Pine Island
Mayberry-like, quirky and infused with the spirit of artists from the past and present, Pine Island takes you on a trip back in time. Greater Pine Island is made up of five communities, each with its own distinct personality.

Matlacha
Tiny Matlacha (pronounced Mat-luh-SHAY) forms a bridge from the mainland to Pine Island, which, like Sanibel and Captiva islands, has only stop signs and courtesy to organize the flow of traffic. Matlacha occupies its own small island with a jumble of colorful shops and galleries, seafood markets, funky waterside restaurants and a community park that fronts Matlacha Pass, part of the Great Calusa Blueway paddling trail.

Sanibel & Captiva Islands
The barrier islands of Sanibel and Captiva connect to the mainland by a three-mile-long causeway that stretches from the southwestern reaches of Fort Myers out across San Carlos Bay, where the Caloosahatchee River empties into the Gulf of Mexico.  Ecotourism is the main attraction, with the J. N. (Ding) Darling National Wildlife Preserve taking up much of the island.  The population of 6,000 swells to 20,000 during the high season. Sanibel has a mix of houses, many of them in the luxury category, priced from $1 million to $4 million, and condos, in the $500,000’s and up.

Created by nature to protect the mainland, the palm-tree and flower-lined islands are famous for their beaches and the incredible variety of shells that wash up on their shores.

Beaches range from the Gulf-to-bay sands at Lighthouse Park at one end of Sanibel, punctuated by the historic light tower and home to a popular fishing pier, to Captiva’s romantic beaches, where sunset draws a nightly crowd. In between are family-friendly sandy playgrounds and long stretches of unpopulated sands fronting beautiful houses. Seashells carpet all the beaches, but Bowman’s Beach is especially known for fine selections, as well as great birding.

Boca Grande
Clustered around the old train depot that brought industry to this pint-sized village near the southern tip of Gasparilla Island, this charming community, Boca Grande, has evolved into a playground for the rich and famous – and regular folk as well. Five beaches line the western part of the island, and a grand inn graces the outskirts of "town." Visitors delight in the barefoot elegance, fine outfitters and the miles-long bike paths that traverse the island.

Offshore, North Captiva, Cayo Costa, Cabbage Key and Useppa Island intrigue island hoppers of varied ages, abilities and interests. North Captiva has pristine beaches and a collection of large rental homes and two restaurants; Useppa sports the Collier Inn, a beautiful botanical walk and, proof that good things come in small packages, the tiny-but-terrific Barbara Sumwalt Museum.

Cabbage Key is a stop off in civilization as only islanders envision it: a casual hamburger and seafood joint with a spectacular view surrounded by an inn comprised of cracker cottages.

Cayo Costa, mainly a state park, is pristine coastal Florida at its best – wide, unspoiled, white-sand beaches, rustic cabins and tent campsites – and ample bird and wildlife to watch.

It's hard to imagine Fort Myers Beach as a remote stretch of green edged with white, soft sand and accessible only by boat. However, that's just what it was until the first "Little Bridge" was constructed to bring tourists and locals alike to the seven-mile Estero Island through Bunche Beach on the mainland. By the late 1920s, a new bridge (actually a second-hand one from the East coast of Florida) was installed near the current San Carlos Bridge. Little by little, Estero Island's attractive features, including miles and miles of white, sandy beaches, have captured the imaginations of visitors from near and far. This beach community draws thousands of visitors from Germany, France and the United Kingdom each year.

Boating, sailing, fishing and spectacular Lovers Key State Park make this island a real recreational playground. Add to that a great number of family-friendly resorts, quaint cottages, Old Florida charm, restaurants serving fresh seafood from the Gulf of Mexico and an annual Shrimp Festival, and it's a beach vacation paradise.

Downtown Fort Myers, also known as the River District, forms the core of a city that stretches for miles south along the Caloosahatchee River and east to the rural interior. Named for a Civil War-era army colonel, Fort Myers' history parallels that of Florida itself.

Indigenous peoples, the Calusa Indians, inhabited the islands nearby. Later, pioneers settled the pine flatwoods, and cattle drivers escorted their charges down what is now McGregor Boulevard to ships docked at Punta Rassa. Thomas Edison and Henry Ford put the town on the proverbial map when they chose the City of Palms as their winter getaway.

Today, Fort Myers is a bustling metropolis with ecological, historical and cultural attractions, as well as shopping across the spectrum – high-end outlets, antiques, boutiques and outdoor malls. Dining and nightlife entertain when the sun goes down – watch a spectacular “show" as it sinks over the Caloosahatchee.

Cape Coral
Cape Coral, on the north side of the Caloosahatchee, is a little-known option for second-home buyers. It has 400 miles of canals that connect to the Intracoastal Waterway, and the best-located lots are being redeveloped (the old 1960’s ranch houses are being torn down) with large new houses. In the best locations on the river, homes are listed from $1 million to $4 million. Fort Myers Beach also has a mix of houses and condominiums, with condo-hotels now entering the market. The Times Square shopping area is a draw when people tire of the beach. But traffic onto the island can back up well onto the mainland. The island attracts many German tourists; direct flights bring them from Dusseldorf to Fort Myers. German restaurants and delis are common in the area.

From humble beginnings as a loose collection of cattle-ranching, logging and fishing communities, Cape Coral came into its own in the late 1950s. The Rosen brothers, developers who saw the potential for an easygoing, waterfront lifestyle in Southwest Florida, created communities with canals to cater to the boating lifestyle. Celebrities were brought in to tout the benefits of "the Cape," as it's known by the locals.

Today, this largely bedroom community for nearby Fort Myers offers a lively strip of restaurants and stores along Cape Coral Parkway, and an array of activities for kids including Sun Splash Family Waterpark, Mike Greenwell’s Family Fun Park and the brand new, 27,000-sq.-ft. Eagle Skate Park.

Nature lovers will want to explore Four Mile Cove Ecological Preserve, where a boardwalk takes visitors through a mangrove habitat. And don't miss the creature Cape Coral's famous for: the burrowing owl, which can be seen day and night throughout the community.

With its elderly population — 33 percent are 65 or older — and modest housing stock, Charlotte County has always had a reputation as a haven for retirees on fixed incomes. But prices are rising as riverfront and canal-front areas are redeveloped. The pace of redevelopment has quickened since Hurricane Charley in 2004, with the modest older waterfront houses being replaced by more expensive new ones. Unincorporated Port Charlotte, north of Charlotte Harbor, is growing, but plenty of empty lots are still available, left over from the 1960’s development boom. But with its strip-mall lined U.S. 41, it lacks the charm of Punta Gorda, the county seat.

On the south side of the Peace River, Punta Gorda has a delightful historic district along Marion Avenue just west of downtown. Residents enjoy the parks along the river on either side of U.S. 41. The wide, shallow Charlotte Harbor, still lined with plenty of undeveloped shoreline, is renowned as a magnet for sport fishermen.

Bonita Springs & Estero
Modern Bonita Springs, named for a medicinal spring on the Shangri La Hotel property on U.S. 41, began life as the town of Survey. Next, the outpost was transformed first into a pineapple, banana and coconut plantation, then into a hunting and fishing destination. The arrival of developer Barron Collier’s Tamiami Trail (U.S. 41) and railroad brought a new wave of prosperity to the town, which incorporated for the first time in 1925, and again in the late 1990s.

Attractions such as Everglades Wonder Gardens and The Shell Factory & Nature Park (moved to North Fort Myers after a 1940s fire) brought the wonders of the natural world to the forefront. Nearby Bonita Beach on Hickory Island was called Fiddlerville because of the vast number of fiddler crabs on its shell-strewn shores. Visitors today enjoy boating the waterways and the amenities at Bonita Beach Park.

Naples is among the nation’s wealthiest winter retreats, largely because of its outstanding golf courses, restaurants, shopping and cultural amenities. Median home price of about $500,000 are the highest in Florida, but inventory is growing and buyers have plenty of choices.

In a county full of prestigious neighborhoods, four stand out. For condominiums, the Lutgert Companies’ Park Shore collection overlooks the Gulf on the north side of town, while further north is Pelican Bay and Bay Colony, separated from the beach by a mangrove preserve. For single-family homes, Gordon Drive South is lined with impressive estates on the Gulf, some valued at $20 million or more, while nearby, seasonal Port Royal features estate homes on fingers of land, giving almost every house, including modernist architect Richard Meier’s famed Neugebauer House, a water view.

TripAdvisor recently rated Naples one of the top 25 beaches in the U.S.  Here you’ll discover a gentle pace and a tropical ambiance amid excitement, exploration and discovery. Thrill to the outdoor adventure of the Everglades. Discover one-of-a-kind culinary delights infused with local traditions. Immerse yourself within a whirl of shopping excitement. Plunge into a water-filled world that offers Florida’s best fishing. Or find inspiration in its breathtaking array of art and culture.

Marco Island
In the 1960’s, the Army Corps of Engineers allowed the Deltona Corporation to create a dream city, 16 miles south of Naples, on Marco Island, out of 6,800 acres of pristine coastal environment by dredging and filling. In the early 1970’s, dredge-and-fill operations by developers were severely curtailed because of their negative environmental impact.

Most of Marco Island’s apartments and houses are on canals or open water. Crescent Beach is lined with luxury high-rises (the island has more than 100 condo buildings), and the view from the upper floors is spectacular — the Gulf water below is a captivating shade of turquoise on sunny mornings. Tigertail Beach attracts birders and shell collectors.

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