Tapa Hop 2014 – Sold Out (but some tickets may still be found)

Fort Myers Beach 2014 Tapa Hop credit: http://fortmyersbeachtapahop.com/

If you don’t already have tickets, please note that the website says they are sold out — however, they also have a waiting list for unsold tickets and cancellations. Click here for more information.

It’s Tapa Hop time!  Fort Myers Beach’s yearly pub crawl features trolley transportation to six great area restaurants, each providing appetizer items or ‘tapas’ included in the price for the event.  The event will also include raffle prizes, grand prizes and a poker run. Don’t miss out on the fun!

Name: TAPA HOP 2014

Date: September 23, 2014

Time: 4:30 PM – 9:00 PM

This years participating restaurants are:

Skye’s Mexican and More
Pinchers Beach Bar and Grill
Island View Restaurant
Matanzas on the Bay
Castaway’s Bar and Grill
Junkanoo on the Beach
Nemo’s on the Beach

Fort Myers Beach Shrimp Festival – March 8 and 9

What began as a blessing of the shrimp boats 56 years ago has grown  to a major beach-front celebration of shrimp. The Fort Myers Beach Shrimp Festival is the largest two-day event on Estero Island! Come join the fun as Ft. Myers Beach (the home of the largest shrimp boat fleet on the Gulf Coast of the United States) celebrates its shrimp industry.

The festival begins at 10:00 a.m. Saturday, March 8, 2014, with a two mile parade. This 2 mile long parade runs down the main street of town (Estero Blvd.) from the beach school to the County Park and Festival Grounds on the beach.

There will be a variety of shrimp meals featuring locally caught wild shrimp and over 100 arts and crafts and fun food vendors will be selling their wares on and near the beach.

Do Your Tastebuds a Favor – 18th Annual Taste of the Beach

Come on down to Old San Carlos Blvd on Fort Myers Beach to enjoy tasty samples from local area restaurants as well as great live entertainment at the Taste of the Beach!

Don’t Miss the 18th Annual Taste of the Beach

The 18th Annual Taste of the Beach will be held Sunday April 28, 2013.  More than 20 restaurants will participate along with live on-stage concerts by country rock recording artists Craig Campbell, Brett Eldredge and the Grayson Rogers Band. Gator Country 101.9 and Island Food Group are sponsoring the live music stage from 11:00 a.m. until 7:00 p.m.

Restaurants will offer samples of their signature dishes available for purchase and compete for top Taste of the Beach Award honors in the categories of Best Appetizer, Best Dessert, and four awards for Best Entrée. Gates open at 11:00 a.m. and food will be served until 6:00 p.m. Tickets will b

e available on site. Admission is

$5 for adults and children over 12. Children under 12 are free. Food tickets will be $1.00 each, with a $5 average food serving price.

A panel of celebrity judges will award Taste of the Beach Best Taste Awards.  Oversight and balloting for the People’s C

hoice Award will be done by the Office of Lee County Supervisor of Elections Sharon L. Harrington.  This year’s awards will be announced onstage at 4:00 p.m.

Location:

Old San Carlos Blvd.
Fort Myers Beach, FL 33931

View a Map

Fees/Admission:

$5 Admission for Adults and children over 12

Food tickets are $1 each.

Ahoy Mateys! Pirates return to Fort Myers Beach for Columbus Day!

Pirates “Invade” Fort Myers Beach (photo credit: naplesnews.com)

The 7th Annual Fort Myers Beach Pirate Fest will take place along Old San Carlos Boulevard and throughout the beach region during Columbus Day Weekend on October 5th, 6th, and 7th, 2012. For four days, the area beneath the Matanzas Bridge will be transformed into the nostalgic pirate port of Tortuga, and will include hundreds of professional pirates from across the state and beyond, bringing one of the most exciting events of the year to Fort Myers Beach.

Throughout the weekend, kids’ activities will include interactive games with pirates, a treasure hunt, sea skirmishes, stage shows and costume contests. For adults, there will be a pirate ball and costume contest on Friday night, and a weekend-long pub crawl.

This year’s Festival will provide more entertainment than ever before for the whole family, featuring a Pirate Invasion, Parade, Fight Ring and a Ship-to-Shore Battle with black powder cannon and small arms fire! The festival will also feature two stages of live entertainment from some of the best Pirate Crews, Actors, Storytellers, and Musicians from across the state of Florida.

The festival itself supports the Fort Myers Beach Little League, and many of the local performers take advantage of the event to raise money for charitable causes. Although admission is free, a donation of “a buck-an-ear” ($2.00) is suggested.

Event hours are 7 to 11 p.m. on Friday and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday.  For more information, check out Pirate Fest’s website or Facebook page.

Looking for accommodations for the Pirate Fest? Cocoplum Beach House is located right on Fort Myers Beach, minutes from the festival location.

Grab a copy of Author Randy Wayne White’s newest novel, Gone, at book signing in Ft. Myers Beach

Randy Wayne White’s new novel, “Gone”

Join Randy Wayne White as he discusses and signs his newest novel, Gone, at Doc Ford’s Rum Bar and Grille in Fort Myers Beach on September 24th, from noon-6pm.

Gone features Hannah Smith, descendant of generations of resourceful Florida women with wit, spirit and backbone. A Sanibel fishing boat captain, Hannah didn’t plan to do anything with the investigative agency she inherited, until circumstances conspire to send her off to find a missing heiress. The trail of clues leads her from the enclaves of Captiva’s wealthiest to the mangrove swamps of the Ten Thousand Islands and deep into the recesses of the Florida underbelly never seen by tourists. Set in the world fans have come to love so well from the Doc Ford series, White once again captures the true spirit and essence of the land, its people, and its ecology, with an unforgettable new heroine.

Gone is a first-rate mystery from one of the true masters of the genre. Randy Wayne White brings all of his expert knowledge of the locale as well as his years of experience captaining a boat to bear in his writing, and it pays off with an explosive and exciting novel that will please both his legions of current fans and new ones alike.

Winner of the Conch Republic Award for literature and the John D. MacDonald Award for Literary Excellence, Randy Wayne White has written 19 Doc Ford novels, four nonfiction books, two cookbooks, and seven novels under the pseudonym Randy Striker. Before becoming a professional writer, he spent 13 years as the captain of a charter fishing boat in Florida’s Tarpon Bay. He lives on Sanibel Island, where he can regularly be found at Doc Ford’s Rum Bar and Grille.

Prepare your taste buds! 10th Annual Fall Tapa Hop – Sept. 18, 2012

10th Annual Ft. Myers Beach Tapa Hop

The Fort Myers Beach Chamber of Commerce will be holding its tenth annual Beach Tapa Hop Tuesday, Sept. 18, beginning at 5:00 p.m. What is a Tapa Hop? With the purchase of an event ticket you will board a Beach Trolley, visiting 5 great Ft. Myers Beach restaurants, each providing appetizer items or ‘tapas’ included in the price for the event.  This year’s participating establishments are:

• Parrot Key Caribbean Grill
• Gulfshore Grille
• Junkanoo
• Pinchers Crab Shack
• Big Game Bar & Grill

The event will also include raffle prizes, grand prizes and a poker run.  Check-in begins at 5pm at Parrot Key Caribbean Grill. The first Beach Trolley will depart at 5:30 p.m. All Trolleys will return to the Big Game Waterfront Grill by 9pm for dessert, the final prize drawings and poker awards. With the nominal additional purchase of $1 per Poker Score Card (no limit – while they last) the player will draw a playing card at each of the 5 locations. The winner will be determined at the final restaurant location.

Tickets are $30 in advance and $35 at the door and can be purchased from the Greater Fort Myers Beach Chamber of Commerce online at http://bit.ly/OLr7FO.

Ten Great Reasons to Visit Fort Myers Beach, Florida

If you long for a vacation that consists of beaches, water sports, nature, history and culture, then Fort Myers Beach is just what you’re looking for.

Warm Climate

Fort Myers Beach enjoys a warm climate almost year round. The weather is mild with plenty of sunshine and cool breezes. Although January is typically the coolest month, the average high is 75°F, making Fort Myers Beach the perfect destination year round.

Enjoy the Beach

It shouldn’t come as a surprise that no trip to Fort Myers Beach would be complete without spending some time on the beach. Have a barbecue, go for a swim or just grab a good book and relax in the sand. The choice is yours!

Go Golfing

Florida is known for its wide variety of golf courses, and Lee County is no exception. With no cold season, the courses are open year round, but are less crowded in the warmer summer months of May to October. Nearby Fort Myers boasts many golf courses, but if you prefer, you don’t even have to leave Fort Myers Beach: The 18-hole “Bay Beach” course at the Fort Myers Beach Golf Club facility features 3,091 yards of golf from the longest tees for a par of 60.

Ride a Bike

With warm weather year round and a plethora of safe bike paths, local residents and visitors alike love to ride bikes in Fort Myers Beach. Rent a bike or bring your own and explore the many gems in and around Fort Myers Beach.

Go Birdwatching

Fort Myers Beach is a very popular tourist destination, but also provides excellent habitat for many species of birds throughout the area. Nearby Lovers Key State Park attracts American white pelicans, black-bellied plovers, rose-breasted grosbeaks and other colorful birds.

Go Fishing

Fort Myers Beach is well known for its plentiful fishing opportunities. This is the destination for a relaxing day on the water, whether you are a beginner who is new to fishing, or an experienced angler catching grouper, snapper, mackerel and cobia for dinner.

Try a New Watersport

If you’ve never tried Stand Up Paddleboarding (SUP) or kayaking, Fort Myers Beach is a great place to experience these for the first time. The calm Gulf waters and abundance of wildlife make this a must-do on your next trip to Fort Myers Beach.

Go Shopping

Come prepared for some great shopping. There are plenty of unique gift and souvenir shops in Fort Myers Beach, but if you’re looking to do some serious shopping, don’t miss nearby Tanger Outlet Mall and Miromar Factory Outlet Stores.

Spend a Night on the Town

After you’ve enjoyed the gorgeous sunset in Fort Myers Beach, the fun is far from over. Dozens of mouth-watering restaurants and thrilling bars and clubs make for an unforgettable evening in this city.

Great Accommodations

As a tourism destination, there are countless accommodation options in Fort Myers Beach. There are plenty of choices for every possible price range and budget. Whether you’re getting away for a romantic weekend or a family vacation, Fort Myers Beach has just what you’re looking for.

With these ten great reasons to visit Fort Myers Beach, Florida, what are you waiting for? Make Fort Myers Beach your next vacation destination. You’ll be glad you did!

Crowds line up for shrimp and … more shrimp!

Get your Pink Gulf Shrimp!

With its humble beginnings as the Blessing of the Shrimp Fleet over 50 years ago, the Ft. Myers Beach Shrimp Festival has become a world famous beach-front celebration of shrimp.  Every year since 1959, the Fort Myers Beach Lions have been boiling and serving delicious Gulf Pink Shrimp to lucky festival attendees! The secrets of perfectly cooked ‘peel and eat’ shrimp have been passed from boil-master to boil-master through the years, as well as the secret recipe for Lions delicious cocktail sauce.

It all starts, of course, with the finest shrimp the Gulf can offer. Delivered straight from the Fort Myers Beach Shrimp Boat Fleet, the Gulf Pink Shrimp is unsurpassed in flavor and versatility. Beach Lions serve over one thousand pounds of the fresh local sweet pink crustaceans every year, making the Shrimp Boil one of the main attractions of this 52nd annual festival.

Lions toil and boil for two days, from 10 until six, to bring the goodness of the Gulf directly to the savvy folks in the “Shrimp Line”. Following the two-hour beach parade Saturday morning the line forms for the best and freshest food that southwest Florida has to offer. One half pound of steaming shrimp is served on every plate, accompanied by sauce and slaw.

While they are there, Festival goers also take the opportunity to browse and buy from the 100 beach crafters and vendors who have made this event one of the best beach festivals in the South and a mecca for tens of thousands of visitors each year. On the way through the festival there’s usually some music to enjoy, a collectable Official Festival tee shirt, hat or tank top, an opportunity to watch the crowning of the next Shrimp Festival Queen, and a huge selection of other eating and entertainment opportunities.

What better way to spend a Saturday or Sunday afternoon than enjoying shrimp at the edge of the Gulf of Mexico and dipping your toes into the sparkling sea too?

Many people come both days just for the shrimp boil, which is testament to the goodness dished out by the Fort Myers Beach Lions. A better shrimp dinner cannot be found! While Bubba Gump may be able to cook shrimp in a variety of ways, the Fort Myers Beach Lions excel in the pureness of boiled shrimp. After all, this is the SHRIMP festival!

Fort Myers Beach Shrimp Festival

March 10-11, 2012

For daily schedule of events and more information click here.

Fort Myers Beach Lions serve up Shrimp Dinners

Restaurant Review – Doc Ford’s Rum Bar and Grille in Fort Myers Beach, FL

Seared Tuna Appetizer

This weekend we had lunch at the Fort Myers Beach location of Doc Ford’s Rum Bar and Grille. Inspired by author Randy Wayne White’s novels about a marine biologist named Doc Ford, the restaurant is located on the waterfront, just south of the bridge to Estero Island at Matanzas Pass.

The service was efficient, and the food was pretty good too. We ordered an Ahi Tuna appetizer ($10.95). The presentation was beautiful and the taste was great, but there definitely could have been more tuna on the plate. Four thin little slices of the fish left us wanting more.

For entrees,we ordered a Lime Panko Crusted Fish Sandwich ($9.95), which according to the menu, was voted Best Fish Sandwich. We can see (er, taste) why! Although the bun was soggy, making the sandwich difficult to eat, the fish itself was truly delicious. Also, we ordered our old standby, the Campeche Fish Tacos ($13.95) with yellow rice. As usual, the tacos did not disappoint. Finally, the Grouper Sandwich Grilled ($13.95) with a side of mashed potatoes also earned thumbs up. The fish was very fresh and cooked just right.

On your way out, don’t forget to check out the souvenirs at Doc Ford’s, including T-shirts, caps, and of course, White’s books. We recommend the bottles of Amazon hot sauce named for the books’ characters. There’s indoor and outdoor seating available, with views of the Gulf, and on some nights,  live music on the waterfront.

Doc Ford's 'house' hot sauces

Doc Ford’s Fort Myers Beach Rum Bar & Grille
708 Fishermans Wharf
Fort Myers Beach, Florida 33931