Life at the Beach

As Memorial Day nears we must pause and pay tribute to the men and women who have made the supreme sacrifice, the laying down of their own lives to protect our freedom. Here in Southwest Fl., one of our hidden treasures is The Southwest Florida Military Museum & Library.  The museum is located on Leonard St. in the SE quadrant of  Cape Coral. The museum was founded as an  outreach to local veterans in February 2009 and currently operates in the 34,000 square foot facility on Leonard St. Their mission is to educate the public through the display and preservation of certified authentic military memorabilia. The museum features a collection of generously donated artifacts and historic items that start with the Revolutionary War to present day. The library has almost 5,000 books, manuals and yearbooks as well as a wide array of VHS tapes and DVD's on military history. To learn more about how and when to visit the museum check out their website at:  http://

Lee and Collier counties have 5 cities that made the grade! Tripadvisor.com, a leading travel website has recently named it's Top 20 Places to Vacation and Fort Myers, Cape Coral, Sanibel Island as well as Naples & Marco Island all made the cut. It's no surprise to me, as I live here and already know what a great part of the world we spend our day to day lives in. I grew up on Englewood Beach, a bit north of here, in Charlotte County. My parents owned a small gulf front boutique hotel called "Jade West".  Jade West surely would have been highly ranked on Tripadvisor.com if there had been a thing called the internet back then.  Not much has changed on Englewood Beach since I grew up there, it is still a quiet little fishing community. Englewood Beach Florida If you are searching for a bit more activity, then Fort Myers and Fort Myers Beach is the place for you.  Still considered a small town, Fort Myers Beach and the surrounding are

Matlacha (pronounced “Mat-La-Shay”)  Matlacha is a quaint, funky, artsy, old Florida style little town.  Home to the t he  Matlacha Bridge AKA   ”The Fishingest Bridge in the World”  and is home to a neat collection of little Art Galleries and several waterfront eateries. Take a tour with us and explore this little gem of a city, dine at a favorite local eatery and listen to some live music.  Bert's Bar is a local favorite with a public dock , great food, cold beer and live Caribbean  music, their Grouper sandwich is the real deal! Matlacha is a town that was all about fishing, that was up until gill netting was banned in 1992.  The original bridge was built in the 1920's and most of the now brightly colored buildings that outline the street were once shacks built by squatters. Their true story was told by  Richard Powell, a Fort Myers author.   In this novel "Pioneer Go Home" he helped make the Matlacha Bridge famous. His book was later made into a movie for

Our local Chamber of Commerce is hosting the 23rd annual Fort Myers Beach "Taste of the Beach" on May 6th (Sunday) it starts at 11:00 AM and ends at 4:00 PM.  A dozen plus local eateries will showcase their fare at this favorite beach event. There will be live music too as well as craft and other local vendors!  Come out and taste some amazing eats from restaurants like: The Beached Whale Shark Bar & Grill Sunset Beach Grill The Salty Crab Nauti Parrot Nervous Nellies Pinchers Crab Shack Bayfront Bistro Castaeways Dixie Fish House (MY FAVORITE) Doc Ford's Fish Tale La Ola Average food plate is about $5, tickets are $1 each and approx. 3,000 + are expected this year! The event will be held at   450 Old San Carlos Blvd. Fort Myers Beach, FL 33931 https://www.fortmyersbeach.org/events/taste-of-the-beach-2018-23rd-annual-may-6/

Just north of Captiva/North Captiva Islands in Lee County Florida lays a 9 mile stretch of beach and wilderness that is only accessible by private boat or a ferry that sets out from a handful of locations. Beach Buddy Tours frequents this pristine State Park to provide our guests with a unique and memorable experience.  This barrier Island is a virtual paradise and covers 2,426 acres. On island there are mangroves, oak and pine trees and nature trails that allow for exploring Florida in it's natural state.  There is an Amphitheater and overnight stays are allowed in primitive cabins or in tents. There is a rich bounty of birds and wildlife that call Caya Costa home.  You can find Manatee's and Dolphins in the crystal clear waters of it's shores as well as go shelling for rare sea treasures as Caya Costa is one of the richest shelling destination you can find. Call us to book your private excursion today! Carolyn Simoneau Beach Buddy Tours 239-8