Cape Coral

Cape Coral does not have any true private country clubs with a full array of amenities such as a golf course, pool, tennis facilities, fitness center, social activities, and dining rooms. There is however one country club with a focus on golf and social events.

Palmetto Pine Country Club

• Palmetto Pine Country Club is a private, member owned, equity club founded in 1969 by a group of gentlemen with a passion for the game of golf. Today, the club boasts additional amenities such as a full service banquet facility, dining options, and bar service. Members here enjoy an active social calendar that includes bocce, dinner dances, and comedy nights. The jewel of the club is its 18-hole championship golf course designed by Arthur Hills.

Driven by lower rents and a population willing to broaden their culinary horizons, Cape Coral has an ever evolving dining scene. Many of the top restaurants in the city are stunning waterfront seafood establishments where good food and great views pair perfectly together.

Cape Coral has very limited options when it comes to shopping. There are no malls or outlet shopping centers in town. For that you will need to travel to neighboring Ft. Meyers. There are a few boutiques scattered around Cape Coral that sell items such as clothing, jewelry, gifts, and accessories. The Coralwood Center is a plaza that has a few well known stores such as Ulta, Homegoods, Bealls, and JCPenny. But other than that and a decent farmers market, you won’t find much here to scratch your shopping itch.

The Yacht Club Community Park is Cape Coral’s original waterfront landmark. Here you will find a public beach, picnic shelters with BBQ grills, community pool, boat ramps, marina, and fishing pier. Also on site is the Yacht Club Ballroom, beach playground, tennis, racquetball, and shuffleboard courts.

The Cultural Park Theatre is a remodeled 184 seat live theatre with a great line up of comedies, musicals, and dramas. The theatre also offers classes for individuals interested in acting, theatrical design, musical theatre, and technical theater.

The Cape Coral Arts and Music Festival takes place annually in January and attracts over 100,000 visitors. This festival brings in over 300 juried artists showcasing all different types of media including fine art, pottery, sculptures, photography, metal works, jewelry and more. The festival also hosts live music from musicians of all different generas.

Four Mile Cove Ecological Preserve is a brackish water wetland area with 6,600 feet of walking trails though mangrove forest. Common wildlife sightings include eagles, herons, ibis, and other wading and migratory birds.

Sun Splash Family Water Park is 14 acres of waterslides, pools, and fun for all ages. This park also hosts various aquatic programs and camps for children 6 months – 13 years in age.

Cape Coral is separated from the coast by 10 miles of aquatic preserves and barrier islands and there are no bridges that directly connect the city to the nearest beaches. The closest accessible beaches for residents here are on Sanibel Island or Ft. Meyers Beach, a 15 mile drive from downtown Cape Coral. The city does claim to have two “beaches” in town at the Yacht Club Community Park and Four Freedoms Park. They are beach-like areas, but these sandy shorelines lead to the waters of the Caloosahatchee River which are much less appealing than the clear waters of the Gulf of Mexico.

Boating is very popular in Cape Coral and it is the reason many move here to purchase a waterfront property. One of the best ways to enjoy it is by joining the Cape Coral Cruise Club. They host special club events, meetings, and social activities centered around the boating lifestyle. Of special note is the monthly gourmet picnic they host on their very own private island owned by the club. Cape Coral has a wealth of protected, calm waters for cruising thanks to the barrier islands off its coast. The resulting bays and aquatic preserves just west of the city offer excellent wildlife viewing opportunities and islands to explore. No less than four inlets offer access to Gulf of Mexico waters.

The large aquatic preserves off Cape Coral offer natural, undeveloped shorelines perfect for inshore fishing. Snook, redfish, and trout are all popular species to target around these waters. Perhaps the most famous species around these parts however, is the tarpon. One of the premier spots to catch Tarpon anywhere in the world is located just off Cape Coral’s northwest shorelines, Boca Grand Pass. Deep Sea fishing can be accessed through one of the multiple inlets around Captiva and Sanibel islands. However, if your leaving the docks from Cape Coral, it can be a lengthy ride out to open ocean waters.

Cape Coral public schools are controlled by the School District of Lee County. The School District of Lee County has over 92,686 students in grades PK, K-12 with a student-teacher ratio of 16 to 1. According to state test scores, 53% of students are at least proficient in math and 52% in reading. Niche.com gives the school district a B rating and has it as the 31st best school district in the state. Several notable private schools include St. Andrew Catholic School (Roman Catholic), Grace Community School (Christian), Cape Coral Christian School (Christian), and Nicaea Academy of Cape Coral (Christian).

The City of Cape Coral does not have the variety or sheer number of golf courses other gulf coast locations are blessed with. However, a short ride outside the city limits opens up a plethora of options for the avid golfer. Cape Coral has a total of 6 golf courses with 1 course being municipal. Within a short 20 mile drive you will find another 79 courses of which 32 are public and 2 municipal.

Coral Oaks Golf Course is the city’s municipal 18-hole championship golf course. Arthur Hills designed this par 72 course which is set in a 100 year old oak hammock.

Hunters Run Executive Golf Course was built in 1961 by architect Dick Wilson. This challenging 9-hole layout is the only executive course in Cape Coral.

Cape Royal Golf Club has 27-holes open to the public. Gordon Lewis designed these championship courses to test players of every level.

Palmetto Pine Country Club is a private, members only, 18-hole championship golf course designed by Arthur Hills.