Fish Tale Marina is a full service marina off Fort Myers Beach. It offers bait, tackle, fuel, storage, charters, service, parts, and sales. You can rent powerboats from 16 to 22 feet, as well as rods, reels, bait buckets, and nets by the day, half-day, or week. The marina is located at Big Carlos Pass, which can be tricky if you don't know the area. Matanzas Pass is easier. Fish Tale is open every day except Christmas.

If you've never been to an arena football game, it's not like the NFL. The games are high scoring, and fans get close to the action in the indoor arenas. The Florida Firecats joined the league in 2001, and promptly lost five of their first seven games. Growing pains aside, the team puts on a good show. They play at TECO Arena in Estero from March to August. Tickets sell out in the small arena, so call ahead to reserve seats. Prices range from $8 to $38 for individual seats.

Professional ice hockey is hot in Florida. Not only are there two NHL teams, there there are also farm teams, including the minor league affiliate of the Carolina Hurricanes, the Florida Everblades. The team plays at TECO Arena in Estero and is part of the 26-team ECHL (East Coast Hockey League). The season lasts from October through April. Most home games start at 7:30p, but check the schedule to be sure. The arena also features a pro shop, birthday rooms, a video arcade, concessions and public skating.

The Boston Red Sox come to City of Palms Park in downtown Fort Myers every spring for Grapefruit League baseball. The American League Sox begin reporting in mid-February, and games run until the end of March. Box tickets are reasonably priced and so is the general admission cost. City of Palms Park seats almost close to 6,990, and there are a lot of expatriate Bostonians in Florida, so advance purchase is recommended. Park (for a cash fee) next to the ballpark.

Compulsive shoppers, hide your wallets. Covering 40,000 square feet, more than 900 vendors ply their wares every Friday, Saturday, and Sunday from 8am to 4pm, rain or shine (covered walkways help with adverse weather). Along with typical flea market fare, such as jewelry, books and antiques, there is a barbershop, outlet stores and even gorillaburgers. Colored lines on the floor help you find your way through the many booths. Parking and admission are free; on the other hand, the homemade birdfeeders and Florida t-shirts will empty your wallet.

MacIntosh Books was established in 1960, and it is the largest bookstore on Sanibel Island. The building is pale yellow, with a large clock over the doorway. Inside, they sell a variety of books: bestsellers, fiction, non-fiction, mysteries, and children's books. They specialize in books of local interest, such as books on hiking, boating, birding, shelling, and on the "Ding" Darling Wildlife Refuge. They keep a list of local bestsellers, and local authors include Sharon Doremus and Randy Wayne White. They also sell relaxing music cassettes and CDs.

You can spend an entire afternoon browsing through the Islander Trading Post, located on Sanibel Island. Islander Trading Post, this quaint shop is compared to a nineteenth-century general store, overflowing with antiques, gifts and collectibles. Antiques include an old-fashioned scale, washboard, kitchen hutch, pigeonhole desk and antique stove. They also have Depression glass, souvenir plates dating from the 1920s and old books and signs. Choose from vintage Russ teddy bears, nautical decorative items, Sanibel afghans and a wide assortment of candles, votives and potpourri.

Miromar Outlets features over 100 brand name stores, all selling at factory outlet prices. The salmon-colored Mediterranean-style building is right off exit 123 (Corkscrew Road) on Interstate 75, between Fort Myers and Naples, and is visible from the interstate. Stores include Adidas, Big & Tall Factory Store, Brooks Brothers Factory Store, Ellen Tracy, Farberware, Lenox Factory Store, Off 5th Saks Fifth Avenue and Polo Ralph Lauren. There are also open-air walkways, and restaurants such as the Blue Heron Tropical Café and Luna Rossa Italian Restaurant.

If you want to buy a shell lamp to remember your trip to Florida, The Shell Factory is the place to go. There are over 5 million shells, but that's a small part of this extensive entertainment complex. After a free tour of the shell warehouse, you can shop for souvenirs, jewelry, clothing, candles and more, plus visit a year-round Holiday Palace. The Waltzing Waters show is nightly. There are two restaurants, and the Corn Popper has 32 flavors of popcorn. There's even an African Art Gallery and exotic animals.

Indulge yourself in the sinful pleasures of dark chocolate, as Norman Love Confections brings to you one of the largest collections of handmade delicacies. With a number of skilled artisans at work under the guidance of Norman Love, a pro at the art of making chocolates himself, Norman Love Confections is one of the best in the business. They also offer wholesale purchases and gift packages that all include chocolate. Choose from a variety of chocolates with a number of flavors. The on-site coffee salon is where you can sit and chat while relishing the sinful delicacies. Be it wedding gifts, corporate gifts or birthday presents, by gifting chocolates, you gift a person sweet memories to cherish for a lifetime.