one of Florida’s finest parklands, offering visitors a range of activities such as canoeing, fishing, hiking, camping and picnicking.

Museums

Fort Myers offers a number of interesting museums which focus on the area’s natural and historic points of interest. The most popular in the latter category is perhaps the Fort Myers Historical Museum, or the Southwest Florida Museum of History as it is otherwise known. This historic centre offers visitors the chance to view displays featuring scenes of the area’s now diminished Native American population as well as scenes of Spanish explorers and early settlers. Paying similar attention to the area’s Native American history is the Randell Research Center, which focuses on the Calusa Indians and offers tours of the Pineland site, which was once an integral part of their homeland. Meanwhile, more history is on offer at the Williams Academy Black History Museum, which focuses on contributions made by members of the black community to the city’s character and development, while the popular Museum of Medical History is home to a large collection of medical artefacts from a variety of historical periods.