Fort Myers Vacation Rentals
Fort Myers is one of the biggest cities in Southwest Florida and it has quite the history to go along with it. When you stay in one of our Fort Myers vacation rentals, you could be just miles away from Thomas Edison’s winter home, the magical Fort Myers River District or miles of white sand coastlines.
Whether you’re looking for an activity-filled the best vacation or you’re seeking a low-key tropical beach trip, the Fort Myers area truly has something for everyone. Visit downtown Fort Myers and marvel at the buildings’ old architecture, attend one of the seasonal weekly festivals, or get a bite to eat at one of the mouth-watering restaurants.
When you stay in one of our Fort Myers vacation rentals, the possibilities are endless. Have activity-packed days or have the most relaxing vacation of your life. The choice is yours.
Stay in a condo vacation rental, a quaint bungalow or if you’re planning a family reunion, a Fort Myers vacation home big enough for everyone. Let our Vacation Planners know what type of accommodations you’re looking for and they will work tirelessly to help make it happen.
Today, Fort Myers retains its charm with palm tree-lined streets, and buildings, homes and brick streets dating back to the city’s earliest days. In recent years, the small city has grown into a bustling community with the downtown River District at its heart, offering something for everyone—dining, shopping, arts and entertainment. You can also learn more about the city on the historic walking tour through downtown. It’s a step back in time to a glimpse of Old Florida’s southwest coast.
Things to Do Near your Fort Myers Vacation Rental
The best parts about our Fort Myers vacation rentals and the Fort Myers area is there’s always something to do and somewhere to go. Fort Myers, Florida is near the famous Sanibel and Captiva barrier islands, the more laidback Bonita Springs and Naples, a popular shopping and dining destination.
One of Fort Myers’ main attractions is downtown Fort Myers, otherwise known as the River District.
Things to Do in Downtown Fort Myers
Downtown Fort Myers is full of historic buildings and each one of them is a work of art. They’re colorful and the Spanish influence adds a charming and whimsical feel. Downtown is full of art galleries, local shops, eclectic boutiques, great restaurants and a live theater. Royal Shell offers a variety of Fort Myers vacation rentals near the River District.
During season you can catch Mystery Walk, Art Walk or Music Walk, three popular events loved by locals and tourists alike.
There are always other events going on as well. Downtown Fort Myers is known for its eclectic festivals such as Taco Fest and Smoke on the Water (a barbeque-themed festival).
Music Walk
If you’re a fan of live music and you want to see downtown Fort Myers open up and come alive, head down to the River District every third Friday of the month. Local and regional musicians crowd the streets, and almost every type of genre is represented from jazz and blues to rock ‘n’ roll. Music walk is free and lasts from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m.
Art Walk
This popular downtown event is also free and falls on the first Friday of the month. The event lasts from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. and features meet the artists’ receptions, art demonstrations and new exhibitions. Make sure you visit the galleries, and see the exhibitions and performances.
Mystery Walk
Held on the second Friday of every month, Mystery Walk is a great event for families because it’s geared toward a variety of different age groups. Another cool feature is that Mystery Walk’s theme is constantly changing. In the past, they’ve had circus, cowboy and electronic dance music themes.
Fort Myers Sports Teams
If you are a baseball or hockey fan, Fort Myers is home to the Florida Everblades minor league hockey team and the Fort Myers Miracle minor league baseball team. Additionally, the City of Palms is the official Spring Training home of the Boston Red Sox and Minneapolis Twins. Spring training usually kicks off in the middle of February and continues until just before Opening Day of the regular baseball season during the first week of April.
Fenway South
JetBlue Park hosts the Boston Red Sox for Spring Training games each year. The stadium was even modeled after Fenway Park in Boston. It includes the Green Monster, old-time manual scoreboard and a smaller version of Yawkey Way.
Sometimes called Fenway South, JetBlue Park also incorporates elements from Florida. Seashells were constructed into the park’s brick foundation and the roof’s architecture was designed to mimic cypress trees off in the distance. Environmentally-sustainable features are assimilated throughout the park as well.
Minnesota Twins Hammond Stadium
You can find Hammond Stadium within the CenturyLink Sports Complex. There are also five extra fields within the complex along with the Twins Player Development Academy.
When you visit Hammond Stadium, you’ll feel like you are at Louisville’s Churchill Downs. The park also features a large fountain and waterfall directly outside the main gates.
The Minnesota Twins have trained at the CenturyLink Sports Complex since 1991. The ballpark is also where the Fort Myers Miracle play. They are a Class A; Florida State League team. The Complex hosts the Gulf Coast League Twins as well.
Florida Everblades
The home of the Florida Everblades, Germain Arena, is not far from Florida Gulf Coast University. The minor league team is affiliated with the Carolina Hurricanes in the NHL. The Everblades were formed in 1998 and so far, they’ve only missed the playoffs once.
Visit Germain Arena and go ice skating, play in an arcade or catch a good old-fashioned hockey game. It’s a guaranteed fun night out for everybody.
Best Fort Myers Golf Courses
Golfing in Southwest Florida is appealing because the sun is normally always shining and the temperature is warm and welcoming. Here are some public golf courses for you to check out near our Fort Myers vacation rentals:
Eastwood Golf Course
- This is an 18-hole, over 150-acre, par-72 with 87 strategically placed bunkers.
Eagle Ridge Golf Course
- This beautiful 18-hole golf course allows players to master a par-72 course.
Stoneybrook Golf Course
- This 18-hole course offers seven tee box set options. Players enjoya par-72 course that is 7,353 yards long. The National Golf Course Owners Association also named the Stoneybrook course one of 200 “beginner-friendly” courses in the U.S.
Raptor Bay Golf Club
- This is an 18-hole, 6,750-yard, par-71 course. According to the club’s website, Raptor Bay Golf Club acquired Audubon International’s Gold Signature Sanctuary Certification before any other course in the world was able to do so.
Top 5 Private Communities with Golf Courses in Fort Myers
- Gulf Harbour Golf & Country Club
This community is only 4.5 nautical miles away from the Gulf of Mexico and just a 10-minute drive from Sanibel Island and Fort Myers. It features restaurants, an island, marina and tennis courts. There is also an 18-hole, Chip Powell-designed golf course that encompasses 6,700 yards.
- Miromar Lakes Beach & Golf Club
According to their website, Miromar Lakes Beach & Golf Club is the No. 1 community in the United States. It is the recipient of several awards, including Gold Awards for Community of the Year. It’s known for its waterfront home and “resort-like” amenities. The par-72 Arthur Hills signature championship golf course also boasts 7,400 yards and has six sets of tees.
- The Plantation Golf & Country Club
The great thing about saying in one of our Fort Myers vacation rentals in The Plantation is that the homes boast an open floor plan with a large gathering place and flexible living spaces. If you plan on hosting family get togethers or big celebrations, we recommend a home in The Plantation. The 18-hole, 7,233-yard golf course was designed by Dr. Michael Hurdzan, ASGCA and Dana Fry.
- Heritage Palms Golf & Country Club
Take advantage of the private golf course, 28,400-square-foot clubhouse and 38-acre lake. The vacation rental homes are beautiful and the community is situated in-between everything. However, everything you could ever need is located right within Heritage Palms, so you’ll never want to leave anyway. Designed by Asinger/Lewis, the golf course is a 36-hole game.
- Gateway
This gated community features a wide array of different types of homes that come in all shapes and sizes. The master-planned community boats schools and a business park. It also features an 18-hole, par-72, 7,047-yard Tom Fazio-designed golf course.
Reconnect with Nature near your Fort Myers Vacation Rental
If you’re looking for more than the beach, Fort Myers has a healthy array of options to help you create a memorable outdoor Florida adventure. Here are some beaches and nature preserves near our Fort Myers vacation rentals you can easily drive to:
Bunche Beach
This is a great choice for a relaxing beach day with friends and family. Bunche Beach consists of a little over 700 acres of natural tidal wetlands. Located on San Carlos Bay, this gem not only features pristine white sand beaches, it also boasts a mangrove forest and salt flat communities where you’ll have a chance to see some unique Florida wildlife.
There is also the South Florida Birding Trail, a fishing pier and you can rent canoes and kayaks. If you want to catch a glimpse of “Old Florida,” Bunch Beach is indicative of the area before exotic plant species arrived and changed the landscape. It’s also named after Dr. Ralph Bunche, a former mediator for the United Nations and the first African American to win the Nobel Prize.
Fort Myers Nature Preserves
Fort Myers is a couple of hours away from the Everglades, but there are still plenty of places to go to get in touch with Florida’s roots. Here are some options:
Six-Mile Cypress Slough Preserve
- This 1.4 mile boardwalk takes you through a cypress basin.
- There are three nature trails, a museum, planetarium and bird and butterfly aviaries.
- Enter the park by a ferry, which is the park’s only form of entry. If you’re looking to really escape it all, this is the place to go. Cayo Costa is nine miles of beautiful, picturesque beaches, mangrove swamps, oak-palm hammocks, pine forests and it’s also a barrier island.
What Are The Best Restaurants in Fort Myers?
A local newspaper food critic reviewed the area’s top 25 places to eat. Here are some local favorites, restaurants on the water and locales that are pet-friendly.
Local favorites
- Located in South Fort Myers, Fancy’s is known for large portions and delicious food.
- CRaVE is known for comfort food and serving up high quality ingredients. Enjoy made to order dishes that are cooked on-site.
- What makes Artisan Eatery standout is the fact that it collaborates with local and national farmers and purveyors.
- Get a good meal and listen to some soulful jazz. It doesn’t get any better than that.
- This is a downtown Fort Myers gem. The food is also as enticing as The Veranda’s southern atmosphere.
- This restaurant features flavors from all over the world and draws on French and Asian cuisine.
- Their menu will make you feel good. Harold’s food is free synthetic fertilizers, pesticides, hormones and antibiotics. The food is also naturally and humanely sourced from local farmers and GMO-free.
- The restaurant describes its food as French-European with a southern flair.
- This is a true Italian-style restaurant in the heart of downtown Fort Myers. They even have gluten-free pasta.
- This southern restaurant is the longest operating restaurant in Lee County. The menu also features recipes that have been passed down generations.
- This restaurant is known for its Mediterranean and northern Italian cuisine.
Pet-friendly Restaurants in Fort Myers
According to BringFido.com, there are quite a few dog-friendly restaurants in Fort Myers.
These include:
- Carrabbas Italian Grill in South Fort Myers
- The Veranda in Downtown Fort Myers
- Blue Pointe Oyster Bar & Seafood Grill
- Ford’s Garage in Downtown Fort Myers
- McGregor Café off of McGregor Boulevard near the Midpoint Bridge to Cape Coral
Waterfront Dining in Fort Myers
If you’re looking for a restaurant on the water or with waterfront views, we recommend the following:
- Pincher’s in downtown Fort Myers
- Joe’s Crab Shack in downtown Fort Myers
- The Firestone Skybar & Martini Bar in downtown Fort Myers
- Lighthouse Restaurant at Port Sanibel Marina
History of Fort Myers
The history of Fort Myers is rich. It began as the home of the Calusa Indians, whose presence is still evident on the landscape today. Ponce de Leon navigated Fort Myers in the 1500s. In the 1700s, the beautiful barrier islands were used by pirates as their prime location.
In the early 1800s, Fort Myers was established along the Caloosahatchee River as one of the first forts during the Seminole Indian Wars and was later used during the Civil War. Thomas Edison first visited Fort Myers in the late 1800s and he and his friend, Henry Ford, made Fort Myers their winter home. It wasn’t long before more people learned about the charming riverfront town.
When you’re exploring the areas around our Fort Myers vacation rentals, tour the Edison & Ford Winter Estates to view the historic homes of the inventors, the Edison laboratory, a museum and gardens. Each year the community hosts the much anticipated Edison Festival of Light in honor of the inventor. The festival features a popular nighttime parade and King and Queen’s Ball.
A Quick Note About Fort Myers and Fort Myers Beach
Fort Myers is the gateway to Southwest Florida’s popular beaches, including the barrier islands of Sanibel and Captiva, known for the spectacular seashells found on their pristine sandy shores.
Fort Myers Beach is about 40 minutes south of Fort Myers. It was originally named Crescent Beach, is also a sheller’s paradise. The beach town, located on Estero Island and San Carlos Island, is bordered by Hurricane Pass and Matanzas Pass to the east and the Gulf of Mexico along its western shore.
Fort Myers Beach’s popularity surged in the 1950s with the discovery of Gulf shrimp, known as “pink gold,” just a few miles offshore. The shrimping industry is celebrated in Fort Myers Beach during the annual Shrimp Festival. Locals and visitors can be found year-round strolling around the Fort Myers Beach Pier and Times Square, which offers a mix of retail shops, restaurants, and live music just steps from the Gulf of Mexico.
Featured Fort Myers Vacation Rentals
Securing a vacation property rental in Fort Myers or Fort Myers Beach is easy through Royal Shell. Whether you want to be on the mainland in Fort Myers, taking in all the city has to offer along the beautiful Caloosahatchee River, or in a Fort Myers vacation rental a few miles away in the island town of Fort Myers Beach basking in the warm Gulf waters, the decision
is yours. There is a lot to choose from here in Southwest Florida.
Fort Myers is also a great place to raise a family or a nice option if you’re looking for a friendly, tropical wonderland to establish your forever home. Many of our guests fall in love with the area and don’t want to leave. The school systems are excellent and Fort Myers is also home to two top-rated colleges. Florida Southwestern State College is an up and coming public college offering two and four-year degrees, while Florida Gulf Coast University is a four-year university with a strong focus on sustainability.
It would be our pleasure to show you what living here year-round or part time. Offset the cost of owning your own vacation home by putting it in our vacation rental program. We take care of everything and you enjoy it whenever you want.
Royal Shell is the largest real estate and rental company in southwest Florida in business for over 20 years. We have a variety of homes and condos waiting for you. Plus, we know where all the hidden gems are, too.
Helping guests find their home sweet home is what we do best. Come visit us today. We’d love it if you end up staying for a lifetime.
