Consumers often ask “What sets The Beaches of Fort Myers & Sanibel apart from the rest of Florida?” Well, there is a lot actually and here are just some of the fun facts about the area that you can share:

• Southwest Florida International Airport (RSW) is an award-winning facility with Air Canada and WestJet providing year-round nonstop service from Toronto (and seasonal service from Ottawa and Montreal).
• Lee County, Florida, has more than 100 barrier and coastal islands to explore.
• Edison and Ford Winter Estates is a must-see attraction. Thomas Edison, who spent many winters in Fort Myers, is considered the most inventive man who ever lived, holding 1,093 patents for everything from light bulbs, cement and phonographs to the natural rubber he made from goldenrod.
• The banyan tree at the Edison and Ford Winter Estates, a gift from industrialist Harvey Firestone, is one of the largest of its kind in the U.S. The tree’s aerial roots now have a circumference of more than 400 feet.
• Gifts from the sea – The Beaches of Fort Myers & Sanibel is ranked to have some of the best shelling in the world with over 400 species of shells including the rarest of them all, the brown speckled junonia.
• You will find shell seekers on Sanibel Island in the famous “Sanibel Stoop” position all day looking for treasures.
• Cape Coral has more canals than Venice, Italy.
• The area is home to a very high concentration of bottlenose dolphins.
• Known as the Tarpon Capital of the World, thanks to the best tarpon migration. The Beaches of Fort Myers & Sanibel area is truly a fisherman’s paradise.
• Over 190-miles of canoe and kayaking trails, The Great Calusa Blueway is named after the Calusa Native Americans, the first residents of the area.
• Seafood – Fort Myers has a shrimp fleet on San Carlos Island which offloads more Florida pink shrimp than anywhere else in Florida.
• Fort Myers is the spring training home of Major League Baseball teams the Boston Red Sox and the Minnesota Twins.
• Sanibel Island is known for having no buildings taller than the tallest palm tree (three stories), 26 miles of off-road bike paths and restaurants/stores that are all locally owned.
• N. “Ding” Darling National Wildlife Refuge – This wildlife refuge, containing more than 6,400-acres, and nearly half of Sanibel Island, was established in 1945 and is one of the top birding hotspots in the nation.
• Offshore Sailing School, operating out of South Seas Island Resort on Captiva Island and Pink Shell Beach Resort & Marina on Fort Myers Beach, is America’s #1 Sailing School.
• Cabbage Key, one of the many offshore islands, features a historic inn and restaurant where the walls, beams and ceiling are papered in more than $70,000 autographed dollar bills. About $10,000 a year falls off, which goes to charity.
• For those seeking a secluded spot for a wedding in paradise, who can resist a wedding under a gazebo at Lovers Key, Florida’s most romantic state park.
• Key West Express – Enjoy the tropical island paradise of Key West in just 3 ½ hours when you travel from Fort Myers Beach to America’s southernmost city with the Key West Express. Modern and spacious jet-powered vessels offer year-round, high-speed service to the vacation spot of pirates, poets, presidents and partygoers

For more information on The Beaches of Fort Myers & Sanibel visit www.fortmyers-sanibel.com