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SOUTHWEST COAST OF FLORIDA –
It’s worth checking out the southwest coast of Florida. It’s one of the best kept secrets of Florida, a great getaway with natural beaches, world-class fishing, mangroves to kayak through, rivers to canoe, forest preserves to hike, and exotic birds for bird-watching. There is plenty of wildlife and lush subtropical foliage, hundreds of miles of shore along Charlotte Harbor and the Gulf of Mexico, and islands and coastal communities. The Peace and Myakka and Caloosahatchee Rivers flow into the area. There are hundreds of bird species including osprey, bald eagle, anhinga, wood stork, roseate spoonbill, limpkin, kingfisher, and rare white pelican. Sea turtles nest on the beaches. You will see dolphins, and maybe a manatee. And it’s all in an Old Florida atmosphere.
For outdoor and wildlife lovers a highlight is the Great Calusa Blueway Paddling Trail. It encompasses nearly 190 miles of waterways with a new extension including the Caloosahatchee River and tributaries. The Blueway was begun five years ago and is now considered one of the best kayaking destinations in North America. The trail gives paddlers a chance to explore back bays, aquatic preserves, wildlife refuges, creeks, bayous, rivers, and mangrove forests with stopping points for eating and lodging.. A new Caloosahatchee leg offers a lush Old-Florida dimension to the trail, with moss-draped oaks along the shore. Parts of the trail follow the course charted some 2,000 years ago by Calusa Indians, and include archaeological dig sites and shell mounds. Outfitters, such as Grande Tours www.GrandeTours.com , offer guided trips (including night excursions), or boat rentals are available for a day or a week. It is all a part of the Florida Circumnavigational Saltwater Paddling Trail. www.GreatCalusaBlueway.com
Other things to look for in the area: Babcock Wilderness Adventures. A safari bus takes you through Telegraph Cypress Swamp and a working cattle farm. We saw two huge sandhill cranes walking down the road as well as deer, a bald eagle, great blue and other heron, and tons of alligators. www.BabcockWilderness.com Fossilized shark teeth. Good places are Stump Pass State Park on the south end of Manasota Key. Peace River Wildlife Center. A rehab center for animals, reptiles and birds is in Ponce de Leon Park. Palm Island. Take a ferry. Don Pedro State Park is at the south end of the island with a mile long beach on the Gulf or Mexico. The Palm Island Resort is at the north end. Golf carts and bikes are the mode of transportation. www.PalmIsland.com
Punta Gorda on Gasparilla Island. Accessible by a causeway, this island has five beaches with Gulf access The harbor town of Boca Grande was founded by the DuPont family in the late 1800s. The Gasparilla Inn & Club dates back to 1911. Other historical points: the Boca Grande Lighthouse Museum built in 1890 and the Boca Grande Railroad Depot, last stop for the railway. Check out Fishermen’s Village with its 140-slip marina, restaurant, variety of boutiques and galleries, apartment villas to rent that overlook Charlotte Harbor, an organic farmers’ market on Wednesdays with local foods and internet service. When driving around Punta Gorda be sure to notice the murals created on many of the old buildings by the Punta Gorda Historic Mural Society. Thomas Edison and Henry Ford Homes. Next door neighbors and good friends, their historic homes on the Caloosahatchee River are open to visitors Sanibel and Captiva Islands. They are connected to the mainland by a 3-mile-long causeway. They are known worldwide for shelling, and visitors are out at dawn to get the pick of the more than 400 varieties of shells found on the beaches. Captiva is where Anne Morrow Lindbergh wrote "A Gift from the Sea." J.N. "Ding" Darling National Wildlife Refuge. There is a 4-mile drive with lookout areas for many exotic species of birds, plus walking and canoe/kayak trails. This 6,000 acre wildlife refuge is named for environmentalist donor Jay Norwood Darling, longtime resident of the area.
Estero Island. Estero Bay is home to an extensive shrimp and fishing fleet. Numerous marinas operate boating and fishing charters. Local restaurants benefit from the catch, which generally includes red snapper and grouper. Lovers Key State Park, just south of Fort Myers Beach. The Travel Channel ranked this beautiful park fourth in the state of Florida, one of the area’s most pristine parks. Walk the boardwalk over tidal lagoons to a sandy, white beach with sea oats. Hike the nature trail, paddle a lagoon, get married under the gazebo. www.leeparks.org Also at Mound Key Archaeological State Park you can rent a kayak. Pine Island. Accessible by a fishing bridge, the island has Pine Island Sound on one side and an aquatic preserve on the other and is home to a large Indian shell mound. Spanish explorer Ponce de Leon visited here in 1513. The fishing village of Matlacha is filled with art galleries. www.PineIslandChamber.com Pack a picnic lunch and head for a favorite of area boaters, Picnic Island, off the south end of Pine Island. Cayo Costa. The park is accessible only by private boat or passenger ferry, is popular with day visitors for snorkeling and fishing. There is overnight camping in12 small cabins and 18 tent campsites. No electricity. The beach at Cayo Costa State Park was recently named among the world’s best “hidden beaches” by Condé Nast Traveler Cabbage Key. Also accessible only by private boat or water taxi, this100-acre barrier island was home to playwright and mystery author Mary Roberts Rinehart. The old inn has guest rooms and cottages. www.cabbagekey.com. You can explore the area by land or by boat. Hop on a water taxi, take one of the scheduled services for the outer islands, or rent a boat. Several sightseeing cruises have heritage and nature cruises, including a Calusa heritage and mound tour. Area marinas offer boat rentals with or without guides.
And for those who need it, there are
many golf courses and boutiques.
www.CharlotteHarborTravel.com
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