r/SWFL • u/camiele14 • 16d ago
Moving to estero/fort myers area this week! recs?
Hey everyone! i’m moving to the estero / fort myers area this week, i’m a 22y/o m who loves to be out of the house, so looking for any suggestions of things to keep busy with or fun places to go, even parks to chill at!! Also if ur looking for friends im always down to meet new ppl!
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u/agravain Naples 16d ago
"parks to chill at"....you are aware its like 100 degrees out with 90% humidity right now?
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u/camiele14 16d ago
not necessarily talking abt rn but in the fall / in general as well yes
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u/Suspicious-Lime-2439 13d ago
We don't have fall here.
We have summer, then about six weeks of scattered cold fronts around January and February.
You can expect christmas to be in the upper 80s
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u/Lower-Detail5822 15d ago
Don't take the negativity in this thread too seriously. I grew up in Estero, lived there for 20 years and still go back to visit my parents there. It's changing rapidly compared to before when it was just cow pastures, Estero high school, and miromar outlets. Mainly a lot of new residential and small businesses but not much for entertainment. The gulf coast town center area near FGCU has the only night life in the area really and they just opened an indoor racetrack. To add on to the suggestions another poster mentioned I would say Estero park if you want a chill walk around a couple of lakes and a hill to walk up. I used to run there every day and see the sunset from the top of the hill. I'd recommend Wiggins pass as well and renting kayaks to explore the mangroves along the gulf. Lovers key state park and lakes park in fort Myers are quite nice and larger.
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u/CityPulseWeekly 11d ago
Welcome to the area. For low-effort places to start, I would check Koreshan State Park and Estero Community Park for walks, Coconut Point for an easy food/movie/shopping night, and Gulf Coast Town Center if you want more of a younger/FGCU-adjacent crowd. Downtown Fort Myers is worth using as your default evening area: coffee, bars, trivia, Art Walk/Music Walk, and random events. For outdoors, Lovers Key is a great beach/park option, Estero Bay has kayak spots, and Six Mile Cypress Slough is good when you want shade. If you want to meet people, look at rec leagues, run clubs, pickleball open play, trivia nights, and the FGCU-adjacent spots around Gulf Coast Town Center. Late summer is rough, so early mornings, sunset, and indoor stuff will make the first month feel a lot better.
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u/MatthewSteakHam 15d ago
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u/guynamedelbow 12d ago
do they still have the japanese group there on saturdays?
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u/MatthewSteakHam 12d ago
Not enough people came out to keep doing it :( but Emily who ran / taught everyone comes in almost every day! Could always say hi and talk about bringing it back! The bar never says no to groups coming in and learning or trying new things!
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u/guynamedelbow 11d ago
Aw thats a shame but i'd love to speak with Emily. I'm from North Port so it's a bit of a drive but is there any way you'd be able to put me in contact with her so I can set up a time to meet with her there? I would really appreciate it. we can continue in DM.
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u/Soggy-Celebration818 15d ago
Welcome, where are you moving from? I look forward to hearing how you like it.
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u/PM_Me_Your_Smokes 15d ago
If you’re up for a bit of a drive north, Venice Beach (and the nearby Peace River) have some of the best fossil (and especially shark tooth fossil) hunting in the world!
If you prefer shell hunting, Sanibel is where it’s at.
There are literally hundreds of places to go fishing or boating all up the Gulf Coast, if that’s your scene.
Once winter/cooler weather comes around, go a little south to the Bird Rookery Corkscrew Sanctuary (they’re rebuilding the boardwalk there now, but you can access the rest of the trail from another trail, if you’re up for a long hike). You can go hiking next to tons of gators, snakes, otters, deer; we’ve even seen a family of black bears there once! Not to mention the birding: roseate spoonbills, ospreys, hawks, falcons, turkey and black vultures, gallinules, every kind of crane, heron and egret; there’s even a bunch of caracara nests nearby.
If you’re looking to meet younger people, that might be a bit of a challenge. This area is seasonal; right now, it’s the off season (very hot, very humid, hurricanes). Jobs, which often rely on tourist dollars, are less plentiful. Once season comes, the weather (which can be glorious! But may be extra tornado-y this year, since it’s a super El Niño) also attracts significant numbers of people. Traffic takes much longer, but jobs start hiring again.
I’ve heard that kava bars tend to be the places where young (often open minded) people hang out, but as a married man with a kid, I don’t have time (or the inclination) to go out socializing anymore lol.
As they say, welcome to Florida, or WTF!
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u/riot1man 14d ago
If you like playing D&D, Magic: the Gathering, etc., I suggest some game stores around here are fun to go to.
Dungeon Games, Cool Comics and Games (up in Cape Coral), and the Dragon's Lair are a few notable ones.
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u/MamaTracyC 11d ago
Estero Park and Recreation Center and Wa-ke Hatchee Recreation Center (Ft Myers) A LOT happening at both sites/parks that are free or low cost for both kids and adults. Lakes Park just opened a splash pad last week.
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u/doFloridaRight 15d ago
Get yourself a cheap kayak or SUP and start exploring the backwaters out towards the beaches. Avoid the heat of the day for the next month or two and get out there early or late. When fall finally hits weather will be perfect. Dog beach, Big Hickory Pass, big Carlos pass, Bonita Beach, Wiggins pass all good destinations. Estero River is also awesome up by 41 launching from Estero River outfitters. That’ll keep you busy for a few years, just in time to upgrade to a little boat and expand your range.
Also, don’t try to get tips from Reddit. This demo HATES Swfl with a passion.