Southwest Florida

Southwest Florida's Top Places

Sarasota, FL

Sarasota is the northernmost major city in Southwest Florida, is the county seat of Sarasota County, and has a population of over 800,000 in the greater metropolitan area (Sarasota, Bradenton, North Port, Venice, and Palmetto).

The greater Sarasota area, and Southwest Florida in general, is a popular destination for tourists looking for a more relaxed experience. As opposed to the fast-pace of Orlando, Central Florida, and its amusement parks, Southwest Florida is famous for its many white sand beaches, gardens, zoos, parks, preserves, museums, shopping and dining, and MLB spring training.

Sarasota is a mecca of culture, art, and nature. It is home to the The John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art, Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall, Asolo Repertory Theater, Mote Marine Lab, Marie Selby Botantical Gardens, and Sarasota Jungle Gardens.

Home of all Things Punta Gorda, Charlotte County, Florida

Ft. Myers, FL

Fort Myers is located in the southern area of Southwest Florida, is the county seat of Lee County, and has a population of over 600,000 in the greater metropolitan area (Fort Myers and Cape Coral).

Unlike most of Southwest Florida that has been largely undeveloped commercially, Fort Myers has seen a boom in its downtown real estate with high-rise residential, commercial development, and high tech industrial.

Fort Myers Downtown Commercial District is a United States designated Historic District that has 69 historic buildings, including the 1914 First National Bank, the Arcade Theatre, and the summer homes of both Thomas Edison and Henry Ford.

Fort Myers is also home to the MLB's Boston Red Sox and Minnesota Twins spring training facilities.

Ten Thousand Islands

Ten Thousand Islands is a chain of islands and mangrove islets in the southernmost area of Southwest Florida. It is south of Naples and just south of Marco Island. There are actually only hundreds of islands in the chain, and while most are uninhabited, some of them are, and many offer popular camping sites.

The northern section of Ten Thousand Islands is part of the Ten Thousand Islands National Wildlife Refuge and the southern section is part of the Everglades National Park.

Ten Thousand Lakes is a great place for camping, boating, canoeing, kayaking, wildlife viewing and photography, fishing, and hunting.

Grapefruit League

The Grapefruit League refers to the MLB teams that call Florida home for spring training (the Cactus League refers to teams in Arizona).

Of the 15 teams in the Grapefruit League, six teams have facilities in Southwest Florida and an additional four teams are a short distance away in neighboring Central Florida's Tampa Bay area.

The remaining five teams have facilities in South Florida in the Greater Miami Area, particularly West Palm Beach.

Southwest Florida Counties