Who better to turn to for tips on the outdoors and heritage of Fort Myers’ islands, beaches and neighborhoods than a biologist-turned-tour guide? After Steve Tutko moved here some 40 years ago, he switched careers from biology to giving field tours of Babcock Ranch as its director of eco-tours. When visual impairment necessitated a second career change, Tutko became a tourism ambassador, welcoming guests at the Southwest Florida International Airport with his vast knowledge and unbridled enthusiasm for the region.
“I really enjoy living here, and I know it’s a very unique part of Florida, so this was a perfect opportunity for me to talk to visitors, and even residents, about the area,” he says with pride. What makes the destination so singular, according to Tutko, is its combination of history, location, and activities. “We have a major river, the Gulf of Mexico, beautiful beaches, estuaries, and bays,” says the local expert. “The ecosystem of Southwest Florida is quite unique as a result, which means we have a lot of wildlife. The boating, fishing, kayaking, and canoeing are all first-rate…and the climate is great year-round. There are other beautiful parts of Florida, of course, but the variety we have here is quite remarkable.”
Edison and Ford Winter Estates laboratory
Courtesy of Fort Myers – Islands, Beaches and Neighborhoods
Here, he gives Afar his insider tips for a trip filled with natural wonders, enriching history, and more. The Edison and Ford Winter Estates is a must. “Thomas Edison looked into many areas of Florida for his winter home and botanical laboratory,” says Tutko. “His main reason for coming to Fort Myers was to start the Edison Botanical Laboratory Corporation, to grow plants, especially things like ragweed—they were trying to find a natural source of rubber. He had to have a climate in Florida that would be able to do this…and his friend Henry Ford bought a house right next door.”
Travelers will also want to spend some time frolicking on the 50 miles of glorious beaches throughout the Fort Myers area. Do the “Sanibel stoop” along Sanibel Island’s picturesque beaches, where you’ll find fellow beachcombers bent over in search of perfect seashells. The area is justly famed for its abundance of shells, which have played a key part in its history.
Learn more about seashells when you pop by the Bailey-Matthews National Shell Museum & Aquarium on Sanibel, renowned among those who collect or study shells. While on Sanibel, head to the J.N. “Ding” Darling National Wildlife Refuge, “one of the most-visited national refuges in the whole country,” says Tutko.
Discover off-the-beaten-path treasures in Bokeelia
Explore the Randell Research Center
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Beyond well-known attractions, an abundance of under-the-radar delights await in the greater Fort Myers area. The Randell Research Center tops Tutko’s list for history fans and anyone interested in the origins of Fort Myers.
You’ll get an overview of the Calusa people, residents here for thousands of years and largely responsible for settling the area. While today people build homes on stilts, the ingenious Calusa erected dwellings and special buildings on mounds of shells, explains Tutko. “They were a non-agrarian culture—they were purely fisher folk—and their whole story is really quite remarkable.”
Get outdoors and explore Southwest Florida parks
Have fun traversing the grounds of Lakes Park by surrey
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Go look for manatees year-round, but especially in the cooler months advises Tutko, at Manatee Park. Animal lovers will also want to check out Six Mile Cypress Slough Preserve, a 3,500-acre wetland that’s “a wonderful place to view wildlife in Fort Myers, complete with an education center and a walking boardwalk,” says Tutko. He also recommends a visit to the Center for the Rehabilitation of Wildlife for a bird’s-eye view of injured animals being nursed back to health before being released back into the wild.
Check out the family-friendly Lakes Park, filled with walking and biking trails—“rent these little bicycle things [called surreys] where you can take four or five people around the park,” suggests Tutko. Or hop on the charming, miniature railroad for a train ride through the park winding through miniature scenic villages.
For a more active outing, go kayaking or boating in Caloosahatchee Regional Park, or take time after your visit to the Randell Research Center to explore the Calusa Heritage Trail, “a hiking, walking, biking, and boating trail that celebrates the Calusa,” says Tutko. “You can walk part of it, you can kayak or canoe part of it, and you can ride your bike in part of it. It’s a very unique type of trail because it has so many different activities that people can do.” Then head to Mound Key Archaeological State Park in Estero Bay, accessible only by boat, for an immersive experience in the history of the Calusa—it’s believed to have been the ceremonial center of the Calusa.
Unexpected attractions throughout the islands, beaches and neighborhoods of Fort Myers
Take in a game at JetBlue Park
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Sports fans flock to the area thanks to the partnership between Lee County Sports Development and Parks and Recreation Department, which oversees all kinds of sporting events featuring top teams from throughout the country, including “baseball, soccer, lacrosse, just about anything imaginable,” says Tutko, naming baseball teams from Minnesota and Boston that play spring training games here.
For a little-known favorite in the area, visit Koreshan State Park, which tells the tale of a religious cult that lived there in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. With members sworn to celibacy, eventually, the cult died out. Tour the historic buildings and gardens and marvel at the towering oaks along the Estero River’s banks.
Picnic at W.P. Franklin South Recreation Area, adjacent to W.P. Franklin Lock and Dam, and learn about the lock system that ushers boats in from the Gulf of Mexico. “You can also kayak and canoe off of the river area, which is where it’s located,” says Tutko, “and they have a small museum which gives you a lot of the history of the lock system in our country.”
When you take the Educational Concern for Hunger Organization (ECHO) Global Farm Tour, you’ll support the mission of growing plants and seeds that are shipped globally to help feed the world’s population.
Visit Fort Myers’ museums
Learn about Black history in South Florida at the Williams Academy Black History Museum
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The IMAG History & Science Center, which Tutko notes is great for all ages, features exhibits on local water systems and the history of Fort Myers, along with special traveling exhibitions, all housed in a former water plant.
Head to the Williams Academy Black History Museum which Tutko says, “celebrates Black history in Southwest Florida, and the people that actually helped make Fort Myers what it is today.” It’s also the site of the first government-funded school for Black students, built in 1913.
Don’t miss the chance to go underground at the Mound House on Fort Myers Beach, the oldest house in the area, and see for yourself the layers of millions of shells that make up the ancient engineering of the Calusa-built Shell Mound. Where else can you see anything quite like that?
