Best Bets for Arts, Culture & History

Art is alive in the Fort Myers Sanibel area. Museums chronicle the area's rich history, while theaters and galleries put on a great show of their own.

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Cars at Edison and Ford Winter Estates

Southwest Florida Museum of History

Randell Research Center at Pineland

MUSEUMS

Museum of the Islands
MOTI, as it’s known locally, is located in the old Pine Island Library building. The museum tells the story of this mainly agricultural and fishing island from the time of the Calusa Indians through pioneer homesteaders.

Boca Grande Lighthouse Museum and Whidden’s Marina
Visit this still-working lighthouse built in 1890 and the adjacent assistant keeper's cottage, now a museum of Gasparilla Island's intriguing history. Nearby Whidden's Marina offers a glimpse into the area's seafaring past.

Barbara Sumwalt Museum
This gem of a museum's star attractions are Useppa Man and Woman. Other topics include the history of tarpon fishing, the use of the island to select CIA Bay of Pigs operatives and the history of the Paleo people, Cuban rancheros and the Civil and Seminole wars.

HISTORIC SITES

Edison & Ford Winter Estates
The Fort Myers winter homes of good friends Thomas Edison and Henry Ford underwent a $9 million renovation, completed in late 2005.

Koreshan State Historic Site
The remnants of this utopian community, which was established in 1894 by Dr. Cyrus Teed, provide a window into Estero's frontier days. Enjoy the sudden expanse of formal gardens and restored buildings – an island of civility pushing back the Florida wilds.

Calusa Heritage Trail (Pineland Complex)
Follow this interpretive trail into the past. With the aid of illustrated signs or a guided tour, see how the Calusa lived in this well-preserved coastal complex.

Calusa Heritage & Mound Tour
The Randell Research Center and Tropic Star have teamed up to offer a land-and-sea Calusa Heritage & Mound Tour from Pineland on Pine Island (by appointment). The tour includes a guided walk at the Calusa Heritage Trail, lunch at the Tarpon Lodge restaurant and a 1½-hour narrated boat tour to view four Calusa Indian mound islands.

Local Theaters
Venues including the Broadway Palm Dinner Theatre, Florida Rep, Herb Strauss Schoolhouse Theater and Barbara B. Mann Performing Arts Hall showcase high-caliber talent from near and far. Recent offerings have included “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat” (Schoolhouse), “The Rainmaker” (Barbara Mann), “Run for Your Wife” (Schoolhouse) and “The Producers” (Barbara Mann).

Related Listings

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Arts & Entertainment

Historic Sites

Museums & Science Centers

Fort Myers Quick Trips

In Fort Myers, listen to manatees, follow in pioneers’ footsteps, go ice skating, discover black history or indulge in handcrafted chocolates.See More

Restoring Edison's Estate

A recent project at the Edison & Ford Winter Estates restored Edison's home and opened the caretaker's cottage for the first time. Further restoration and expansions are planned.See More

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