Beautiful kitchen with all modern conveniences.

Local Color: Though relatively new by most vacation town standards, Cape Coral has definitely gotten the hang of showing people a good time. It was built to serve as a haven for harried folks, and lives and breathes to ensure that stress is forgotten and anxiety is chased away. Cape Coral exists on a privileged stretch of the Gulf coast, is interwoven with roomy canals, and brims with recreation opportunities of all kinds. If you aren’t climbing the walls of your cubicle quite yet, read on for more reasons to stop by for a visit.

This is one of Florida’s fastest growing areas, meaning that there must be something attractive about living here or at least just visiting. Don’t think that this translates to teeming hordes of golfers and retirees all jammed together, however; Cape Coral is Florida’s third largest city geographically, so there’s plenty of room to spread out.

Southwest Florida is known for its delightful weather. Sunshine is practically constant, making each day comfortably, beautifully predictable. The summers can be a bit humid and quite rainy, but winters are near-perfect, especially if you’re escaping from a colder, crueler climate. These are the months when it makes the most sense to come on down, as nothing replenishes the body, mind and soul like stealing a few rays of sun when your body least expects it.

Cape Coral boasts some of the best recreation facilities in the state, which is saying a lot considering that Florida is one giant playground. Anything you can imagine, anything you’ve been craving that involves feeling light as a feather while flitting across the water, can be engaged in while you’re here. Jet skiing, sailing, fishing, snorkeling, water tubing, and many more diversions along these lines will have you feeling like a responsibility-free kid again.

intersperse your gulf time with onshore activities to get the full experience of Cape Coral. Golf courses and tennis courts will allow you to burn a few calories without a sense of obligation, and this is just the beginning. Rollerblading, biking, jogging and walking around the area will all further acquaint you with this happy town while recharging your batteries in the healthiest of ways. In other words, staying fit while you’re in Florida will be pretty painless, so come to think of it, try to bring your sneakers as well as your sandals.

Spend some time walking along the shoreline if you have an interest in wildlife. At low tide, you’ll have a good chance of glimpsing manatees and in late afternoons you’ll see birds of all kinds fishing for their dinner. Kayak tours will take you through Matlacha Pass back country and a couple of museums will further enlighten you as to what kinds of flora and fauna inhabit this vibrant habitat. Save a little time for beach-combing, too.