Floridians! (And people who know Florida well)

**Miss Z** · 02-13-2008, 02:14 PM

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!

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

**gemini9961** · 02-13-2008, 03:13 PM

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.

**Animalhouse26** · 02-13-2008, 03:54 PM

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!

**Donnaj4962** · 02-13-2008, 07:10 PM

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!

**Freedom** · 02-13-2008, 09:47 PM

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.

**Miss Z** · 02-14-2008, 11:49 AM

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.

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.

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!