Exploring Fort Myers, Florida: A Perfect Stop Before the Keys
Fort Myers, Florida, is renowned for its stunning beaches, rich history, and vibrant downtown. It's also home to the Key West Express, a ferry that takes you from Fort Myers to Marco Island or Key West. This weekend, our adventure takes us to Key West, but first, we're spending a night in beautiful Fort Myers Beach.
Originally, I booked a charming tiny house to give you the full scoop on tiny living in Fort Myers. Unfortunately, due to an issue with the property, we had to switch plans and book a hotel at the last minute. No worries, though—there's always next time! We ended up staying at the Fort Myers Beach Hampton Inn Hotel, just a short 7-minute drive from the Key West Express terminal and only 25 minutes from downtown Fort Myers.
A Perfect Itinerary for Downtown Fort Myers
First Stop: Downtown House of Pizza (DHOP)
As usual, I created a simple itinerary to help us navigate Downtown Fort Myers, and what's the best way to kick off a great itinerary, especially after a long journey? Food, of course! For something easy, quick, and delicious, we opted for pizza. Our first stop: Downtown House of Pizza (DHOP).
DHOP serves up New York-style pizza by the slice and whole pies, with both vegan and non-vegan options. With slices as big as my face, we enjoyed three slices of pizza, a glass of wine, and a beer for just USD 24—pretty budget-friendly. I knew DHOP was going to be a hit for several reasons:
1. The dining area was bustling with families and friends enjoying pizza together.
2. Locals were frequently spotted carrying out two or more boxes of pizza.
3. You can watch the pizza chefs in action through the outside window.
I especially loved my vegan slice. It's often tough to find vegan pizza by the slice, and this one did not disappoint. The flavor was delicious and brought back fond memories of the yummy pizzas from my childhood.
Next Stop: Firestone Skybar
After DHOP, we took a short 5-minute walk to
Firestone Skybar. Firestone has three levels:
the Grill Room & Lounge, the Martini Bar, and the SkyBar. The SkyBar features beautiful views of the Riverwalk and the water, and it's the only waterfront rooftop bar in Fort Myers. They have a wide variety of cocktails and martinis, so I had to try one of their delicious martinis. The bartender recommended the Watermelon Martini for me, and my boyfriend got the High Five IPA, a local IPA from the Fort Myers Brewing Company. My watermelon martini was a great choice—sweet, but not too sweet and smooth. My boyfriend loves a good IPA and especially loves trying IPAs in different cities, so he thoroughly enjoyed the High Five IPA.
Unexpected Find: Downtown Social House (SoHo)
This next spot was not planned, but we saw it on the way to the Skybar and had a bird's eye view from the rooftop bar. Up next is
Downtown Social House (SoHo). This spot looked so fun, with games like cornhole and giant Connect Four, large and comfy patio furniture, and a live DJ. The outside space is the ultimate modern backyard. Inside had a bit of a different feel. The Inside bar was quiet enough to socialize and loud enough to hear the early 2000s hip-hop coming from the DJ outside. A wall of speakers surrounded a TV playing the Boston Celtics vs. Dallas Mavericks in the NBA finals. A mix of people sitting at tables drinking cocktails and those cheering for their favorite team filled the inside bar.
We made our way to SoHo just early enough to avoid the busy crowds (8:30 PM) and just late enough to see long lines forming (9:30 PM). I thoroughly enjoyed Social House and would definitely go back.
Sweet Treat: Best Ice Cream
After a bit of bar hopping, we made our way to
Best Ice Cream—and yes, that is the actual name. A 3-minute walk from SoHo, this ice cream shop has a whimsical under-the-sea theme. The decor is truly cute and makes you feel like a mermaid. The staff was equally as nice, especially when I asked, "What do you recommend?" I was recommended an ice cream with vanilla bean, lavender, chocolate chips, and added some blueberries called Luscious Lavender. My boyfriend stuck with the menu and ordered Belgium Oreo with Belgian Cookie Crunch and Oreo.
I almost forgot to mention, that the ice cream from Best Ice Cream is made to order. They use fresh ingredients and liquid nitrogen to make all of their items from scratch, so you could go off the menu and create your own as well as have some vegan ice cream like I did. My wonderful boyfriend got his ice cream vegan based so I could try some of his, how sweet. You can view staff making your treat through the glass windowpane which is almost as fun to watch as eating it. I thoroughly enjoyed my ice cream, normally I gravitate to Oreo ice cream, but the lavender was a nice treat. The taste was light and melts in your mouth. I could have stayed at Best Ice Cream and enjoyed my ice cream and the mermaid atmosphere longer but sadly they were closing, so we decided to take ice cream and walk along the river and around downtown a bit.
Late-Night Snack: Cabos Cantina Taco & Tequila Bar
Now, I do not encourage any dangerous activities, but as we walked down the sidewalks of downtown Fort Myers, we could see lights and lively music coming from a few alleyways. Curious, we decided to walk down a few to see where they would lead. We were met with a burger restaurant on one side and a few businesses. The further down we went, the louder the music grew, and a street performer serenaded the town with his song. Once we got to the intersection, we stood across from a restaurant called
Cabos Cantina Taco & Tequila Bar. Guess the first thing that popped into my head once I saw this restaurant? If you’re thinking margaritas...you're wrong. I only wanted chips and salsa for the road, but the bartender persuaded us into grabbing some margaritas. After all, Cabos Cantina Taco & Tequila Bar makes hand-crafted margaritas and serves them with 100% Blue Agave Tequila. The bartender didn't have to persuade us much. I ordered the prickly pear margarita on the rocks, and my boyfriend ordered a classic margarita, including an order of chips and salsa to go. The margaritas were delicious, and I wish we ordered a margarita flight so we could try all of their signature margaritas. Next time!
The restaurant was closing, so after we finished enjoying our drinks, we walked around the Patio DeLeon, where a few other bars, restaurants, and nightclubs are located. A few honorable mentions include
Wild About Popcorn, 10 Twenty-Five, Celsius Nightclub, The Indigo Room, The 86 Room, Taco-O-Rama, and Space 39 Martini Lounge. After our walk, we drove back to our hotel and settled in for the night.
The Journey to Key West Begins
The morning we have been waiting for has finally arrived! As I mentioned before, the hotel is a 7-minute drive to the port, and being an early Saturday morning, the drive was a breeze. Pulling into the Key West Express parking, the wonderful staff helped direct us where to park. Pro tip: Pay for your parking passes in advance; it'll save you a lot of trouble. Also, do not forget to print your boarding and parking passes before arriving. Fortunately, we had everything prepared, so we did not need to find out what happens if you don't prepare your documents in advance. Key West Express starts boarding an hour prior to departure, so if you want a good seat, arrive an hour early. We arrived 20 minutes after the boarding time, and most of the good seats were taken. That includes all the seats with tables, most of the seats at the front of the ship, and all the window tables on the second floor. At this point, our only choice was the last open row on the 2nd floor with little recline. But it's okay—after leaving our things, we walked around the ferry, saw the ship leave the port from the 3rd-floor deck, and then got seats at the bar. The bar seats were much more enjoyable than sitting upstairs.
At this point, we are making our way to Key West from Fort Myers Beach. Come back soon to know how my trip to Key West went. Ta-ta for now!
DHOP serves up New York-style pizza by the slice and whole pies, with both vegan and non-vegan options. With slices as big as my face, we enjoyed three slices of pizza, a glass of wine, and a beer for just USD 24—pretty budget-friendly. I knew DHOP was going to be a hit for several reasons:
I almost forgot to mention, that the ice cream from Best Ice Cream is made to order. They use fresh ingredients and liquid nitrogen to make all of their items from scratch, so you could go off the menu and create your own as well as have some vegan ice cream like I did. My wonderful boyfriend got his ice cream vegan based so I could try some of his, how sweet. You can view staff making your treat through the glass windowpane which is almost as fun to watch as eating it. I thoroughly enjoyed my ice cream, normally I gravitate to Oreo ice cream, but the lavender was a nice treat. The taste was light and melts in your mouth. I could have stayed at Best Ice Cream and enjoyed my ice cream and the mermaid atmosphere longer but sadly they were closing, so we decided to take ice cream and walk along the river and around downtown a bit.
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