A Weekend of Boating and Bar Hopping in Southwest Florida
Cape Coral, Florida has over 400 miles of canals which creates an easygoing, waterfront lifestyle. Located on the Gulf Coast, close to Ft. Myers and adjacent to Pine Island, Cape Coral can be your home base for a weekend of boating and bar hopping. We did just that last summer so come along for some waterfront fun.
Where we Stayed
We rented an Air BnB for a weekend. (Unfortunately, it appears that this house is no longer available for rent) It was a 3 bedroom house at the end of a canal with an in ground pool, full kitchen, boat dock, 2 car garage and washer & dryer. It was located in a residential area but close to all that Cape Coral has to offer - and close to the Ft. Myers or Punta Gorda airports. And we took full advantage of having a swimming pool a few steps away the whole weekend.
What we Did
Boating
One of our main goals for the weekend was to rent a boat and explore the Intracoastal Waterway, the 3000 mile inland waterway running along the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico. Looking ahead to retirement for Mr. UR, we wanted to experience a canal front lifestyle, if only for a weekend, and see what boating in Southwest Florida would be like. So we watched the weather and rented a boat for the only full day we would be there. (We rented from this marina)
The ride out to the Intracoastal took us through the canals out to the main waterway. The boat rental company provided us with a map and clues to extra shallow water and hazards so we just followed the path already laid out for us. There were lots of boats out on this beautiful day - it seems that boating is a popular thing to do here, and with good reason.
Our goal was to head out to a restaurant for lunch and do a little swimming, also. Unfortunately, red tide - a bloom of toxic red algae that kills sealife - was happening so there would be no swimming. We could still enjoy lunch, though, so we had a fun time boating out to a waterfront lunch on Pine Island.
Mr. UR did an excellent job of navigating the waterway, and though we were rained on a few times, it was a successful day of trying out boating on the intracoastal. Our trip back to the dock was with perfect timing - as soon as we got back the lightning and thunder cracked and we ran for the car.
Bars
There are so many places to choose from in the Cape Coral area if you would like to do a little waterfront dining - or drinking. I think we managed to eat all our of meals outside, or with a water view, over the weekend. Here's a few to choose from:
The Waterfront Restaurant, St. James City
We had lunch here on our boat trip. The Waterfront Restaurant, on Pine Island, has boat docks, outdoor and indoor seating, fresh local Grouper and homemade desserts. (And good oysters, too!)
The Boat House Tiki Bar & Grill, Cape Coral
The Boat House occupies a point on the Caloosahatchie River in Cape Coral. It has it's own private beach, boat docks, a fuel dock, and a multi-level restaurant and tiki bar. They are open 365 days per year, have daily drink specials and even offer breakfast for those early risers - or stay out all nighters.
Bert's Bar and Grill, Matlacha
Matlacha is a very small Florida fishing town untouched by the commercial development of so many other Florida towns. It's really only one street and is famous for fishing and it's resident celebrity, Miss Leoma Lovegrove, an artist known worldwide for her colorful paintings who has chosen Matlacha to house her gallery. (Her portrait of Jimmy Carter is housed in his presidential library and George W. Bush's hangs in his presidential library, also). We arrived too late in the day to tour her gallery - another one of those "I'll have to go back" places - but we were able to enjoy Bert's Bar and Grill.
Bert's colorful bar sits waterfront at Matlacha Pass (pronounced Matt-La-Shay) overlooking the mangroves and offers local seafood and music. We sat outside, of course, and chatted with a couple from England who told us of their love for Bert's and Matlacha. The food was good and the views were fantastic.
So that was our weekend of boating and bar hopping in Southwestern Florida. I'd highly recommend a visit to the area to boat the Intracoastal Waterway, if you like that sort of thing or a visit to Pine Island or Matlacha for a look at Old Florida.
How about you? Have you been to Southwest Florida?
Linking up with: My Corner of the World at Photographing New Zealand!
Where we Stayed
We rented an Air BnB for a weekend. (Unfortunately, it appears that this house is no longer available for rent) It was a 3 bedroom house at the end of a canal with an in ground pool, full kitchen, boat dock, 2 car garage and washer & dryer. It was located in a residential area but close to all that Cape Coral has to offer - and close to the Ft. Myers or Punta Gorda airports. And we took full advantage of having a swimming pool a few steps away the whole weekend.
What we Did
Boating
One of our main goals for the weekend was to rent a boat and explore the Intracoastal Waterway, the 3000 mile inland waterway running along the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico. Looking ahead to retirement for Mr. UR, we wanted to experience a canal front lifestyle, if only for a weekend, and see what boating in Southwest Florida would be like. So we watched the weather and rented a boat for the only full day we would be there. (We rented from this marina)
The ride out to the Intracoastal took us through the canals out to the main waterway. The boat rental company provided us with a map and clues to extra shallow water and hazards so we just followed the path already laid out for us. There were lots of boats out on this beautiful day - it seems that boating is a popular thing to do here, and with good reason.
Our goal was to head out to a restaurant for lunch and do a little swimming, also. Unfortunately, red tide - a bloom of toxic red algae that kills sealife - was happening so there would be no swimming. We could still enjoy lunch, though, so we had a fun time boating out to a waterfront lunch on Pine Island.
Mr. UR did an excellent job of navigating the waterway, and though we were rained on a few times, it was a successful day of trying out boating on the intracoastal. Our trip back to the dock was with perfect timing - as soon as we got back the lightning and thunder cracked and we ran for the car.
Bars
There are so many places to choose from in the Cape Coral area if you would like to do a little waterfront dining - or drinking. I think we managed to eat all our of meals outside, or with a water view, over the weekend. Here's a few to choose from:
The Waterfront Restaurant, St. James City
We had lunch here on our boat trip. The Waterfront Restaurant, on Pine Island, has boat docks, outdoor and indoor seating, fresh local Grouper and homemade desserts. (And good oysters, too!)
The Boat House Tiki Bar & Grill, Cape Coral
The Boat House occupies a point on the Caloosahatchie River in Cape Coral. It has it's own private beach, boat docks, a fuel dock, and a multi-level restaurant and tiki bar. They are open 365 days per year, have daily drink specials and even offer breakfast for those early risers - or stay out all nighters.
Bert's Bar and Grill, Matlacha
Matlacha is a very small Florida fishing town untouched by the commercial development of so many other Florida towns. It's really only one street and is famous for fishing and it's resident celebrity, Miss Leoma Lovegrove, an artist known worldwide for her colorful paintings who has chosen Matlacha to house her gallery. (Her portrait of Jimmy Carter is housed in his presidential library and George W. Bush's hangs in his presidential library, also). We arrived too late in the day to tour her gallery - another one of those "I'll have to go back" places - but we were able to enjoy Bert's Bar and Grill.
Bert's colorful bar sits waterfront at Matlacha Pass (pronounced Matt-La-Shay) overlooking the mangroves and offers local seafood and music. We sat outside, of course, and chatted with a couple from England who told us of their love for Bert's and Matlacha. The food was good and the views were fantastic.
So that was our weekend of boating and bar hopping in Southwestern Florida. I'd highly recommend a visit to the area to boat the Intracoastal Waterway, if you like that sort of thing or a visit to Pine Island or Matlacha for a look at Old Florida.
Linking up with: My Corner of the World at Photographing New Zealand!
Wow! It sure looks like you had a lot of fun! The scenery is wonderful and the room looks awesome.
ReplyDeleteThanks for joining and making My Corner of the World a success!
Thanks Betty! And thanks again for the link-up!
DeleteI always enjoy when you introduce me to new places on the East Coast. This looks like a wonderful weekend getaway filled with good food and drinks. Great activities on the water too with awesome views. Beautiful and serene looking photos.
ReplyDeleteThanks Mary! I always enjoy when you introduce me to new places on the West Coast!
DeleteLooks like a gorgeous place for a holiday or waterfront living. Enjoy looking for your retirement haven! Have a great week and thank you for visiting my blog last week.
ReplyDeleteThanks Jill! And thanks for visiting The Unpaved Road!
DeleteI can only imagine the beauty of Cape Coral in Florida. With over 400 miles of canals no wonder the locals spend their lives on the water. That Airbnb place looks quite comfortable. I always use them too.
ReplyDeleteIt is quite the beautiful place - especially if you're a water person. We really enjoyed it. We've been using Airbnb more and more lately as it's nice to have a "home" and a kitchen. Thanks for visiting, Anda!
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Thanks again.