Southwest Florida Tourist attractions

Some of the southwest Florida tourist attractions include family adventures that reach the beach and expand inland to wild animal parks and historical sites galore! Heading to the mainland, families can hop on the downtown tram for a narrated tour of Fort Myers' colorful history. Along the way, stop at the side-by-side winter estates of Thomas Edison and Henry Ford, two famous friends who spent years as neighbors along the Caloosahatchee River. At the Edison Winter Home, let the kids explore the "old-Florida" style home, laboratory and experimental gardens of one of the most inventive men who ever lived.

Also on the grounds is a museum showcasing the world's largest collection of Edison's inventions and memorabilia, including 200 Edison phonographs and his collection of rare antique automobiles. In 1916, automobile pioneer Henry Ford bought the house next door, with only a fence -- called the "Friendship Gate" by both families -- separating the two estates. Today, visitors will find Ford's 16-room, bungalow-style home, known as "Mangoes," much the way it was in the 1920s when he and his wife Clara lived there. A beautiful Florida garden of citrus and palm trees surrounds the home and antique Ford vehicles fill the garage. Southwest Florida beaches are some of the best the Sunshine state has to offer.

Located in Bonita Springs, Everglades Wonder Gardens is one of Florida's oldest wildlife attractions.
The zoo and botanical gardens, established in 1936, feature exotic Everglades wildlife, from bears and birds of prey to panthers and crocodiles. During the zoo's wildlife shows, kids of all ages will laugh at the antics of otters and gasp at the ferocious agility of alligators. Setting off from Marco Island, the largest inhabited isle of the Ten Thousand Islands, visitors can explore a maze of mangroves and marshes. Or head for Collier County's wild back country on guided airboat tours through the Everglades.

Sparkling off the Lee County coast, Sanibel and Captiva Islands are among the best known islands in the region, popular for their excellent shelling and captivating beaches. But visitors will also find picturesque paths and historical gems tucked along Sanibel's main thoroughfare -- Periwinkle Way. On this lush island, where all the buildings must be lower than the tallest palm, the sites are best seen by cycling along Periwinkle Way's canopy of whispering pines and expansive banyans.

A short boat ride away, and connected to the mainland by a short causeway near Punta Gorda, Boca Grande is a snapshot of "Old Florida." This sleepy Southern town located on the seven-mile-long Gasparilla Island has succeeded in maintaining its quaint fishing village atmosphere. As a result, visitors can wander through numerous historic shops and inns that have been in business for nearly a century.

The sophisticated seaside retreat of Naples, in Collier County, stridently protects its "old Florida" charm by guarding its natural resources and preserving older districts, so that visitors can now bicycle through the city's quiet neighborhoods to explore its diverse architectural past. Spot intriguing widow walks and open porches around homes built nearly a century ago or bright tin roofs and wide verandas of down-to-earth Florida cracker-style homes. In Old Naples, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, cyclists can ride past unchanged, turn-of-the-century homes where members of Naples' original families still live. At day's end, join locals at the landmark Naples Pier and watch as the dazzling Gulf Coast sunset illuminates the beachfront estates known as "Millionaires' Row."