Even though the Florida sun has set and many sun-worshipers have gone, another group of visitors join the bustle at Fort Myers Beach. During the day, the beach scene attracts sunbathers, beach-going families and always an entertaining group of shorebirds. Once the sun sets, the crowd is drawn to the shoreline to watch the sun disappear below the Gulf waters. Other are coaxed toward the delicious smells that float up from sidewalk cafes and restaurants. Next to the pier, live entertainment features a one-man-show, interacting with an fun-loving crowd.
   This popular beach town is just a hop from Fort Myers. The first step in the hop is San Carlos Island. Once part of the mainland, the key was cut off by storm erosion and a churning hurricane. King Carlos was the chief of the Caloosa Natives, killed off by Spanish explorer, Menendez, long ago. Along with the area's Native names, a shell mound at the end of Connecticut Street are the only traces of earlier populations. A new causeway rises over Matanzas Pass and drops down to Estero Island and Fort Myers Beach. Estero Island, a lengthy barrier island, is the longest key in a successive chain, followed by Black Island and Big Hickory, which ends at Bonita Beach and then rejoins the mainland.

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