2011 Travels--Florida Part II: Exploring Downtown Ft. Myers

 Now that it is August in St. Louis, I'm trying to catch up on our travelogs for the year, so here is Florida, Part II. We visited Doug and Matt in Ft. Myers in early April. (Part I is here.) This was our 5th trip to the sunny Southwest Florida Coast since 2006, but except for an excursion on an earlier visit to the Ford and Edison estates, and a brief stop for lunch another year, we had not spent that much time downtown. So one day when Doug was working at the university, Matt took us to the Southwest Florida Museum of History.

 Housed in the former Atlantic Coastline Railroad depot, the Museum is home to the history of Southwest Florida. Paleo Indians, the Calusa, the Seminoles, Spanish explorers, and early settlers are just a few of the people we met as we toured the exhibits. This 1929 private Pullman rail car, the Esperanza (Spanish for Hope)is also part of the tour. Since we had never been inside a private train car from the roaring '20s, we climbed aboard. 

 The Esperanza is an 83-foot 101-ton private rail car that was the height of luxury in its day. It features three state rooms, a lounge, a private dining car and a galley kitchen and servants quarters.  One of the state rooms, outfitted with bunk beds, is shown here.


 

The car is filled with brass fixtures and Cuban mahog- any, and the dining room was outfitted with fine china and crystal. 

Norm and Matt explored the replica on the museum grounds of an authentic "cracker" house typical of early settlers in this area.  Built in the late 1800s and early 20th century, these homes were single room homes of the early cattlemen dubbed ‘crackers’ for the sound their whips would make when rustling cattle. Their features include sloped roofs (for rain), elevation (for flooding and heat circulation) and front porches. In addition, the museum also houses an extensive artifacts collection detailing early civilization, the Fort, the first settlers, the cattlemen, turn of the century, the military and agriculture, boating and fishing industries in Fort Myers. And it has a special exhibit about Charles Darwin.

 After we had stuffed our heads full of local history, we met up with Doug at Daily Chocolate,  a local shop downtown, for lunch. We had delicious quiche and sandwiches and, of course, handmade chocolate for dessert.

 Downtown is full of quaint 1920s archi- tecture, especially along First Street, and the lovely restored buildings house many businesses and restaurants. We ate a very good dinner in a restaurant housed in this building the first evening we were there.

 Palm trees, Spanish grill work, stucco, and street lights create a laid-back ambiance for the monthly downtown art walk. We strolled, window shopped, souvenir shopped, and listened to the music on a very mild evening. All while it was in the 30s back home.

 Coral, salmon, and shades resembling pumpkin are part of the local color scheme as well. White trim, arches, and covered sidewalks beckon to pedestrians, both local residents and tourists. We returned to downtown a couple more times for lunch and shopping during our vacation. 

 This marker (you can click on the image to enlarge it) traces Ft. Myers history from its founding in 1876. The most rapid growth of the town occurred in the 1920s, and royal palms have lined First Street/Palm Beach Boulevard since 1897 in this subtropical climate. 

On the fringes of the historic downtown, new construction looms, part of the boom of the first decade of the 21st Century. Office and condominium towers, however, are often only partially occupied, and property values have nosedived. If you have a good supply of cash, you could pick up a bargain in a waterfront condo with a very nice view. 

Our next visit was to the Calusa Nature Center, and the next post about Florida will feature some of the flora and fauna we encountered on this visit.