What an awesome way to celebrate at a local event and eat some great food. It was the 58th annual…read moreshrimp festival in Fort Myers Beach! The north end of the island gets really crowded with the celebrations. Saturday included a 5k run and the voting for the annual shrimp festival queen. We attended on Sunday, which was a bit more quiet and included a 1pm all you can eat shrimp contest. The main organization is done by the FMB Lyons club. There are abundant choices for food or shopping in the few block area of the festival. For us, the main event is eating the peel and eat Florida pink gulf shrimp! Yum! We try to attend every year, as it is a fun time and a great fundraiser for the community!

It was pretty great and I even enjoyed it considering I don't love seafood! I had some fried shrimp…read moreand some fries. There were tons of other varieties available and lots of other food options that I was certainly not brave enough to try. There were also plenty of vendors around selling food and trinkets they had available, and it was all along the beautiful beach. Definitely give it a try.

It's always fun seeing artists show their creations at Art Fest. Also,it's fun listening to live…read moremusic & enjoying the food while we're there.

Lots of talented people with expensive art work, but a girl can dream,can't she? If I had an…read moreunlimited bank account, there were several booths I would have supported- but most of them are way above my pay grade. But they are very talented and I respect that!

This is the largest sand sculpting competition in the United States. Paying a visit has become a…read moreThanksgiving weekend tradition for us. This year the event took place over ten days with a different competition each day. We like to come over on Sunday when everything has been built and the festival is closing up. Parking is limited at the actual event so you park in a field a few miles from the festival and they transport you by a bus limousine. Transportation is extremely quick and reliable. At the field you can also purchase the $7 entry wristband. In addition to an amazing array of sand sculptures on the beach there is also a kids activity area and food and merchandise vendors. During our visit we got to see a head to head speed sand sculpting competition. When the rest of the country is covered in snow there is nothing like heading to a sunny beach to view sand sculptures at an event that can only be held in Florida. Some of my favorite sculptures this year included the one by Seminole Hard Rock which was a ship wreck broken in half. On one side was a woman in distress as sharks circled and on the other side was a happy sailor who had secured the case of rum. Other sculptures included dragons, castles, the Wizard of Oz, and tributes to the animals lost in the red tide and the firefighters who fought the wild fire in California. Pictures can't do these works of art justice. They need to be seen in person to be fully appreciated. There is an area for professionals and one for amateurs. A visit to this festival is not complete without watching the sun set over the water and then heading over to dinner at Coconut Jack's. I love the west coast and this festival provides the perfect excuse to visit. It's become one of our favorite events to start the winter holiday season.

Fun to visit! Lots of professional and amateur sculptures. Food trucks and drink tents as well as…read moreother vendors. There is also an area where professional sculptures do demonstrations! Wear a hat, it can get hot! Add in the cost of parking and it can be an expensive day, but worth the trip at least once in a lifetime to see! We generally take an hour to see all sculptures depending g on how busy it is.

Lake Placid is known as the Caladium Capital of the World. Ninety-eight percent of the world's…read morecaladium bulbs are grown in Lake Placid. Although native to South America, caladiums are popular house plants that are easily propagated from tubers, or bulbs. Ninety-eight percent of the world's tubers are grown in Lake Placid on fourteen caladium farms. To celebrate the importance of caladiums to the Lake Placid economy, an annual festival is held late July. This year was the 34th annual Caladium Festival. I always wanted to attend so I am happy I made it happen this year. It was worth the drive to take part in this charming celebration. The festival is held over three days, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. A car show is held in nearby Devane Park on Saturday. The main events of the Caladium Festival take place in Stuart Park. There is plenty of free parking in a field next to the park. In Stuart Park you will find artisan tents, food, live entertainment, and of course caladiums for sale along with other kinds of plants. Do not miss the Elk tent for their popular strawberry shortcake ice cream dessert. For only $6 it benefits their children's charity. The Masonic Lodge sells fried catfish and the Knights of Columbus make pulled pork. There are other tents and trucks selling every kind of food you can imagine not to mention all of the nearby cafe's, restaurants, and coffee and ice cream shops which will also have food and drinks for sale. A highlight of the festival is shopping for caladiums at the numerous tents in Stuart Park. Before this festival I really never gave much thought to caladiums but I was impressed with how pretty they are and how many different shades of pink and red they came in. They make attractive and hardy house plants and ground cover for the garden. Other items I saw for sale included tropical wine, local honey, clothes, accessories, jewelry, and art. Almost of all of the area businesses were also selling caladium themed merchandise. The festival also has a floral arrangement competition sponsored by The Lake Placid Garden Club, a Caladium Festival art competition, and the Tiny and Little Miss Caladium Festival Pageant. For $18 you can purchase a bus ticket from the Women's Club and take an hour long tour of the caladium farms. Throughout the festival there is live entertainment on the stage in Stuart Park. It was really hot throughout the day and Advent Health was on hand with free cold water, cooling towels and backpacks, and a cooling off misting area. Other stops I made during the festival which I really enjoyed were to the Lake Placid Historical Society and Museum where I took in a little town history and enjoyed a complimentary cold water and to the Caladium Arts and Crafts Cooperative where I shopped local artisans. Of course I couldn't help but admire all of the murals in the downtown that gave Lake Placid its other nickname, Town of Murals. If you are thinking about attending this festival, do it! The folks of Lake Placid are some of the friendliest you will meet in Florida.

Lake Placid, Florida is the caladium capital of the world, and every year they have a festival to…read morecelebrate. This year, 2021, was the festival's 30th year, and my first time attending. The festival ran from 9 am - 4 pm on Friday and Saturday, and 10 am - 3 pm on Sunday. In addition to the Arts and Crafts Show and Plant Show which ran all three days, they also had a Car & Bike show on Saturday. You were encouraged to buy bus tickets at the show to tour the nearby caladium farms, but we did not do this. Parking was easy because we arrived early. The first thing we did was go the closest tent to buy caladiums. I bought a flat of 10 different caladium plants for $24, which is dirt cheap. I was thrilled that there was also cactus vendor, and ended up buying a few succulents, also at outstanding prices. I went home with a new bromeliad too - I can't say no when it comes to cool plants. The festival was much larger than I expected it to be, with a nice assortment of craft vendors selling a variety of products. When the heat became too much, we went inside a nearby building to vote on our favorite piece of caladium art, and caladium plant display. I love that the church was handing out ice water, and there was a water truck you could refill your water bottle at. There were plenty of food vendors, and the fresh fruit mix vendor was perfect for this steamy day. Make sure you wear plenty of sunscreen if you go; while there were a few shade tents set up to eat at, and listen to the live assortment of musical acts, it was broiling outside. A great time was had by all, and we will definitely be back next year.

Mango Mania 2017 is probably a misnomer. Greater Pine Island Chamber of Commerce sponsored this…read moreevent officially as Mango Mania Tropical Fruit Festival in German American Social club in Cape Coral. So, it is not only mangos, other tropical fruits such as coconut, lychee, Carambola or starfruit, dragon fruit and others are available. The key is weather cooperating. Different year may have different fruits. This year, I noticed we have mangos, and coconut vendors but did not have lychee, carambola, starfruit, dragon fruit, or jack fruit vendors. Mangos are readily available due to different mango harvest in early, middle or late season. Many of them are grown locally in the groves or in their backyard! There are arts and craft vendors all over the 100+ lots ranging from jewelry, plants, beer and food, and boat vendors. Wait there is more, a lobster taxidermist shows off his prize collection! Or perhaps just pick up your mango tree to plant in your backyard! When you exhausted from the walking and heat, you can sit down and enjoy your mango smoothie, soda, beer or mixed drink with food from Old Fish House, or shish kebab. Live music with a small dancing area is available as well as carnival for kids in the back end. There is a reasonable admission charge of $6 per person. For a week-end event jam-packed with music, arts and craft vendors, this is good place to visit as a family fun event.

Very very very disappointed. $6 entry fee, which I hope goes back to farmers or good cause not to…read moreprofitable company. Didn't get to try any mangos nor any information on local growers. Only one booth was giving out samples and the line was so long what a waste of money and boat to educate people how to grow mangos or why it's so native to pine island.

First year coming to the Cabbage Festival. My boyfriend and I set up a tent promoting him(Realtor)…read moreand his brokerage. We are having so much fun meeting some really nice people! Definitely will come back next year.

Came out here last weekend in February with Paul and Arlene H for swamp cabbage palm festival for…read morecar show, parade, festival food. We got there early watched some of the parade at 10:00 caught the end of an armadillo races. We saw a few friends and had a great time. It's fun for all ages and a great way to re-live some of my small hometown memories of life in a small town. Pro tip visit the food venders early before or during the parade. Wait times are zero. Wear comfortable shoes and go under the bridge to cross bridge at because the police are trying to keep traffic moving on bridge st. Food 4 indian fry bread/indian burgers/pumpkin fry bread was delicious swamp cabbage in a cup was good too. Not a big fan of this delicacy. The fritter version was a little better with hot sauce. Ambiance 4 lots to do and see. Service 4 small town hospitality Location 3 Value 3 buy a collector mug then sweet tea refills for a buck hit the spot. (See Paul H. Picture) Swamp cabbage pics are also on IG, twitter #swapcabbagefest #swampage 12/2015

Night Lights in the Garden is an annual holiday event staged by the Naples Botanical Garden. The…read moreinaugural event was held in 2009 using tiki torches. It's come a long way since then. Night Lights in the Gardens runs from November 27 to December 23, December 26-30, and January 1-3, from 6 to 9 most evenings, 10 PM on select nights. They are limiting the number of guests due to Covid so you must buy your tickets ahead of time on their website. To further protect people their is a suggested event route set up, 2 entrances and exists to prevent people from gathering close, and masks are required. Adult admission is $25. If you are a garden member, tickets are $12. If I lived close by I would definitely purchase a membership. Don't wait to purchase your tickets, the night I attended was sold out. I had a little problem purchasing my ticket and I just want to thank Katy from the bottom of my heart. She went way beyond anything she had to do so I could attend the event. Katy is an absolute gem and if you are reading this, thank you so much and I am wishing you the happiest of holidays. This even is 5 stars all the way. Just pulling up to the garden, I was already dazzled by the lights they had set up. Every night there is live music on the water garden stage. On the night I visited it was a duo, Kelly and Mason signing beautiful slowed down arrangements of pop song classics. The garden had the coolest lighted stools set up for people to sit on while they listened to the music. Pairing perfectly with the music was the delicious cocktail the garden created. Called Holiday at the Beach ($10), it had Malibu coconut rum, peach schnapps, pineapple and cranberry juice served over ice with a cherry and umbrella garnish. It was so delicious and this is going to be my new holiday cocktail. I can't wait to recreate it with the rum I had leftover from Thanksgiving. The cocktail can be purchased along with beer, wine, water, and soft drinks at a table in the garden and at the Frogg Cafe which was also serving a full menu. The lights were so amazing. I don't think my pictures begin to do the event justice. In addition to all of the plants and trees that were bathed in multi colored electric light, there were also special exhibit sculptures, from Steve Tobin, Nature Underground. Also scattered throughout the garden were trees created out of plants by the gardeners. I can't even begin to express how magical and beautiful the gardens are. The lights are used to accentuate the natural beauty of the plants. You can even have some fun shopping at the fantastically curated gift shop. When you purchase items you can help support the garden and knock some gifts off your list at the same time. I had the best time at this event and I highly recommend it. It is definitely worth coming out for even if you live on the east coast of Florida as I do. It was the perfect kick off for the holiday season. Grab your family and celebrate the real meaning of the holidays by getting together and attending this event. Long after who gave what is forgotten, the memories of precious time spent together will be treasured.

The Johnsonville Night Light show at the Naples Botanical Gardens was very underwhelming. There was…read morenothing "spectacular" about. I wish the music was more festive and upbeat too. it was my first time at the Botanical Gardens and I can't wait to go back and see the gardens during the day in sunlight! Looks like a beautiful place!

This entire festival experience has been AWFUL!!! VIP Packages... THOUSANDS of dollars and NOBODY…read morehere has had a clue wth is going on. Organization is NON-EXISTENT!!! This was my daughter's first festival (19 th birthday), my first Okee festival and I will NEVER, AND I MEAN NEVERRRRRR DO THIS AGAIN!!! Think the WORST experience possible, and multiply that by a million!!! Anything and everything that could be wrong, go sideways or just be a flat out horrible experience... that's what this has been!!! I CAN'T WAIT TO LEAVE AND GO HOME!!!

Music festivals will forever be what you make of them. I have always had great experiences at Okee…read more My absolute favorite set of all times was year two when Usher came out with The Roots as his live band. I had an entire emotional experience that day and loved every minute of it!! Please always look after those around you and take care of them.