The Jacksonville Beach Pier is close to a quarter mile long. -STEPHANIE DAVIS / FLORIDA WEEKLY
I love downtown Fort Myers – but the truth is, I love almost all downtowns – especially in the state of Florida.
I remember when my family and I moved to Southwest Florida and settled on Fort Myers Beach when I was still in grade school in the mid-1970s (I love telling younger people that I’m from the 1900s). When we arrived from Ohio, the landscape was a bit of a shock. Where were the trees? Where were the old-timey historic buildings? Where were the seasons? And, most importantly, what were these giant, disgusting, winged monsters that folks called “palmetto bugs”? It wasn’t until I moved downtown when I was in my 30s that I truly started appreciating my new hometown. The history I craved was, of course, in the historic district. It was there that I could check out buildings that were more than 100 years old and see enormous, romantic banyan trees. I’d have to live without seasons – and while I still love visiting our beaches on a regular basis, downtown is more my jam.
A long drive up the state
So, when my husband and I travel, like we did the second week of 2026 to visit family in Jacksonville, I tend to drive Todd nuts by insisting that we take the “long way” so that we drive through all the little Florida towns (like most guys, he just wants to “get there”). And, of course, Jacksonville is a good five to six hours away from here, so just call it a day’s drive. Florida is a ridiculously long state. In fact, if you were to drive from Key West to Pensacola, it would take you a very boring 13 hours or so (our interstates – like most – aren’t exactly scenic) unless you enjoy lots of billboards telling you to go to Orlando (no thank you).
Florida flora, fauna and fun
But taking the scenic route is so much more fun. I love how when you’re driving north in Florida, the amount of trees increases, and most have Spanish moss hanging from them, the homes get older, and you get to see historic cracker houses with big breezy porches and lots of flora and fauna. And you don’t have to go all the way to Jacksonville. You can find all of this so much closer – like in Arcadia, Sarasota, and St. Petersburg. If you feel like venturing across or further up the state, there are super cool downtowns like Micanopy near Gainesville, filled with tons of antique and thrift stores; Mount Dora, which is a haven for folks who are into psychics and a new age vibe surrounded by charm; and Delray Beach on the east coast, known for its many art galleries and festivals.
Beautiful beaches, charming neighborhoods
This trip was centered on Jacksonville Beach, where I’d never really been before, and it was darling. A very classic beachy town, but with seasons – I spotted no brave swimmers in the chilly Atlantic ocean during my mid-morning beach walks while we were there – but there were plenty of surfers catching waves in their wetsuits. We went to an enormous antique mall called Avonlea that even had a café and a beer and wine bar – genius. Walking around shopping with wine in hand is known to loosen wallets — I’m living proof. We loved riding our bikes (it’s such a pedestrian-friendly beach) and seeing so many different styles of architecture, but mostly pastel ranch houses built in the ‘50s and ‘60s that smacked mid-century Florida. Plus, Jacksonville Beach boasts a pier that stretches out over the ocean for nearly a quarter of a mile!
Also, here’s the joy of seasons – since Northeastern Florida’s tourist season is summertime, spending a week in January up there meant very little traffic, crowds, long lines, or heat and humidity. The weather was delicious, with highs in the 70s and evening lows in the 50s.
Stephanie Davis. -COURTESY PHOTO
As always, I love encouraging folks to break out for daytrips or weekend jaunts in our lovely state to check out all the downtowns. By the way, when Todd and I were in the car, I read an article online, “Florida’s Best Small Towns”, and downtown Fort Myers was right there in the top 10. We have so much to discover in this state and I intend to see all there is to see.
Stephanie Davis is a recovering girl-about-town formerly known as the Downtown Diva. A nearly native Southwest Floridian, when she’s not photographing events for Florida Weekly, she’s perfectly content to stay at home binging Netflix with her husband and two cats, Tennessee and Lilibet.