PG WWBA Sophomore World Championship @ Fort Myers, FL

The schedule won't be out til a week prior to the tournament...That plus  the fact games can get re-scheduled based on weather. Planning anything far in advance is tough.  No close MLB teams, and by then the MiLB season is over. 

I will say whenever we've played in Ft. Meyers, we've stayed at the: Embassy Suites by Hilton Fort Myers Estero. They have a free happy hour every day, so that's a plus.

We drove about an hour or so south and went on an airboat tour through mangroves.  Also there are a couple of good miniature golf places for once sun goes down on the way to Fort Myers Beach (one of them is sort of R rated with the animals and yes your boys will notice). 

Sansibel beach is good for shells.

Last year when we were there the water was shut down due to red algae.

Good food at Doc Ford's and Pierside Bar and grill.

Rent bikes on Sanibel Island. Ride through JN "Ding" Darling National Wildlife Refuge and/or the Bailey Tract. If you've never been on an electric bike it's a great place to try them out. Costs more though...

You can rent all types of bikes at Billy's Rentals at Bailey's Center.  Bailey Tract is down the road and Doc Ford's is across the street.  Great place to eat after your bike ride. Make sure to check out Bailey's General Store to get some snacks and drinks for your bike ride.

Ford’s garage is a great place for burgers.

Doc Ford’s Rum Bar and Grille (previously mentioned) is a good seafood spot.

The Bagel Factory for breakfast is very good and easy for an early morning pre-game meal if it’s on your way to the parks.

Ice Cream? Royal Scoop on Fort Myers Beach is a local creamery. When leaving with our ice cream, the owner always said “ See you tomorrow” rather than “Thanks for your business”. He was right, we went back several times since we stayed on the beach one year.

If you are interested in seeing a campus, Florida Gulf Coast University is there. 

Drive out to Sanibel Island one day or evening. 

Skip One 41 for seafood. Looks like a dive, but don’t let it dissuade you. 

First, thanks to all for the feedback and recommendations!

The comments make it sound like you have a lot of downtime. I wouldn't have expected that in what's basically a weekend tournament.

Which is why you cannot have a hard-plan; you can only explore what options are available should you have the time.  My experience is mostly from the Fall WWBA tourneys which run Thursday through Monday.

Francis7 posted:

First, thanks to all for the feedback and recommendations!

The comments make it sound like you have a lot of downtime. I wouldn't have expected that in what's basically a weekend tournament.

ABSORBER posted:

Which is why you cannot have a hard-plan; you can only explore what options are available should you have the time.  My experience is mostly from the Fall WWBA tourneys which run Thursday through Monday.

This.

I’ve been 3 times. 2 week long BCS Tournaments (summer) and the Underclass championship (in October) over a long weekend.

Downtime will depend on your schedule and the weather.

Early morning games are least affected by weather delays. 

First year we had early morning games and were done by 2 pm at the latest. This left a lot of time for beach and other activities.

2nd year. Pool format changed and many games were late afternoon. Never saw the beach. It rains in some part of south Florida every day between 3 and 6 Pm. It was a long week, rescheduled games, delays, switching fields to get to where they had lights etc. No downtime that year at all. 

3rd year (Underclass in the Fall). We had Great weather. It’s still hot but cooler. But...it’s still October and still hurricane season so it can be iffy at times.

Bumping this one up. Anyone else have anything to share?