Note: Hurricanes Helene and Milton had varying impacts on Fort Myers Beach and other southern Lee County coastal communities. Before planning a visit, please check to make sure your destination is open and/or operating on a limited schedule. 

After a one-two hurricane punch from Hurricane Helene and Helene Milton, many islands might be slow to get back up but those islands are not Fort Myers Beach. The town’s businesses quickly picked right up where they left off two years after rebuilding from Hurricane Ian. Since that devastating hurricane, many of the island’s popular businesses and attractions have rebuilt and returned with a bunch of new ones that have cropped up and on the way.

Here’s a look at what’s here and what’s coming so you can be thinking about your next visit because you will be back!

The seven-mile stretch of Fort Myers Beach looking over the Gulf of Mexico is a sight that never gets old and which keeps the island resilient no matter what challenges Mother Nature seems to hurl its way over the years. The walkable shoreline offers visitors a rare opportunity to enjoy such a long beach walk largely undisturbed while interacting with nature at its most raw moments and viewing dreamlike vistas of the horizon.

A number of new businesses have moved in over the past year, including the Margaritaville Beach Resort -a long anticipated attraction at the center of the downtown area overlooking the Gulf of Mexico. A new proposed hotel – the Myerside Resort, just received approval from the town. A reconstituted Santini Plaza, the town’s main shopping center on its southern end, has just welcomed back its first business and many more old and new stores are on the way for the plaza.

Popular restaurants like Bella Mozarella Pizza & Grill, Bonita Bill’s Waterfront Café, Dixie Fish Co., Doc Ford’s Rum Bar & Grille, La Ola Restaurant, the Parrot Key Caribbean Grill, Petey’s Upper Deck, Snug Harbor Waterfront Café, Wahoo Willies, the Yucatan Beach Stand have all reopened. Fresh Catch Bistro and Junkanoos moved to new locations at Snook Bright Marina with the Junkanoo in an outdoor setting overlooking the bay. Publix and CVS are open again as is the 7-11 gas station on the southern end of the island.

The town’s popular seasonal market returned in a new location at Times Square Fridays and Saturdays with vendors offering natural fruit juices, honey, dips, empanadas, jewelry, local Realtors, clothing and other goods. The market is scheduled to also return to Santini Plaza  later in the fall with a fresh fruit and vegetable stand.

Times Square has been getting a new look as well with new businesses like Buffalo Grill and Mr. Waves Island Bar. Cold Stone Creamery has reopened and a new business – Mel’s Ice Cream also opened there. Businesses at Times Square are working on redesign plans as are planners hired by the Environmental Protection Agency to work with the town on redesign plans for Fort Myers Beach.

The Margaritaville Beach Resort, in the planning stages for years, opened last December straddling both sides of Estero Boulevard with several restaurants and bars overlooking the beach. Its outdoor pool at the Fins Up! Beach Club is now a can’t-miss sight for those walking past it on Estero Boulevard – adding a new twist to the ever-changing landscape on Fort Myers Beach.

The Whale, which was destroyed by Hurricane Ian, broke ground in May on a new restaurant to replace one of the oldest institutions on Fort Myers Beach. The Beach Bar, which dates back to the 1960s and which was also largely destroyed by Hurricane Ian, just received approval for their new plans to rebuilt on their beachfront property on Estero Boulevard.

A towering elevator shaft which used to connect to the former Sandal Factory, has been colorfully painted at times Square with depictions of the island’s nesting sea turtles, a sailboat, seahorse and the island’s renowned sunsets by local artists Lacy McClary and Summer DeSalvo. The mural is situated over near La Ola Restaurant and is now a major tourist attraction and welcoming sight. 

A sand restoration project, along with another beach restoration project have made up for erosion and sand lost to Hurricane Ian though the effects from Hurricane Helene (which impacted Fort Myers Beach as a tropical storm) made a bit of a mess of the sand. 

The town’s visiting shorebirds, which include four threatened bird species that nest on the island, remain among the island’s ecological attractions near the Little Estero Island Critical Wildlife Area and San Carlos Pointe. Dolphins, threatened manatees, threatened gopher tortoises and threatened loggerhead sea turtles all call Fort Myers Beach home at least part of the year. From May to October, the town observes the sea turtle nesting season by turning off outside lights from 9 p.m. to dawn and closing blinds during that time so sea turtles aren’t disoriented. There were 109 sea turtle nests this past year on the island.

Lovers Key State Park is one of the most visited parks in the state, and offers trails and closeup views of nature – including manatees and birds that you don’t easily find elsewhere. If you want to get on the water, sign up for a boat tour to find astonishing views of dolphins up close.

PLACES TO GO 

Parks, beaches and bustle 

The Town of Fort Myers Beach operates more than two dozen beach access points in varying states of repair since Hurricane Ian.

Among the town’s most popular tourist beach spots on the north side of the island is Lee County’s Bowditch Point Park, a popular and quieter public access point to the beach which is open to the public though some of its facilities are currently undergoing renovations. Lynn Hall Memorial Park, which intertwines with the town’s Times Square, is perhaps the most popular beach tourism spot on the island. Its restroom facility was destroyed by Hurricane Ian though Lee County is planning to replace it and portable restrooms have been installed at Times Square in its place. The Fort Myers Beach Pier was also destroyed by Hurricane Ian though county commissioners recently approved a plan that will nearly double the size of the pier – though its completion date could be four to five years away. The county has also opened Crescent Beach Family Park.

Bowditch Point Regional Park, Crescent Beach Family Park and Lynn Hall Memorial Park all offer some of the finest views of the Gulf of Mexico in the region. Further down, the parks have wide-open access to the beaches fronting the Gulf of Mexico with spectacular views of the horizon at dawn and during sunsets. 

Further down Estero Boulevard on the south end of the island is Lovers Key State Park – which includes a beach that wraps around to the edge of Big Carlos Pass – offering additional vistas to beachgoers.

More info: Visit www.fortmyersbeachfl.gov/102/Beaches

Bayside Veterans Park

One of the newest additions to Fort Myers Beach life, is the rebuilding and rebranding of Bayside Veterans Park at Old San Carlos Boulevard, next to Snug Harbor Waterfront Restaurant, Nervous Nellies and Wahoo Willies.

The park is home to a free Bayside Park Concert Series sponsored by local businesses in conjunction with the town and Fort Myers Beach Chamber of Commerce. The free concerts are open to the public every Sunday from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. with occasional special shows and showtimes. Keep glued to the Fort Myers Beach Observer for which bands will be hitting the popular spot. The concert series attracts a large number of talented local musical performers. It’s also a great spot to walk along and see expansive views of the water at Matanzas Pass. Boats from the nearby mooring field can be seen.

More info: www.fortmyersbeachfl.gov/1122/Bayside-Veterans-Park

Address: Corner of Old San Carlos Boulevard and First Street

The Mound House 

The oldest home on Fort Myers Beach is the Mound House, which dates back more than a century and sits on an approximately 2,000-year-old Calusa shell mound. The Calusa were a tribe of Native Americans who roamed Southwest Florida before being driven out in the 18th Century. The home is owned by the Town of Fort Myers Beach and is listed on the National Registrar of Historic Places. The home has been refurbished in a way to present how the town’s early settlers once lived. The Mound House offers tours and a number of recreational activities, including kayaking and navigating the Great Calusa Blueway Paddling Trail. You will also find idyllic vistas of the bay and fishing opportunities. The spacious Mound House property is a perfect setting for a family picnic with a view of the bay under some of the island’s best tree cover. There are also arts and crafts activities and gardens. The Mound House is open from 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays, and 7:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Sunday.

More info: https://moundhouse.org or 239-765-0865 

Address: 451 Connecticut Street, Fort Myers Beach

THINGS TO DO 

Wildlife and nature 

On the south end of the island, you will find much of the bird action, including the Little Estero Critical Wildlife Area. Look out for osprey, pelicans, falcons, hawks, spoonbills, gulls, herons, egrets, black skimmers, snowy plovers, terns and more. The birds will often get close, soaring from high above and searching the shallow waters for food. Keep your distance though, many are migratory birds stopping over for rest. Keep dogs on a leash and do not disturb birds searching for food, resting or nesting. Fort Myers Beach is a sanctuary for many birds who are recuperating from their travels.

If you are walking the beach in the spring and summer, you will notice sections of yellow tape in the sand. Those are not police-related but mark the nests of threatened loggerhead sea turtles. The turtles, protected under the Endangered Species Act, nest in the dark and hatchlings will typically break free and head for the ocean before dawn. If you happen to cross their path, avoid shining any lights on them. Outdoor lights are prohibited from shining on the beach from April through October in order to avoid disturbing the turtles. If you happen to witness hatching sea turtles heading in any direction other than the Gulf of Mexico as nesting season wraps up, call the local turtle-monitoring organization Turtle Time at 239-481-5566. 

Boating, dolphin tours and fishing

Several boat tour companies can bring you out to Estero Bay to see dolphins in their natural habitat. Learn about the area’s ecology and marine life on a guided boat tour. Some tours will take you to islands that are only accessible by boat. You may even spot threatened manatees. There are a number of fishing charters available.

Salty Sam’s Marina, off Main Street, is one of the most popular locations to pick up a cruise. There are sightseeing cruises, family cruises, dolphin tours, fishing charters, pirate ship cruises for families and boat rental options. There is a lot of nature that Fort Myers Beach has to offer. Moss Marina has wet and dry slips available. Snook Bright Marina offers boat rentals as well. 

Fitness 

There are bike rentals on the beach, as well as water sport rentals, jet skis and parasailing that can be found walking the beach.

For those looking to stay fit and exercise, the Bay Oaks Recreational Campus has reopened with a fitness center, weight room, basketball court, pickleball court, volleyball and yoga classes.

Dining and accommodations 

Fort Myers Beach is known for its wide array of restaurants. You will find scenic views and can enjoy locally caught grouper, pink Gulf shrimp and other fresh seafood.  In addition to the standard restaurants, there are also a number of eateries operating out of food trucks.

More info: www.fortmyersbeach.org/dine 

Among the major hotels to fully reopen are the DiamondHead Beach Resort, the Lighthouse Inn and the Pink Shell Beach Resort. A fourth – Lani Kai Island Resort — has opened its beach for furniture rentals, food-to-beach service as well as one of their ground-floor outdoor bars and vendors for jet ski rentals and parasailing. The resort expects to fully reopen by the end of fall so watch for it.

Fishing 

Fishing is a popular tradition at Fort Myers Beach which has taken a hit between Hurricane Ian, Lee County projects and town and state disagreements. The Fort Myers Beach Pier has been closed since Hurricane Ian, the pier at Old San Carlos Boulevard was closed before Hurricane Ian over disagreements over maintenance between the town and state. Fishing has been banned by Lee County off the Big Carlos Pass Bridge as a new and taller bridge is being built that won’t be completed until 2026 and will not be made available for fishing. There are still other spots to fish including the Mound House, off island along San Carlos Boulevard and off the bridges past Lovers Key State Park. Offshore fishing is a great way to find grouper, black fin tuna, and mackerel whether with your own boat or a rental. There are periodic fishing contests throughout the year as well. Sport-fishing for tarpon has been a longtime favorite among visitors and residents alike and brings anglers from all over the world. One of the largest tarpon migrations in the world takes place annually off the shores of Fort Myers Beach and Sanibel. Some tarpon reside here year-round, but the best time to catch them is during their migration season which is April through June.

More info: www.fortmyersbeach.org/play/fishing