Fort Myers

Fort Myers is a subdued alternative to Florida's bustle-and-bling Miami. It is a getaway appealing to families and to older couples, not the Blackberry and Bluetooth crowd. The city, with just under 66,000 residents, is noted for its artists' communities, such as the one on Pine Island, 32 km (20 miles) to the east. Fort Myers government officials have tried to preserve its past and embrace the shore, waterways and small barrier islands close by in the Gulf of Mexico.

Brits and Germans head to this coastal area, as do many Floridians. Families from elsewhere in America are here in numbers during US school holidays: a week before and after Christmas, then June-August.

Fort Myers is 32km (20 miles) inland from the Gulf, on Florida's southwest coast. The nearest large city is Tampa, about 212km (132 miles) to the north. Southwest Florida International (RSW) is 27km (17 miles) away.

Most of Florida's shoreline is flat, and that's true for this area, which is just 3m (10ft) above sea level. Some barrier islands can only be reached by boat, and they have more tropical vegetation, though Fort Myers is noted for its towering palms.

Fort Myers is on the Caloosahatchee River and has no notable beaches, but some of America's finest are on Sanibel Island, 42km (26 miles) from downtown Fort Myers, over a toll bridge. The 19km (12 mile) long island is bounded by talcum-powder sand beaches, and Sanibel is one of the world's best seashell-collecting spots. In Florida, all of the coast up to the high-tide mark is public, but if you are driving, you must find a public parking field or meters rather than pulling off to play on the sand. On Sanibel, major beaches with parking include Lighthouse Beach (31 km, 20.5 miles), which has a functioning light, fishing pier and boardwalk nature trail, and farther north on the island, Bowman's Beach County Park (43 km, 26.7 miles), with picnic tables and public shower. Generally, on the islands, food and watersports concessions are scattered, as are public bathrooms.

The great inventor, Thomas A Edison, spent many winters in balmy Fort Myers, and the towering palms he donated to the city still inspired other residents to add more. Edison's tasteful, 1880s home is now a museum (2350 McGregor Boulevard). Next door is the simpler home of his admirer and friend, industrialist Henry Ford, and across the street is Edison's marvelous research laboratory. Tours offered daily.

Head again to Sanibel. The island boasts the J N Darling National Wildlife Refuge (900 Tarpon Bay Road), 35km (21.5 miles) from Fort Myers. The refuge is home to more than 200 species of birds, plus alligators and otters. You can walk, bicycle, drive, canoe or ride a narrated tram through the 2,500 hectares (6,300 acres). For kayakers and canoeists, the area offers a spectacular coastal experience, The Great Calusa Blueway Paddling Trail. It is about 160km (100 miles) of marked routes on rivers, bays and around the coast-hugging mangrove trees. You can hire your own canoe or buy a guided tour (website: www.greatcalusablueway.com).

Adjacent to Sanibel is the smaller Captiva Island, which boasts the homes of multimillionaires and the one-of-a-kind, ultra-casual Bubble Room Restaurant (15001 Captiva Drive), 51km (32 miles) from Fort Myers. Decor there includes Christmas, Hollywood movie posters and a US circus.

For a tasteful souvenir, drive to the Matlacha Art Gallery (4637 Pine Island Road), in the suburb of Matlacha (MAT-lah-shay), 23km (14.5 miles) from downtown Fort Myers. About six dozen local artists' work is displayed. Or head to the Shell Factory & Nature Park (2787 North Tamiami Trail in North Fort Myers), 6km (4 miles) from downtown. It displays 5-million or so shells and shell-based crafts and souvenirs.

Have your dinner and solve a murder mystery taking place next to you - while riding a train! Step aboard the Seminole Gulf Railway Murder Mystery Dinner Train (1305 Colonial Boulevard) for its 3.5-hour return run, five nights a week. Fort Myers does not have a walkable nightlife district but several bars and casual restaurants line busy Highway US 41. There also are casual restaurants and late-night bars in the adjacent Fort Myers Beach, 25.5km (16 miles), in the neon-drenched Times Square pedestrian area at the base of the pier.

Take dinner at the Parrot Key Caribbean Grill (2500 Main Street, Fort Myers Beach), 25.5km (16 miles) from downtown. A seafood main course at a dockside table while watching the sun set over the Gulf is one of Florida's treasures. American home-cooked food, including smoked ham, fried chicken, barbecue, collard greens and sweet desserts, is the daily menu at the quite reasonable Farmer's Market downtown (2736 Edison Avenue). For fresh seafood basics for just a few pounds more, drive to the Matlacha Oyster House (3930 Pine Island Road) in Matlacha, 21.5km (13.5 miles) away. It also has steak, chicken and live music weekend nights.

Whether you land at the Tampa International Airport or get a connecting flight to Southwest Florida International, the best way to get around by far is to hire a car. There are buses but it is a waste of beach-going time waiting for them.

On land, sample a Florida swamp, with the Babcock Wilderness Adventures Ecotour (8000 State Road 31, Punta Gorda), 39km (24 miles) from Fort Myers. A naturalist narrates the motor trip into the Telegraph Cypress Swamp, with the chance to see alligators, snakes, locally bred ‘cracker' cattle and native birds. On the water, take Captiva Cruises from McCarthy's Marina (11401 Andy Rosse Lane, Captiva), 51km (32 miles). Themes for the cruises, which stay within sight of the coast, include dolphin-watching, beach-shelling, sunsets (with live music) or half-day trips to any of four small barrier islands.

Plan your romantic dinner for The Veranda restaurant (2122 Second Street), which is set in two now-joined homes built just over 100 years ago. It specialises in Southern US cuisine as well as roast beef, fresh seafood and rack of lamb (website: www.verandarestaurant.com).

Tampa International (TPA)

Southwest Florida International (RSW)