Floridians! (And people who know Florida well)

Hey everyone,

Just a few lines asking for a little bit of advice and a few tips. This summer, I'll be coming over to Fort Myers, FL on holiday, as a good treat after working so hard during my GCSE year. Of course, we already have a few good ideas of things we're going to do there, but I thought it may be a good idea to ask people who know the area well for any tips and pointers. I'm really looking forward to coming to the USA again, the people are so nice and the atmosphere is wonderful! :D

And as for a meeting with some other PTers - well, I'd have to convince my mother, but it would be a greatly missed opportunity... ;)

Zara

Zara, I am about 3-3.5 hours north of Ft. Myers so I don't know a whole bunch about the area. I have heard great things about Sanibel and Captiva islands though. I'm not a beach person but I hear the ones down there are nice. How did you go about deciding to visit Ft. Myers?

It will probably be busy in the summer so the traffic might be a bit of a hassle.

I am not in the Area.. But, I am in the Tampa area. So, If you come this way, Let me know! :-) I know Kay is also near me!

My folks live in Ft. Myers Beach, so I am somewhat familiar with the area. Yes, I would highly recommend Sanibel and Captiva. They are gorgeous. There is also a very cool Nature Reserve in Ft. Myers (sorry, I cannot remember the name of it)! Of course, there is wonderful shopping at an outlet mall: The Shoppes of Sanibel. (NOT actually ON Sanibel, just on the way!) And the beaches, oh my.... Ft. Myers Beach is awesome. Great shelling! If you are not staying on the beach, I would recommend taking the trolley over the bridge to the beach. Parking on the beach is limited, and the bridge is only one lane each way. My folks have sat in traffic for more than an hour just trying to get to their condo... and it is BEFORE the bridge. Traffic can be ridiculous on the way to the beach. If you take the trolley, the driver does all the work, you sit and enjoy the scenery and don't have to worry about parking once you are there. The trolleys can be picked up in lots of locations! Lots of great restaurants on the beach also! Have fun! Take lots of pictures! Be sure to be on the beach at least one night for the sunset! Beautiful!

My first thought was, "oh no, Florida in the SUMMER??" Do you KNOW what you are getting in to in terms of heat, humidty and the like? It is not something you can really envision until you have experienced it. And while the folks who live there have adapted and like it fine. for someone like me from a more northern clime, it was like hitting a wall of water. I much prefer it other seasons in Florida.

My aunt and uncle lived in North Fort Myers and I went down there one July for 2 weeks. I came home after 4 days.

After that, I made sure to go down other than summer time.

Thanks for the good advice! I think we do plan on spending quite a bit of time on the beach, but I'm not sure how near we are to it. Taking the trolley sounds like a good idea.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by gemini9961

How did you go about deciding to visit Ft. Myers?

---

I think we just found some nice villas (probably not the right word, maybe 'condos'?) in that area. We really liked FL last time we went, but wanted to see something other than Disneyworld and the likes. :)

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Freedom

My first thought was, "oh no, Florida in the SUMMER??" Do you KNOW what you are getting in to in terms of heat, humidty and the like? It is not something you can really envision until you have experienced it. And while the folks who live there have adapted and like it fine. for someone like me from a more northern clime, it was like hitting a wall of water. I much prefer it other seasons in Florida.

---

Yes, that's something that we were a bit hesitant about at first. However, the problem is I am not allowed time out of school due to terms and conditions of my scholarship, notwithstanding the fact I have hugely important exams this year which I cannot miss! So summertime is really the only option for our family holidays. I believe, though, that we will probably be OK, we tend to cope with heat and humidity pretty well on most other holidays we've been on. When you come from the north of England, you're gagging for those rays come summertime! :p

Well, the time for my trip across the pond is nearly here! :D I'm really looking forward to it. We got a free guide book on the Ft. Myers area sent to the house so we have plenty of ideas about what to do once we get over there. And we have ordered sat-nav in the hire car. ;)

Our flight is at 11am GMT on Monday, and we have a change-over at New York, meaning we'll arrive late evening, so we'll all be shattered and very jetlagged, lol.

So, that means I won't be around for a while, again. I'll be sure to take plenty of pics. Oh, and for those wondering, I did take pictures of this year's Royal Welsh Show which I went to last week (some may remember my pictures from last year - well good news is that this year it was SUNNY! :D), but I don't really have time to upload them to photobucket now, so I'll probably post them along with Florida pics.

Oh, and of course, I wouldn't mind bumping into any PTers... :D

I'm so excited! I just need to squish the rest of my mountain of clothes into my suitcase and I'll be all set.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Miss Z

I'm so excited! I just need to squish the rest of my mountain of clothes into my suitcase and I'll be all set.

---

Mountain clothes??? Not sure what those are exactly, but you realize you could probably run naked in Florida at this time of year and still be hot, lol!

Aw, have fun Zara. Defintinaly post pictures when you get back :D


I think Zara mean she has a huge pile of clothes, she still needs to pack haha.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by jenn_librarian

Mountain clothes??? Not sure what those are exactly, but you realize you could probably run naked in Florida at this time of year and still be hot, lol!

---

:p

I mean my masses of clothes are in a huuuuuge pile, like a mountain, and won't fit in my suitcase! ;)

Tee hee, yes, I do believe we'll experience some serious heat and humidity. I heard we'll also get some pretty dramatic storms. It'll be an experience, anyway!

ETA: Thanks Jenna!

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by I_luv_rusty

I think Zara mean she has a huge pile of clothes, she still needs to pack haha.

---

OH! LOL!! And here I thought it was some Brit term for warmer clothes or something, lol! I'm such a dingbat!! :o ;)

You are definitely brave - I`m a "cold person" and even the 80 degree weather here has me running for the AC!
But that`s exciting that you`ll be spending a good amount of time here, especially in beautiful Florida. I stayed in West Palm Beach with a few friends last year during May, and my family used to have a winter house near Melbourne when I was younger, and it is definitely a whole different lifestyle than here in NY. Always made it interesting to go down there.
If I remember correctly, Ft. Meyers would be about on the other side of the state from West Palm, so unless you are in the mood for a long drive in the heat I have no recommendations for you as far as interesting things to do, lol. Have a good time! :)

Ft. Myers is about two and a half hours South of me, so unfortunately I don't have any ideas for you, and no way of driving that far to meet you! :(


Hope you have fun, and no Freedom, not all of us Floridians like the heat just fine. ;) I've been here almost 21 years and still hate the heat!

I've been to Sanibel Island before. The beaches are absolutely beautiful! Hope you have a great time in Florida, Zara. I still say you should come to NJ and go to Six Flags, it's fun. ;)

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Kfamr

Ft. Myers is about two and a half hours South of me, so unfortunately I don't have any ideas for you, and no way of driving that far to meet you! :(


Hope you have fun, and no Freedom, not all of us Floridians like the heat just fine. ;) I've been here almost 21 years and still hate the heat!

---

I've been here for 50 years and I ditto that last statement, Kay. The heat is brutal and relentless. AC is our best friend :)

Have fun, Zara, and stay cool.

I stay inside as much as possible or in the pool. The heat and humidity are relentless! I hope you enjoy your visit here. You'll be far from me, as well. However, if you make it to Disney World, I'll be about an hour away. The only day I could consider driving down to Ft Meyers would be Wednesday. I'm off the weekend too, if you're here that long. Have a great time!

Remember to bring A LOT of SUNSCREEN!!!!

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by jenn_librarian

Remember to bring A LOT of SUNSCREEN!!!!

---

Hee hee, check!

Plus mineral foundation so my face won't look like it's melting. ;)

Kay, we did consider visiting the Tampa area, but I don't know if we're going to do that now. So close but yet so far. :( And dukedogsmom, you don't have to put yourself out in anyway, it sounds like it would be a looong drive for you in the heat, lol.

All my clothes are in my suitcase at last, Flossie and the gerbils have been taken to their carer for the fortnight, camera is charged up, and I still feel like I've forgotten something. :p

I don't know Florida all that well, but I do know Sanibel Island is gorgeous.
I'd go back there to visit in a heartbeat.:) I do hope you & your family have
a wonderful trip.:)

Oh, oh, take a car ride to North Ft. Myers to the Shell Factory.

They have a nightly light show outdoors, it is fantastic! It is called Waltzing Waters. I can't believe I didn't mention it last time I posted in this thread.

Here is a link:
http://www.shellfactory.com/waltzing_water.html