What you only know if you grew up in Fort Myers, Florida

When people hear you’re from Fort Myers, Florida, they assume it’s Disney World, the beach, “Florida Man,” and old people all wrapped up into one magical (or not so magical) world.

But that is not what my hometown is like at all. Yes there are a ton of old people, yes we do have beaches, but lots of weird crimes aren’t committed and Disney is a three-hour drive away.

Florida gets a bad rap, and I understand why, I go to school in Texas for a reason…but honestly I do love my hometown and frequently miss the gorgeous palm trees that line McGregor Boulevard.

Fort Myers is famous for Thomas Edison, Henry Ford, FGCU (#DunkCity), and visiting your grandparents if you are from up north. But there is so much more my hometown has to offer.

Spring Break

You only spring break in Fort Myers if you go to college in Florida. FM is not exactly a spring break destination but if you go to Fort Myers Beach during the month of March you are going to regret it. The traffic to get on the beach is horrendous and there is no parking. If you are from FM you go to Sanibel and Captiva during break because you have to pay a $6 fee to cross the bridge and that turns college students off. Once on Sanibel or Captiva you instantly relax, the beaches are clearer and the breezes off the Gulf are even better. Super local tip: go to Boca Grande, an island that houses Nick Saban and Dabo Swinney when they aren’t coaching their respective teams. The island is a far drive from downtown Fort Myers but it is totally worth it. The Wall Street Journal named Boca Grande the “preppiest place on Earth” so if that is your style you should definitely get there. Another super local tip: take a paint brush with you t the beach, it is the best way to get the sand off your feet.

Spring training

If you follow the Boston Red Sox or the Minnesota Twins you probably know they both spring train in Fort Myers. If you don’t then you are seriously missing out. I can’t count the amount of times my dad pulled me out of school for an “appointment” to go see one of these teams play on a Wednesday afternoon in March. The weather is beautiful, everyone is in a good mood – because these games don’t matter – and you can see your favorite players if you go to the right games. The Red Sox just built a new stadium, Jet Blue Park that features its own miniature Green Monstah and the Twins just redid their stadium so there are more seats and spaces to hang out. Just don’t forget your sunscreen because the best seats are typically not in the shade.

Snow Birds

The bane of my existence. Snow Birds are the elderly people who move to Fort Myers for half the year because it is too cold in the Midwest during the winter months. They clog up the roadways, restaurants, and shops, but they to provide a helpful boost to our economy. They love to talk about how they do things in Ohio is better than how we do things in FM and how much they miss their kids while they’re down here, but they will not go back until the temperatures rise. And if the temperatures dip too low for their liking in Florida, expect to hear lots of complaints.

Edisonia

The idea of the Edison Pageant of Light is not a new one, a lot of southern towns have royal courts and parades. But I do not think there is another place that celebrates Thomas Edison’s birthday for the whole month of February. There are various events, two parades and two royal balls. When I was little, I was on the Edisonia court (see photo below). Our float might have been the worst color scheme of all time but it was a fun experience for a seven year old. The whole festival is a really big deal if you are from FM and you were probably on multiple floats as a kid – or walked in it with your Girl Scout troop. My family had a float when I was little and one year it was the “Love Boat…” yes I know, what an interesting theme. Super local tip: Do not waste your time on the day parade; the night parade is where it’s at.

Orange & White Ice Cream

If you are from FM you avoid Sun Harvest Citrus from November to mid-April. All of the snowbirds (see above) flock to the $2 ice cream cones with vanilla and orange swirl and free samples of orange juice so we can only visit about half the year. But when we can go, it is one of our favorite places. The ice cream is the perfect refreshing combo and the soft serve has a wonderful melty quality to it during the summer months.

The importance of the rain jacket

When I moved to Texas, I did not realize how few people have rain jackets. Everyone uses an umbrella, which is great if you have your backpack but not great for torrential downpours. I cleaned out my closet this winter break and I had seven, you read that right, rain jackets. In the summer it rains from 2-5pm everyday and in the spring it could rain even more than that. But as a Fort Myers resident we do not let the rain spoil our fun, we just have a rain jacket in the car, in our house, and at our place of work. For a while, I kept a pair of flip-flops and a windbreaker in my locker at school because the rain could be so random.

Honestly, Fort Myers is a beautiful place and I would not want to be from anywhere else so the next time you are around southwest Florida, check us out.