Fort Myers, FL

03

Apr

I’m switching gears from last week’s Winter in Philadelphia post to a sunny Florida post today. If you’ve been reading my blog for a while, you may know that I moved to Philadelphia from North Carolina, and my family actually recently moved from North Carolina to Fort Myers, FL. A couple of weeks ago, the whole family got together for a few days to hang out and soak up some Vitamin D, and the timing worked out perfectly because I got to escape Philadelphia right after a big ice and snow storm! (You can view photos of that on last week’s post). Even in March, temperatures in Fort Myers, FL got up to the 80s during the day, which was a lovely change after skating around on ice covered sidewalks.

I was only there for a few days (but since my family lives there, I’ll definitely be back and will take more photos), but we managed to squeeze quite a bit in, including lots of time at the beach! The three main places we visited were The Burroughs Home, the beach, and Six Mile Cypress Slough Preserve, and I have lots of photos of all of them (which probably isn’t a surprise to anyone who knows me!). We even managed to squeeze in some time to watch some Roger Federer matches because he’s our favorite (hence my fun fact #5).

Side note, anyone in the Philadelphia area who wants to travel to Fort Myers, FL, plane tickets from the Philadelphia airport to the Fort Myers airport can be outrageously expensive (my round trip tickets to Italy were way cheaper!). I found a direct flight from the Trenton-Mercer airport to the Punta Gorda airport (only about a 30 minute drive from Fort Myers) for under $200! Traveling a little extra distance can be a bit of a hassle, but saving hundreds of dollars on the plane ticket was worth it.

The Burroughs Home

The Burroughs Home isn’t a major attraction in Fort Myers, but it’s a beautiful house and worth visiting! My dad is a professor and a foundation that he works with, called The Uncommon Friends Foundation, manages it, so he arranged for a tour for my family. If you happen to live in Fort Myers, the home is also available for weddings and events, and as you can see, it’s a beautiful place to hold events right on the water!

For a little history, it was built in 1901 by a cattle rancher from Montana, and a few different families lived in it before it was owned by the city in 1978. The Burroughs family was the last to live there. It was a pretty significant home throughout the decades, and the “uncommon friends” that the foundation is named for, Edison, Ford, and Firestone, were known for visiting there. You can read more about the history here.

Burroughs Home in Fort Myers, FL

Burroughs Home in Fort Myers, FL

Burroughs Home in Fort Myers, FL

Burroughs Home in Fort Myers, FL

Burroughs Home in Fort Myers, FL

Burroughs Home in Fort Myers, FL

Burroughs Home in Fort Myers, FL

Burroughs Home in Fort Myers, FL

Burroughs Home in Fort Myers, FL

Burroughs Home in Fort Myers, FL

Burroughs Home in Fort Myers, FL

Burroughs Home in Fort Myers, FL

Burroughs Home in Fort Myers, FL

Burroughs Home in Fort Myers, FL

I love old typewriters 🙂

Burroughs Home in Fort Myers, FL

Burroughs Home in Fort Myers, FL

Burroughs Home in Fort Myers, FL

Do you know the origin of the phrase “put a sock in it”? I didn’t until our tour! The gramophone could be pretty loud (they played it for us so I can attest to that), so when they wanted to have quieter music in the background, they would “put a sock in it” to muffle the noise!

Burroughs Home in Fort Myers, FL

Six Mile Cypress Slough Preserve

There are lots of parks and nature reserves around Fort Myers, and I went to the Six Mile Cypress Slough Preserve with my mom and sister-in-law. We went right after sunrise, which made for some beautiful lighting, but it also meant that it was too cold for some animals to be out, so we didn’t see some of the animals there. I had already seen some alligators when we drove the Alligator Alley the day before so I wasn’t disappointed, but if you want to make sure you see alligators, I would suggest going when it isn’t 50 degrees out. 50 degrees was also too cold for most of the Floridians and mosquitoes (but coming from the snowstorm, I was wearing shorts!), so we had a nice, quiet walk with only a few other people out! 

Six Mile Cypress Slough Preserve

Six Mile Cypress Slough Preserve

Six Mile Cypress Slough Preserve

Six Mile Cypress Slough Preserve

I love a good pun 🙂

Six Mile Cypress Slough Preserve

Six Mile Cypress Slough Preserve

Six Mile Cypress Slough Preserve

Six Mile Cypress Slough Preserve

Six Mile Cypress Slough Preserve

Winter is the dry season, so in the summer, all the plants are under water!

Six Mile Cypress Slough Preserve

Six Mile Cypress Slough Preserve

Six Mile Cypress Slough Preserve

Bonita Beach

There is a Fort Myers beach, but the beach in Bonita Springs is much less crowded, and it also isn’t too far from Naples if you’re visiting that area. We had great weather for going to the beach, and I couldn’t get over how beautiful the water was! The water was a bit chilly, and not many people ventured into the water other than us “northerners.” We didn’t see too many sea creatures, but my parents have seen dolphins and my dad even swam next to a whale once! 

One day we went was perfectly calm and another day was really windy, which was perfect for kite surfers. Some of them would fly up 20 feet in the air and it was really fun to watch (I have photos of them below). This beach is also a great place to find cool shells, and we even found a starfish. There are lots of birds, and one of the funniest things I’ve ever seen were two birds begging like dogs for fish from a fisherman! They were acting just like Annika and her buddy Burt when they want food. The birds did get a treat, and I took lots of pictures of them! 

If you’ve read my posts on Daufuskie Island and Chincoteague Island, you know how much I LOVE sunrises and sunsets at the beach, and the Florida sunset did not disappoint! I loved all the bright, beautiful colors. One surprising thing, when the sun starts to set, it goes down FAST so you don’t have much time to snap some photos. If you want to get some sunset photos, make sure you get there in plenty of time so you don’t miss it. 

Fort Myers, FL beach

Fort Myers, FL beach

Fort Myers, FL beach

Can you believe how turquoise that water is?

Fort Myers, FL beach

Fort Myers, FL beach

Fort Myers, FL beach

Fort Myers, FL beach

Fort Myers, FL beach

Fort Myers, FL beach

This guy was first in line for the fish

Fort Myers, FL beach

Fort Myers, FL beach

Fort Myers, FL beach

Fort Myers, FL beach

Fort Myers, FL beach

Fort Myers, FL beach

Fort Myers, FL beach

See the little guy snagging his treat?

Fort Myers, FL beach

Fort Myers, FL beach

Fort Myers, FL beach

Fort Myers, FL beach

Fort Myers, FL beach

Fort Myers, FL beach

Fort Myers, FL beach

Fort Myers, FL beach

Fort Myers, FL beach

Fort Myers, FL beach

Fort Myers, FL beach

Fort Myers, FL beach

Fort Myers, FL beach

We found a few shells with sea creatures living inside!

Fort Myers, FL beach

Fort Myers, FL beach

Fort Myers, FL beach

Fort Myers, FL beach

 

Fort Myers, FL beach sunset

Fort Myers, FL beach

Fort Myers, FL beach sunset

Fort Myers, FL beach sunset

Fort Myers, FL beach sunset

Fort Myers, FL beach sunset

If you’re planning a trip to Florida, I definitely recommend visiting Fort Myers instead of more touristy places like Miami! It’s such a beautiful place and I’m excited to explore it more! 🙂 

Blog, Florida, North America, Photography, Travel, USA

  1. Wow this place looks beautiful, loved seeing all of these photos because it sort of made me feel like I was there. I’ll keep this place in mind, I’ve been to Florida before but only to Miami and Orlando!

    Julia // The Sunday Mode

  2. Karen says:

    I love your photos as always! I go to Florida almost every year as my grandparents live there, but there is a beautiful nature side to Florida that I never really discovered until I was older. It took me back. 🙂

  3. Kirsten says:

    That place looks stunning! I am not sure why, but I have never imagined such beaches there! I live in Europe, and America is on my TOP list to visit! Those pics are absolutely wonderful!
    I’ll def visit Fort Myers as I prefer less touristy places, and hopefully it will still remain that way till when I visit! haha

    • Julia says:

      Yes there are some beautiful beaches in the US! You should definitely visit Fort Myers if you get the chance!

  4. Meghan says:

    I’ve been to Florida a few times, but never here! It looks like such a relaxing and quiet alternative to Miami which is nice. The beach looks so clean and nice too. Saving this for later!

  5. Wow, never heard about Fort Myers but I love your photos especially the ones from the park. Looks so peaceful. And I laughed on the sock trick. So clever 🙂

  6. Flo @ Yoga, Wine & Travel says:

    Beautiful photos, Julia! Six Mile Cypress Slough Preserve looks like an amazing place to spend an afternoon and the sand at the beach looks incredibly powdery. I can see myself spending a lazy day there!

  7. Lisa says:

    Wow, you take some beautiful pictures. Florida us so pretty. That was the first place I went to on a plane. My family is also there. Loved reading your article. Happy Traveling.

  8. maegan says:

    Bonita Beach looks heavenly and love that the stork was fishing too! I had no idea the meaning behind “put a sock in it”! That makes total sense now! I live in Northwest FL-Pensacola, but would love to venture down to Ft. Myers!

  9. Yuen Mi says:

    Never heard of Fort Meyers, but these pictures make it seem so serene, that I just wanna drop everything and take the next flight over. Oh well, one of these days…

  10. Sandra says:

    Wow, I’ve never even heard of Fort Myers but these photos sure make me want to go there ! Love the house. And the birds !

  11. Noelle says:

    What Gorgeous post! The photos after so crisp & beautiful!

  12. Tonya says:

    Wow! Fort Myers looks beautiful! I will have to put that on my bucket list of places to go.

  13. Adrienne says:

    These look so fun and the water is so blue!! I’m excited to visit someday!

  14. Ann says:

    I love your travel photos in Florida. I definitely want to go back and beach hop soon. Thanks for the inspiration!

  15. I’ve been in Florida last year and I’ve found one of my favourite place in the whole world: Sarasota beach!! The water was exactly as it is in these pictures 🙂 maybe one day I’d be able to afford a small house there 🙂 x

    Caterina | http://www.caterinasosso.com

    • Julia says:

      I haven’t been to Sarasota beach yet, but I would love to go! Living on the beach would be a dream 🙂

  16. Jennifer says:

    In a couple more weeks, I’ll be in Florida and grateful for the warmth. Love the beach pictures, of course, but I also really like the three chairs and the old typewriter.

  17. Kate says:

    Wow this looks absolutely incredible! So many beautiful photographs 🙂
    I also love that old type writer too 😀

    VioletDaffodils
    xx

  18. Britt K says:

    Oh how I would love to be in sunny Florida right about now!!!

    Britt | https://alternativelyspeakingonline.wordpress.com/

  19. Stephanie says:

    What a nice little getaway. One of my friends was in Florida this past weekend and I was so jealous because I want to visit the beach!

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