Things to do in Fort Myers, Florida

Friends or relatives come to visit you in Lee County. Where are you taking them?

Well, there are of course the beaches – everyone know that. And you should definitely put that in your agenda.

But besides our soft, white sand and beautiful beach sunsets, there are many more fun things to choose from in the Fort Myers/Bonita Springs area. To help you decide, here is a bucket list of must-see places in Lee County.

The Shell plant in North Fort Myers

This Old Florida-style attraction has a lot to offer on its sprawling 18 acres: a zip line, a nature park, a stunningly large gift shop, bumper and paddle boats, a restaurant, mini golf, a petting zoo, a video game arcade and a whole lot more .

The Shell Factory Nature Park is home to approximately 350 exotic animals, including iguanas, porcupines, peacocks, alligators, lemurs, alpacas and goats.

− The Shell Factory & Nature Park, 16554 N. Cleveland Ave., North Fort Myers. 995-2141 or shellfactory.com

Everyone loves butterflies: The Butterfly Farms are closed, but now you can see the butterflies in De Schelpenfabriek

‘Ding’ Darling National Wildlife Refuge on Sanibel Island

The Sanibel Island refuge is a haven for wildlife photographers and nature lovers. Especially the popular Wildlife Drive.

That four-mile, one-way road takes motorists, cyclists and hikers through parts of the 6,300-acre preserve. “Ding” Darling is home to more than 200 species of birds, alligators and other animals.

− JN “Ding” Darling National Wildlife Refuge, 1 Wildlife Dr, Sanibel Island. 472-1100 or fws.gov/refuge/jn-ding-darling

On TV: CBS news show spotlights Sanibel Island’s spectacular wildlife flourishing after Ian

Edison & Ford Winter Estates in Fort Myers

Renowned inventor Thomas Edison and car manufacturer Henry Ford used to live right next to each other on McGregor Boulevard in Fort Myers. Now the friends’ half-timbered houses on the river are a popular tourist attraction.

The Edison & Ford Winter Estates property includes a museum and Edison’s former laboratory, filled with his original test tubes, beakers and machines. There he and his employees tested more than 17,000 plant species as they searched for a natural source of latex to produce rubber.

− Edison & Ford Winter Estates, 2350 McGregor Blvd., downtown Fort Myers. 334-7419 or edisonfordwinterestates.org

Wonder Gardens in Bonita Springs

Southwest Florida’s oldest roadside attraction has undergone many changes since opening in 1936 as the Everglades Reptile Gardens. Now it is a botanical garden and nature reserve where more than 300 rescued, rehabilitated and non-releasable animals live.

That menagerie includes alligators, flamingos, parrots, tortoises, tortoises and Chinese golden pheasants. The attraction also features hundreds of native and exotic plants: fruit and nut trees, palms, orchids, water lilies, ferns and even ylang-ylang trees (the scent used for Chanel No. 5 perfume).

− The Wonder Gardens, 27180 Old 41 Road, Bonita Springs. 992-2591 or wondergardens.org

Wonder Gardens news: Bonita Springs attraction signs 10-year agreement to update ‘community treasure’

Manatee Park in eastern Lee County

Why go to this 17 hectare park? The answer is in the name: you’re going to visit Florida’s beloved manatee. When temperatures dip below 68 degrees, those “manatees” like to hang out in the warm waters of the Orange River and a Florida Power & Light Plant spillway.

The manatees come and go as they please, so call or check the park’s website to make sure they are there before you go. The best viewing times are from November through March, especially on cool mornings and winter days.

Manatee Park also features a butterfly garden, playground, gift shop, picnic shelters and a fishing pier on the Orange River (saltwater permit required).

− Manatee Park, 10901 State Road 80 (Palm Beach Boulevard), Fort Myers. 690-5030 or emptyov.com/parks/parks/manateepark

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MORE PLACES TO GO

Want more? Lee County is a big place, so here are a few more great places to visit:

Broadway Palm in Fort Myers

One of the few dinner theaters left in Florida. It is home to musicals, comedies and occasional concerts. broadwaypalm.com

Gator Mike’s Family Fun Park in Cape Coral

New owner Chris Scuderi has been steadily renovating and upgrading Gator Mike’s since purchasing the property in 2019, including zip lines, an aerial park, a climbing wall and the popular Dinosaur Falls Mini Golf. The golf course features animatronic dinosaurs and a two-story high “volcano” that rumbles, smokes and shoots fireballs into the sky of Cape Coral. In addition, the city’s first Mellow Mushroom pizza restaurant will open on the site next door in June. gatormikes.com

More about Dinosaur Falls: Dinos Roar, Volcano Erupts at Cape Coral’s New Mini Gold Attraction

10,000 pizzas per month: Cape Coral’s Mellow Mushroom gets opening date

Koreshan State Park in Estero

A riverside park preserving the former settlement of a religious sect from the late 19th century. Among other things, they believed that the Earth and the rest of the universe were contained within a gigantic, hollow sphere. floridastateparks.org/park/Koreshan

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Murder mystery dinner train in Fort Myers

Take a short train journey, enjoy a five-course meal and try to solve a murder. Actors move from dining car to dining car and act out scenes. A character dies, and then you have to figure out who it is. semgulf.com

Florida Repertory Theater in downtown Fort Myers

Fort Myers’ only theater company Actors’ Equity performs plays and musicals in the historic Arcade Theater, a former vaudeville house and movie theater. They also performed more intimate shows in the smaller Artstage Studio Theater. floridarep.org

IMAG History and Science Center in Fort Myers

This popular children’s destination combines hands-on science and Fort Myers history in one building. It offers more than 60 interactive attractions and exhibits, including a 3,200-gallon aquarium filled with tropical fish; a Fort Myers Historical Museum; and the Science on a Sphere exhibit – a giant, spherical movie screen that showed everything from historic hurricanes to the planet Mars. theimag.org

Read more: IMAG’s Science on a Sphere exhibit features hurricanes in real time, Mars, the moon and more

Sidney & Berne Davis Art Center in downtown Fort Myers

Fort Myers’ former courthouse and post office is now home to art exhibitions, concerts, fashion shows, indie films and more. With its distinctive ionic columns, the neoclassical-style building is a popular stop for selfies and wedding photos. Then there are the two sculptures out front: tall bronze cylinders that glow at night and project Latin and Creek words onto the sidewalk, street and building. sbdac.com

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Charles Runnells is an arts and entertainment reporter for The News-Press and the Naples Daily News. To reach him, call 239-335-0368 (for show tickets, call the venue) or email him at [email protected]. Follow or message him on social media: Facebook (facebook.com/charles.runnells.7),@charlesrunnells), Discussions (@crunnells1) and Instagram (@crunnells1).