It’s not just armies that travel on empty stomachs — intrepid individuals and families seeking Florida fun appreciate easy access to food while they’re on the go. Here are some Southwest Florida attractions that deliver the fun and the fuel to keep going.
LEE COUNTY
Blossom & Brie
FUN: Blossom & Brie is a working farm, complete with pigs, heritage chickens, ducks, majestic longhorn cattle and outgoing miniature donkeys. Most are eager to greet visitors from within their fenced pastures and pens, especially visitors who stopped first at the restaurant cashier to pick up a $5 bunch of carrots.
Blossom & Brie also grows vegetables in elevated beds and a Freight Farm — a hydroponic farm built within a shipping container — allowing for a controlled environment year-round.
This working farm with its farm-to-table restaurant is worth the trip simply for the food — whether it’s brunch (Saturdays and Sundays), lunch (Wednesday through Friday) or dinner (Wednesday through Saturday).
Seafood gumbo, house-made bread and cinnamon rolls (worth the calories), smoked Red Wattle pulled pork sandwiches, jerk chicken, mushroom risotto and smashburgers are among the many well-executed dishes crafted with food raised or grown on the 86-acre farm.
Go during the day, at least the first time — as the property is tucked into a rural area of North Fort Myers — when the farm animals are awake. What the donkeys lack in stature, they more than make up for with their vocalizations.
Blossom, the matriarch donkey, and her offspring, Humphrey and Margaret, serve as guardians for the livestock, sounding a noisy alarm at the presence of predators. They are especially receptive to carrots.
Children are welcome; pets are not, for obvious reasons. It’s always wise to make a reservation. Check the website for special events, farm market days and wine dinners.
8250 Nalle Grade Road, North Fort Myers 239-385-0415 | blossomandbrie.com
Edison and Ford Winter Estates/ The Banyan Café
FUN: The men to whom these two historic homes belonged need little introduction. Suffice it to say that prodigious inventor Thomas Edison built his Seminole Lodge between McGregor Boulevard and the Caloosahatchee. His botanical garden and museum, along with the home of his next-door neighbor and friend, automaker and industrialist Henry Ford, occupy 21 choice acres on both sides of palm-lined McGregor Boulevard, just blocks from downtown. Lovers of history, architecture, botany and chemistry — as well as the just-plain-curious — flock to this site, which Mr. Edison occupied every winter from 1886 until his death in 1931. Ford purchased the adjoining property, known as The Mangoes, in 1916.
Guides provide comprehensive information on both homes as well as the Edison Ford Museum, botanical laboratory and the botanical gardens, which include more than 1,750 plants from around the world.
FOOD: Feeling hungry after a tour? The Banyan Café is on the grounds (admission fee not required). It operates out of a vintage teardrop camper under the sprawling banyan trees, serving serious coffee and treats. Open 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday, from October through April.
2350 McGregor Blvd., Fort Myers 239-334-7419 | edisonfordwinterestates.org
COLLIER COUNTY
Naples Botanical Garden/Fogg Café
FUN: Whether it’s a simple stroll, a guided tour or an in-depth workshop that seems appealing, visitors to the Naples Botanical Garden will find lush, tropical gardens to enjoy. There are special activities for birders, the family-friendly W.O.N.D.E.R. programs with fun lessons and activities, a guided one-mile walk with some light stretches and a lesson on how Florida’s natural ecosystems contribute to the planet’s health. Through April, the garden is open late (from 5 to 8 p.m.) on Wednesdays so visitors can enjoy the sunset.
FOOD: Like the botanical gardens, the Fogg Café is intentionally designed. Open daily (November through May), it has indoor and outdoor seating, both of which offer expansive views of the garden. The fast-casual café offers breakfast and lunch with a menu of fresh, contemporary fare. Breakfast features include avocado smash toast, banana bread, Belgian waffles and fresh fruit cups, along with a variety of coffees. For lunch, choose from fresh salads, including mango chicken salad and Fuji apple walnut salad, Caribbean shrimp tacos, burgers, brats, hand-cut fries and sweets for dessert.
4820 Bayshore Drive 239-643-7275 | naplesgarden.org
CHARLOTTE COUNTY
Babcock Ranch Eco Tours/Gator Shack Restaurant
FUN: Amid all the development taking place in southeastern Punta Gorda and northeastern Lee County – most notably the solar community of Babcock Ranch – a 14,000-acre working cattle ranch gives visitors a first-hand look at this region’s history and wildlife.
Take a 90-minute swamp buggy eco-tour of the Crescent B Ranch. The swamp buggy travels through multiple Florida ecosystems that are home to spotted owls, wild turkeys, wild boars, alligators and other native flora and fauna. A knowledgeable guide provides the narrative. There are walking trails to explore on your own, a photography tour at 7:30 a.m. on the first Saturday of the month and a night tour at 5:30 p.m. on the last Saturday of the month.
FOOD: The Gator Shack Restaurant offers a rotating selection of hearty Southern-style fare and barbecue. Its signature dish is gator bites served with homemade sauce. Other dishes include cheeseburgers, fried shrimp, chili, quesadillas, pulled pork and cornbread. The restaurant is open 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. daily.
8502 State Road 31, Punta Gorda 800-500-5583 | babcockranchecotours.com
WORTH THE TRIP
Solomon’s Castle/Boat in the Moat
FUN: The Castle Doctrine declares that “A man’s house is his castle.” New York transplant Howard Solomon – sculptor, painter, author and dreamer – took that literally, building an actual castle on a swampy 40-acre property in Ona, population 199, between Wauchula and Arcadia. Starting in the early ‘70s, King Howard built his 12,000-square-foot structure without formal blueprints or plans, incorporating a lot of found objects.
Solomon’s Castle’s shiny exterior comes from discarded aluminum offset printing plates he bought from a local newspaper. A lion sculpture starts with a discarded oil drum. Everything – from the soaring three-story building to the 90 stained-glass windows to the two sentries (Knight Day and Knight Night) at the castle entrance, hundreds of artworks inside and the (landlocked) Boat in the Moat outside – was hand done by Mr. Solomon. He died a decade ago at 81, but his castle remains, as do the punny scripts still used by guides. His daughter, Alane, manages castle operations.
FOOD: Boat in the Moat is a 60-foot replica of a 16th-century Portuguese galleon situated in the manmade moat. It’s the castle’s restaurant, built after years of requests by busloads of hungry tourists. Malteds and milkshakes, sandwiches, homemade chicken pot pie, meatloaf, salads and desserts (chocolate cherry cake, apple crisp) can be found on the menu.
4533 Solomon Road, Ona 863-494-6077 | solomonscastle.com
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