Fort Myers and Sanibel Island

Just take these suggestions as a guide and make your own discoveries. For driving time from Sarasota, you’ll need to allow a good hour to Ft. Myers and an additional half hour or so to Sanibel Island. The best way to get there is to take Highway 75 south. It is not worth to drive the US 41, because the interesting points are not directly at the 41, but you are only held up by many traffic lights and partly also much traffic. Also the many stores do not make 41 a nice route. Scenically, Highway 75 is therefore certainly more appealing, since you are practically driving through natural countryside.

You leave the highway at Exit No. 25 just after crossing the Caloosahatchee River and then head toward 80 West and into Ft. Myers on 867 West, McGregor Boulevard, one of the most famous avenues of palm trees in the world. The huge number of majestic Royal Palm is already impressive. However, aside from the Edison House, Ft. Myers can’t wow you. Do not try to look for a city center, because there is none.

However, if you are in Ft. Myers, don’t miss the Edison Winter Home www.efwefla.org. It is located at 2350 McGregor Blvd. on the right, but the entrance to the parking lot is on the left. There is not much signage and it is easy to drive by. The facility consists of a museum, the original laboratory, Henry Ford’s (he was a good friend and neighbor) house, Thomas Edison’s winter home with the beautiful tropical garden.

You can visit the site only with an organized tour. since both Sanibel Island and the Edison House are very crowded on weekends, it is best to plan your trip there only during the week.

Some information about Thomas Edison and the property:
Thomas Edison was born in Ohio on February 11, 1847. He was already a widower at the age of 38, seriously ill and worn out from incessant and arduous hard labor. Doctors advised him to move to a warm tropical climate should he desire to live longer. And truly, in the sunshine and cooling Gulf breezes of Ft. Myers, he reached 84 years of life.

In 1885, Edison visited Ft. Myers and purchased the land on the banks of the Caloosahatchee River, which at that time did not even have a road leading to it, the land was only accessible by boat. The boat dock, much shorter today, can still be seen. In 1886, Edison and his second wife Mina spent their honeymoon in the new house. At Ft. Myers, he not only found his new health, but also completed important work. After World War I, Edison predicted a second war and the loss of the rubber supply. Firestone and Ford funded the genius’s experiments to make the basic base for rubber from goldenrod grass.

By crossing plants and developing them, he succeeded in breeding a goldenrod almost five meters high, which contained up to 12% rubber and could be harvested in a single growing season. In the large chemical laboratory, which is now one of the most interesting departments of the Edison estate, he “pioneered” the modern rubber industry. There you can also see the small bed in the corner where he took his 15-minute naps, which were enough for him to get fit again. Due to his very advanced deafness, he could always rest there undisturbed. Edison’s tropical garden, his beloved hobby, is one of the most complete in America. It consists of more than a thousand species of plants, which were imported from all parts of the world. It was a garden planted for experimentation and not designed for beauty or aesthetic value at the time. Nevertheless, the garden has evolved into a fantasy of rare and beautiful trees and plants – each planted by Mr Edison. Certainly the most striking is the Banyan tree at the museum, whose trunk was only 5cm in diameter when Harvey Firestone brought it from India as a gift for Edison in 1925. Today the tree with its aerial roots has a diameter of about 135m. The aerial roots have to be cut back regularly to prevent it from spreading even further. By the way, the Royal Palms of McGregor Blvd. were also planted by Edison in 1907.

On the 5.7 hectare property you can see, next to Thomas Edison’s residence, the guest house and Henry Ford’s Winter Home. The beautiful covered terraces placed around Edison’s house, where the Edison and Ford families liked to meet, and the sliding doors attached to all rooms, always allowed a pleasant breeze in the house. Unfortunately, the furniture in the residence is no longer original, but has been faithfully recreated from the same era. In 1916, Henry Ford bought his friend’s house next door and helped Edison with his experiments on rubber development. Edison’s house, by the way, features the first swimming pool built in Florida. However, Edison never used it, as he considered any sporting activity a waste of time.

In 1931, Edison visited his winter home for the last time. He died the same year in New Jersey. In 1947 his widow Mina Edison gave the estate to the city of Ft. Myers.

After the stop at the Edison House, continue on McGregor Blvd. toward Sanibel Island. All you have to do is follow the signs.

You currently have to pay a $3 toll (great) for the bridge that takes you to Sanibel Island. Sanibel Island is one third natural park, which is one of the charms of this island.

The causeway now takes you to Sanibel, with a wonderful view of the Gulf of Mexico. Shortly after you reach the island, the “Chamber of Commerce” is on your right and has info about the island ready for you to pick up. At the next intersection, turn right onto Periwinkle Way, which later becomes Sanibel-Captiva Road. Even if you soon pass the entrance of the “Ding Darling Wildlive Refuge”, there are two good reasons not to visit it now but after a lunch break:

• Especially in the summer, you can see a lot more wildlife here in the late afternoon – in the winter, the alligators bask in the warm midday sun.
• If you have visited the Edison House, you are surely hungry now and don’t have the muse to observe nature – and you should definitely make time for the “Ding Darling”.

Now our tip for a nice lunch first – the “Mucky Duck” on Captiva Island: You follow Periwinkle Way, turn right at Tarpon Bay Rd. and thus come to the Sanibel-Captiva Road. This will take you through Sanibel and then over a small bridge to Captiva Island. Enjoy the fantastic vegetation and the beautiful beach houses during the drive. Near the end of Captiva turn left into Andy Rosse Lane and follow it to the end, there you will find the “Mucky Duck” directly on the beach, where you can eat very well and have a fantastic view of the Gulf.

If you are now ready for a sunbath and a jump into the gulf, I would like to recommend “Bowman’s Beach”. The problem on Captiva and Sanibel is that there are not many beaches open to the public. For us, “Bowman’s Beach” with its wide beach is the most beautiful. Turn right on Bowman’s Beach Rd. from Sanibel-Captiva Rd (if you are coming from Captiva). There is a large parking lot there. A beautiful path will take you across a bayou to the beach. If you are lucky you can see many waterfowl there – one of the rare Florida Panthers has been seen there. Of course, Sanibel is primarily known for the many beautiful shells you can find there. However, to perhaps find a “real treasure” you would have to search before sunrise with a flashlight, as the professionals do.

The entrance to the “Ding Darling Refuge” www.fws.gov/dingdarling is located a few miles east of Bowman’s Beach. Please note that the entrance to the park is closed at dusk. You can drive slowly through the park by car. However, if you want to see more, you should explore the designated trails on foot.

Important: don’t forget the insect repellent cream, especially in summer !

If you are now hungry and thirsty again, a snack or a drink in the quaint pub “The Lazy Flamingo” would be recommended. You will find it on Periwinkle Way, just before you get back on the Causeway.

TIP: how about a “pot” – oysters (oysters) or clams (clams) or both (combo) steamed in a large pot.

or

Doc Ford’s Sanibel Rum Bar and Grille
975 Rabbit Rd, Sanibel Island, Phone: 239 472 8311
www.docfords.com/sanibel-island

Our favorite was the Tropical Salad and Yucatan Shrimp Doc Ford, by the way, is the main character in a mystery book series by Sanibel author Randy Wayne White. You can get more information there directly and also buy signed books there.

The Bubble Room in Captiva
15001 Captiva Dr., Captiva
www.bubbleroomrestaurant.com

A fun restaurant with colorful decor, American cuisine and a super cake counter.