Accord Real Estate Group

JetBlue Park Welcomes Red Sox in Fort Myers

loddes@accord-realestate.com

The new spring training home of the Boston Red Sox is now open in Southwest Florida.

JetBlue Park is the largest sports facility in the Southwest Florida, holding up to 11,000 spectators.

The stadium is located at 11581 Daniels Parkway, Fort Myers, FL 33913. It is located just north of the original entrance to the Southwest Florida International Airport.

The new stadium evolved as a vision of the Boston Red Sox by transplanting the venerable Fenway Park in Boston to paradise.

In order to replicate the feel of Fenway, the JetBlue Park at Fenway South architects had to recreate the original Fenway Park’s focal point; the iconic green wall, better known as the Green Monsterr.

The obvious similarities between Fenway Park and JetBlue Park are the presence of the 211-foot long green wall that extends from the left-field foul pole. Hitting a ball over it for a home run will be tougher in Fort Myers than in Boston. The wall stands 37-feet tall in Boston compared to 43 feet in Fort Myers.

The manual scoreboard in Fort Myers was used in Boston for about 30 years. It has been modified to be operated from the front of it, as offices are located behind the JetBlue Park’s green wall.

Tickets prices for spring training games will range from $5.00 (lawn seating behind right field bullpen) to $46.00. The stadium will also have three luxury suites ($3,000 not including food and drink).

Most of the 18 games for the 2012 spring traning session are sold out but to check you can call 888-REDSOX6 (617-226-6000 or 239-334-4700)

The 'Sanibel Stoop'

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Sanibel Island is unique in that it lies east and west, different than most islands which allows Sanibel to catch abundant sea shells. It is world renowned for its shells and people from all over the world come to collect and admire these “treasures from the sea”. You will find young and old with buckets, bags and nets collecting shells. This stance has come to be known as the “Sanibel Stoop”.

Lee County ranked high in list of top 15 tourist destinations

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TripAdvisor, Inc., the world’s largest travel site, has ranked The Beaches of Fort Myers & Sanibel as No. 3 on its list of top 15 U.S. destinations on the rise for 2012 based on feedback fromTripAdvisor travelers and editors.

Lee County follows No. 1 Nashville, Tenn. and No. 2 Austin, Texas on the diverse list of top destinations that according to TripAdvisor have shown a “remarkable increase in traveler reviews on TripAdvisor.com over the last year.”

Lee County outranked Pensacola (No. 5) and St. Augustine (No. 9) as the only other Florida destinations on the list.

In summarizing the Lee County destination, TripAdvisor said, “Most visitors go to Fort Myers for the deep-sea fishing, the golf courses and the famous white sand beaches that line the Gulf Coast. Attractions include the winter estates of Henry Ford and Thomas Edison, as well as nearby Naples and the islands of Sanibel and Captiva.”

Last year, TripAdvisor also ranked Sanibel and Captiva islands high in its inaugural 2011 Travelers’ Choice Beach awards.

In the “Top 25 Beaches in the World” category, Sanibel Island ranked No. 16, while on the “Top 25 Beaches in the United States” list, Sanibel Island was rated No. 6 and Captiva Island came in at No. 8.

Bowman’s Beach Lauded as Nation’s Top Secluded Beach

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In December 2011, www.shermanstravel.com named Sanibel Island’s Bowman’s Beach No. 1 in its top 10 list of secluded U.S beaches.

“The secret’s out about the beauty of Sanibel Island’s linen-white sand beaches,” reported the site.

“So you won’t be alone in searching for a stretch of a secluded U.S. beach to call your own. But that’s just what you’ll get when you leave your car and make the quarter-mile walk to Bowman’s Beach, Sanibel’s most peaceful place.

The island is well-known as one of the best shelling spots in the country, but you’ll find little competition here.”

Frommer Selects Sanibel Island as No. 1 Favorite Travel Destination

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Island is the number one travel destination in the world, according to travel guru Arthur Frommer, the mastermind behind Frommer's guidebooks and budget travel magazine.

Frommer recently ranked his ten favorite places to visit and listed Sanibel first above destinations like Bali and Paris.

Sanibel Island residents are celebrating the top honors from such a respected travel writer.

The island has won many travel awards and high rankings, but this carries special weight because it is Frommer's personal favorite.

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On the web site Frommer noted, "Off the west coast of the Sunshine State, a few miles from Fort Myers, is this idyllic haven of white-sand beaches, condos whose seafront apartments are available for weekly rentals, excellent restaurants, good shopping and most important, the Ding Darling Nature Preserve, visited by thousands of birds of every species, who bask in the sun after diving for fish, and are one of the great natural sights of wildlife in America."

The other destinations in the top 10 list include:

2) The Island of Bali, in Indonesia
3) Paris, France
4) St. John in the U. S. Virgin Islands
5) Cairo, Egypt
6) Bonaire, one of the "ABC" islands of the southern Caribbean
7) Yachats, the Oregon Coast
8) Chiang Rai, Thailand
9) New York City's Greenwich Village (and its Off-Broadway theaters)
10) Kenya

Click HERE to see link to video.

Click HERE to see the full article and list.

A World of Fine Art Festivals

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Southwest Florida weather is a perfect fit to be the host of some of the best art shows in the country. The winter season in Florida is a great hangout for artists, some of whom are snowbirds, and a great place for visitors to see a wide variety of art. These events are the perfect place to find a unique piece you’ve needed for your home, your collection or for the perfect gift. Take home something special from this spectacular part of Florida!

January 14 &15
Cape Coral
Cape Coral Festival of Arts
10am to 5pm
280 Exhibitors

January 14 &15
Bonita Springs
Bonita Springs National Art Festival
10am to 5pm
211 Exhibitors

January 28 & 29
Naples
Naples Invitational Art Festival
10am to 5pm
230 Exhibitors

February 4 &5
Fort Myers
Artfest of Fort Myers
9am to 5pm
215 Exhibitors

February 11 &12
Estero
6th Annual Coconut Point Art Festival
10am to 5pm
150 Exhibitors

February 18 &19
Sanibel
29th Annual Arts & Crafts Fair
10am to 5pm
100 Juried Artists

February 25 & 26
Naples
Naples National Art Festival
10am to 5pm
260 Exhibitors

March 3 & 4
Naples
Naples Bay Front
80 Artists

March 10 & 11
Bonita Springs
Bonita Springs National Art Festival
10am to 5pm
199 Exhibitors

Holiday Season on the Islands of Southwest Florida

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Captiva and Sanibel Islands are magical places during the holiday season. Captiva Island island transforms into a Holiday Village with events every weekend from November 25 to December 17.

During the holiday season, Captiva Island was aglow with fire dancing, bonfires and fireworks on the beach. The “village center”, with its one-of-a kind colorful restaurants and whimsical shops was festively lighted and decorated.

On Sanibel Island, hundreds gathered at Lighthouse Beach for a night of celebration on Christmas Eve.

Red Sox Spring Training Park

loddes@accord-realestate.com

On Tuesday, March 29, 2011, the Boston Red Sox played their final game at City of Palms Park in Fort Myers. For the 2012 Florida Grapefruit League season, the Red Sox will debut Jet Blue Park, an 11,000 seat stadium, just off Interstate 75 in Fort Myers.

Features of the new park will include a Green Monster wall in left field to include a fan area in the wall halfway up. Essentially, it will be a hold carved into the wall for fans.

The new facility, scheduled to open for the 2012 Spring Training season, has been informally referred to as Fenway South because it will resemble the team's fabled Boston home, which will turn 100 next year.

The new Red Sox spring training home boasts six lighted practice fields that will also be available for use by Lee County's youth sports programs. A new hotel, shopping center and restaurants are also planned as part of the 80-acre development.

Individual Game Tickets for Spring Training went on sale, Saturday, December 17 and will be available at www.redsox.com and also by calling (888) 733-7696.

Click HERE for 2012 Red Sox Spring Training Schedule