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CONTACTS: Nancy Hamilton, Lee Rose (239)338-3500

 

Lee Island Coast’s natural assets win acclaim in “Best of Florida Awards”

 

October 15, 2002, LEE ISLAND COAST, FL – Florida’s best nature center, guided tour, shelling, and bird watching can all be found on the Lee Island Coast, according to 225,235 readers of Florida Monthly magazine who cast ballots in the magazine’s “2002 Best of Florida Awards.”

 

The publication’s readers voted in more than 115 categories for the seventh annual poll, appearing in the September issue.  The Lee Island Coast captured the “Best of Florida” status in the following divisions:

Best Nature Center: Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary (Bonita Springs)

                                (second-place): Calusa Nature Center & Planetarium (Fort Myers)

Best Guided Tour:   Six-Mile Cypress Slough Preserve (Fort Myers) (second-year winner)

Best Shelling Location: Sanibel Island (fifth-year winner)

                                      (second-place): Captiva Island

Best Place to Watch Birds: Six-Mile Cypress Slough Preserve (Fort Myers)

                                           (second-place): J.N. “Ding” Darling National Wildlife Refuge (Sanibel Island)  

Best Mini-Golf (third-place): Jungle Golf (Fort Myers)

Best Dinner Show/Theater (third-place): Broadway Palm Dinner Theatre (Fort Myers)

Best Gator Tail (second-place): R.J. Gator’s Florida Bar & Grill (Fort Myers)

Best Fishing Spot (third-place): Boca Grande

“With the survey covering all areas of the state – from Pensacola to Key West – it’s  gratifying that the Lee Island Coast continues to receive such accolades from Florida Monthly readers,” said D.T. Minich, C.D.M.E., executive director of the Lee Island Coast Visitor and Convention Bureau.  “It certainly reinforces the popularity of our destination’s nature-based attractions and activities.”

Editor’s note: The Lee Island Coast is located on the Gulf of Mexico in southwest Florida and includes Sanibel/ Captiva/Pine islands, Fort Myers Beach, Bonita Springs and beaches, historic Fort Myers, North Fort Myers, Cape Coral, Lehigh Acres, and Boca Grande.  Visit our Web site at www.LeeIslandCoast.com

NOTE NEW AREA CODE EFFECTIVE MARCH 2002: 239.