Attractions
Spring Training
Each year, 18 Major League Baseball teams practice in Florida for Spring Training. Most of your trip planning will revolve around the team you’re rooting for, but you’ll likely end up in one of these four cities: Fort Myers, Orlando, Fort Lauderdale-Miami or Tampa/St. Petersburg.
Fort Myers: Book your flight to Southwest Florida International Airport.
Visit more than one field: If you’re a Red Sox fan, you’ll be spending most of your time at the City of Palms Park. However, the Minnesota Twins training field at Hammond Stadium is not far. Rent a car and it’s easy to spend time with Red Sox Nation and Twins fans all in the same day.
Orlando: Book your flight to Orlando International Airport.
Kid-friendly Travel: If you’re rooting for the Houston Astros or Cleveland Indians, Orlando is your home base. Bring the kids! Both fields are near Disney World and related attractions.
Fort Lauderdale-Miami: Book your flight to Fort Lauderdale International Airport.
Day Games/Nightlife: Head to Fort Lauderdale during the day for action-packed ball games and spend your evenings in Miami enjoying fine restaurants, hip bars and bustling nightlife.
Tampa/St. Petersburg: Book your flight to Tampa International Airport. Cheaper flights might be available to Orlando International Airport, though.
Lots of fields, so little time: If you want to see more than one team on more than one field, visiting the Tampa/St. Petersburg area might be your best bet. You can easily catch the Toronto Blue Jays, Philadelphia Phillies, Tampa Bay Devil Rays, New York Yankees and Detroit Tigers within a short trip.
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Edison and Ford Winter Estates
Famous inventor, Thomas Edison, and his friend, automobile magnate Henry Ford, both spent dozens of winters in the city of Fort Myers in the early years of the 20th century. Edison's home is the region's top historic attraction, and has been preserved as it was during his lifetime. The Victorian house called Seminole Lodge still boasts working light bulbs, which he invented. They burn in the laboratory where he worked on more than 1,000 inventions during his winter visits. The house next door, Mangoes, was built by Ford in 1916. Visitors are given guided tours of both houses by costumed guides giving 'living history' accounts. Scenic river rides on board a replica of Edison's electric boat are also offered.
Address: 2350 McGregor Boulevard, Fort Myers
Telephone: (239) 334 7419
E-mail:estatesinfo@cityftmyers.com
Web site:www.edison-ford-estate.com
Opening time: Daily 9am to 5.30pm
Admission: Homes and Gardens tour: $20 (adults), $11 (children 6-12); other options and concessions available
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Koreshan State Historic Site
In the dying years of the 19th century a former Civil War surgeon, Dr. Cyrus Teed, founded a pioneer settlement on the banks of the Estero River south of Fort Myers where he led the community to practice a religion he termed Koreshanity. Chief among his beliefs was the equality of men and women and that the universe was a hollow sphere containing everything within it. Planning to build a utopian city, the community generated their own electricity, built boats, established a general store and constructed numerous buildings, of which 11 remain today to be explored by visitors. The last four members of the sect donated the land to the State of Florida in 1961 and it is now preserved as a park with a nature trail, picnic tables and campsite. Guided tours of the Koreshan buildings are offered.
Address: Intersection of U.S. 41 and Corkscrew Road, Estero
Telephone: (239) 992 0311
Web site:www.floridastateparks.org/koreshan
Opening time: Daily 8am until sundown
Admission: $4 per vehicle holding up to 8 passengers; $3 for single occupant
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Lee County Manatee Park
A sighting of an endangered West Indian manatee, a shy and lumbering walrus-like creature whose numbers are dwindling, is a must for visitors to Florida. At the Lee County Manatee Park on the Orange River in eastern Fort Myers these animals can be viewed in their natural habitat from observation decks. The Park also offers information, walking tours and workshops, as well as picnic facilities, a fishing cove with deck and a pier. Kayak and canoe trails are also available.
Address: 10901 State Road 80
Telephone: (239) 690 5030
E-mail:Bclemons@leegov.com
Web site:www.leeparks.org
Opening time: Daily 8am to sunset
Admission: Parking: $5 per day; kayak rentals $10 per hour
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South West Florida Museum of History
The Museum of History in Fort Myers is housed in the former Atlantic Coastline Railroad depot and chronicles the history of Southwest Florida, from the Paleo Indians through the Calusa, the Seminoles and the Spanish explorers to the early settlers. A pioneer cracker house, a 1926 fire pump and a 1929 Pullman private railroad car are among the exhibits. Pride of place is held by the 'Land of Giants' section depicting the huge animals like mammoths, mastodons and the Bison that roamed the area about 12,000 years ago.
Address: 2300 Peck Street
Telephone: (239) 332 5955
E-mail:museuminfo@cityftmyers.com
Web site:www.cityftmyers.com/attractions/historical.htm
Opening time: Tuesday to Saturday 10am to 5pm, and Sunday 12pm to 4pm
Admission: $9.50 (adults), $8.50 (children), $4 (children under 12)
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The Shell Factory and Nature Park
The beaches along this area of the Florida coast are world-renowned for their seashells and the largest collection of shells, fossils, corals and sponges in the world is the focus of a unique family oriented attraction north of Fort Myers. The Shell Factory not only exhibits a fascinating collection, but the 18-acre complex includes shops selling a range of jewelry, ornaments, lamps, objects d'art and glassware. It is even possible to pick your own pearl and have it mounted in gold. The complex includes a petting zoo, wildlife refuge, eco laboratory, a restaurant, game arcade, miniature golf course and boating lake.
Address: 2787 North Tamiami Trail, North Fort Myers
Telephone: (239) 995 2141
E-mail:questions@shellfactory.com
Web site:www.shellfactory.com
Opening time: Shell factory: daily 9am to 9pm. Nature Park: daily 10am to 7pm
Admission: Shell Factory: free. Nature Park: $8 (adults), $4 (children 4-12)
