Fort Myers and Sanibel are rightly known for their beaches. But the tranquil vibe, white sand, blue skies and seashells aren’t the only reasons to visit this summer.
The Gulf Coast region of Florida has a handful of food and drink treats up its sleeves too. Here’s our rundown of the top five foodie delights at the beaches of Fort Myers & Sanibel.
Mango Mania Tropical Fruit Fair
This quirky festival is held on Pine Island. The 2013 event is scheduled for the weekend of July 13-14. A celebration of all things mango, the fair includes mango cook-offs, mango pie eating competitions, mango juggling competitions and the longest mango throw competition.
Local chefs whip up mango-based drinks, starters and desserts for visitors. Those with a taste for variety will be relieved to hear that lychee, carambola, longan, papaya and chocolate pudding fruit – all grown on the island – are also available.
Fort Myers Brewing Company
Fort Myers Brewing Company is the city’s first brewery. Centrally located, it produces a number of award winning craft ales ranging from Gateway Gold to Cypress Strong.
The tasting room is open on Fridays (3pm-9pm) and Saturdays (12pm-9pm).
Beecher Brewing Company
You wait ages for a local brewing company, and then two come along at once. The Beecher Brewing Company is set to open in downtown Fort Myers in June.
The microbrewery is located in large, historic McCrory Building, near the waterfront. At the time of writing, Beecher planned to have 25 craft beers on tap, with a regularly rotating menu of beers depending on the season. They also said that visitors will be able to enjoy tastings with complimentary food paired with each beer.
Eden Vineyards
Eden Vineyards is the southernmost bonded vineyard and winery in the USA. It’s located just east of Fort Myers in the rural region of Alva. The family-run, Old-Florida-feel establishment has been running for more than 30 years. Today it produces six wines ranging from the dry white Lake Emerald, to the sweet white Eden Stars. Open daily from 11am-4pm, visitors can choose to have tutored tastings with the owners or drive through the vineyards, sampling wines as they go.
The Bubble Room
The Bubble Room restaurant on Captiva Island is probably known as much for its eccentric look and feel as for its food. But, don’t let that put you off. It first opened in 1979 as a few tables out the front of the owner’s family home.
Today, the place has the kind of colourful cobbled-together character and charm you’d expect of a toy store in a Disney movie. Old toys from the 1930s and 1940s abound. One room is completely themed around Christmas. Trains move from one room to the next and the walls are plastered with vintage posters and photos of celebrities.
The background music is from the 1920’s, 1930’s and 1940’s, creating a relaxed old-fashioned atmosphere. The eccentricity extends to the menu, which is graced with items like the flaming Socra cheese and Bubble Bread (both were on the original version in 1979).
Written by insider city guide series Hg2 | A Hedonist’s guide to…
(The featured image is by Matthew Straubmuller)
