Introducing Fort Myers

Nestled inland along the Caloosahatchee River, and separated from Fort Myers Beach by several miles of urban sprawl, the city of Fort Myers is often defined by what it's not: it's not an upscale, arty beach town like Sarasota or Naples, and it's not as urbanely sophisticated as Tampa or St Pete. While it isn't a city to base a trip around, it's worth making a trip to see, and it's striking distance from the region's top beaches.

In fact, after a recent face-lift, Fort Myers' historic district has become a quaint, brick-lined centerpiece sprinkled with cool galleries and restaurants, notable theaters and lively bars. Fort Myers is best known as the city where Thomas Alva Edison built a winter home and laboratory in 1885, and Edison's well-cared-for estate still constitutes the primary reason folks peel themselves off the sand to visit town. Yet Fort Myers has an ever-increasing number of good reasons to linger.

Definitely pick up a city map at the visitor center, though: the city limits are expansive, to say the least.