NEWS AND SPECIALS
Fall Special
Stay 2 nights and get the third night free. Stay 2 nights Sunday through Wednesday between September 7 and October 29 and get the third night free. Discounts available may not be combined. Occupancy for all reservations is based on double occupancy. Children under 12 are free. Extra person charge applies for more than two occupants age 12 and over.
FREE NIGHT
Stay 3 nights and get the 4th night free. Special rate begins for reservations staring on 5/1/10 through 10/31/10. Holiday periods are excluded. Free night special may not be combined with other discounts. Offer available for new reservations placed after 4/9/10.
Upcoming Events Pirate Festival
Pirate Festival 2010Come Shiver ye Timbers at The Fifth Annual Fort Myers Beach Pirate Festival. There will be food, drink, merchants, fights and invasions. Geared for all ages, bring the little matey's and practice your argggggg's. The festival takes place October 8th,9th and 10th. click on the link for more information.
Upcoming Events Sandsculpting
Amercian Sandsculpting Festival Event November 10-14. Come experience 16 of the top sand sculpters create their masterpieces during the 24th Annual American Sandsculpting Championship. Click on the link for more information.
Beach Report for upcoming Vacationers
NO OIL SOUTH OF THE PANHANDLE
The only oil on Fort Myers Beach is suntan oil.
Plan your fall trip in southwest Florida for the warm and clean waters of the Gulf of Mexico.
Check out our News and Specials page for Deals.
You can copy the link below into your browser for the latest updates on the oil spill.
http://www.dep.state.fl.us/deepwaterhorizon/
~ Fort Myers Beach History ~
Turn the hourglass and watch the sands of time trickle back to the past of Fort Myers Beach. Return to the time when pirates buried treasure, Spaniards built forts, Indians hunted on the Beach, homesteaders staked their claims, shrimpers netted pink gold, a hurricane severed a land connection and mosquito hordes clouded the air.
The last homesteader staked his claim in Estero Island in 1914. Leroy Lemoreaux cleared his land and survived by growing vegetables and fishing.
Lemoreaux remembered bears stalking the island and panthers howling in the night. In the 1890's, the only weapon they had against the hordes of mosquitoes was smoke. Those were the days before bridge linked the island to the mainland of Fort Myers area. A wooden swing toll bridge was the first bridge built in 1921. The toll was 50 cents for five people. The 1926 hurricane washed it away and severed the slim neck of land attaching San Carlos to the mainland making it and island. Today, it's still called Hurricane Pass. In the 1870's, pirates plied their trade along the shores. That's how Black Island, south of Estero, got its name. After a defeat by the U.S. Navy, Black Augustus took his loot and settled on the island. The family of John Butterfield squatted on Mound Key in Estero Bay during that time and provisioned the aging pirate with sugar, coffee, grits and other luxuries in exchange for vegetables. When the pirate died, he showed the family where to dig up his booty. Perhaps more treasure is hidden along the shores. Rumors persist that pirates used to sink long boats laden with treasure to later recover.
And Pirates weren't the only sailors frequenting the island's waters. Juan Ponce de Leon may have sailed waters around Estero Island about 1513. Hernando de Soto may have also dropped anchor in front of Estero Island in 1539. Relics of skulls and other artifacts found on Mound Key suggest that Spanish conquistadors may have passed through the Beach and perhaps built a fort on the hill on Mound Key. But the aura of mystery surrounding Mound Key belongs to the first settlers, the Caloosa Indians. The Caloosa's origins remain obscure but some scholars such as Rolfe F. Schell in his book, History of Fort Myers Beach suggest that Caloosas may have traveled by rafts from Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula. Caloosa artifacts displayed in a Fort Walton museum would be claimed as early Mayan if displayed in Mexico, Schell wrote.
There's little doubt of what caused their demise. Diseases such as measles brought by European explorers probably caused many of the Indian's deaths. The Caloosa Indians kitchen middens, containing shards and edible shellfish remains, were found at the end of Connecticut Avenue on Estero Island. Since these early people cannot speak for themselves, their artifacts tell tales of their lives. Reverse the hourglass and return to our times. Today, the Beach's tourist industry flourishes. Thousands of people come to dine on "pink gold" shrimp and celebrate the industry and the blessing of the fleet with a week long Shrimp Festival, usually held in March.
