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I LOVE
LEE COUNTY
Along Florida’s southwestern coast, family adventures
reach the beach and expand inland to wild animal parks and historical sites
galore! The Lee Island Coast, from Boca Grande to Bonita Springs, offers more
than 50 miles of beaches famous for rare shells and calm Gulf of Mexico waters.
Families particularly enjoy the gently sloping sands of Fort Myers Beach on
Estero Island, long recognized as one of the world’s safest beaches. Brilliant
sugar-white sand for sculpting sandcastles, and numerous public parks with
plenty of amenities, make Fort Myers Beach an ideal family playground.
Heading to the mainland, families can hop on the
downtown tram for a narrated tour of Fort Myers’ colorful history. Along the
way, stop at the side-by-side winter estates of Thomas Edison and Henry Ford,
two famous friends who spent years as neighbors along the Caloosahatchee River.
At the Edison Winter Home, let the kids explore the "old-Florida" style home,
laboratory and experimental gardens of one of the most inventive men who ever
lived. Also on the grounds is a museum showcasing the world’s largest collection
of Edison’s inventions and memorabilia, including 200 Edison phonographs and his
collection of rare antique automobiles. In 1916, automobile pioneer Henry Ford
bought the house next door, with only a fence -- called the "Friendship Gate" by
both families -- separating the two estates.
Today, visitors will find Ford’s 16-room,
bungalow-style home, known as "Mangoes," much the way it was in the 1920s when
he and his wife Clara lived there. A beautiful Florida garden of citrus and palm
trees surrounds the home and antique Ford vehicles fill the garage. Let the
living history lesson continue at the Burroughs Home, where charming tour guides
in 1920s-era costumes share insight about the Georgian revival-style home,
considered Fort Myers’ first luxury residence.
And the Fort Myers Historical Museum, housed in a
restored Spanish-style train depot, showcases exhibits from ancient Indian
civilizations to early European settlers. On the museum’s grounds, explore a
plush private rail car and a replica of a rustic 1800s Florida cracker-style
cabin. Jump into the modern era at Imaginarium Hands-On Museum and Aquarium,
where kids will enjoy interactive exhibits on weather and gravity, and touch
live sea creatures in a hands-on aquarium. At the Children’s Science Center, in
Cape Coral, kids will marvel at the dazzling optical illusions, ferocious
dinosaurs and stunning solar systems on display.
The Lee Island Coast also offers plenty of "wild"
family adventures. Visitors are immersed in native Floridaora and fauna at the
Calusa Nature Center and Planetarium, in Fort Myers, which features three nature
trails, live-reptile exhibits, a freshwater aquarium and a natural history
museum just for kids. Wander along rustic boardwalks through subtropical
surroundings to a Seminole Indian village or stare at the heavens during the
planetarium’s star and laser-light shows.
Located in Bonita Springs, Everglades Wonder Gardens is
one of Florida’s oldest wildlife attractions. The zoo and botanical gardens,
established in 1936, feature exotic Everglades wildlife, from bears and birds of
prey to panthers and crocodiles. During the zoo’s wildlife shows, kids of all
ages will laugh at the antics of otters and gasp at the ferocious agility of
alligators. For wild water fun, head over to Sun Splash Family Waterpark in Cape
Coral, where 12 acres of slides and rides offer lots of thrills and spills for
everyone.
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