Bowditch Point Park
Bowditch Point Park
4.5
9:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Monday
9:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Tuesday
9:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Wednesday
9:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Thursday
9:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Friday
9:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Saturday
9:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Sunday
9:00 AM - 4:00 PM
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Restaurants
178 within 3 miles
Attractions
56 within 6 miles
See what travelers are saying
- TravelHounds_09Stem, North Carolina218 contributionsBeautiful beachThe park is closed due to storm damage but you have great beach access to set up for the day or walk the beach. Beautiful beach. Lots of shells. Most of the hotels are still under construction so crowds are not big. The parking lot is a paid parking lot via QR code. $2 / hr.Visited December 2023Traveled with friendsWritten December 29, 2023
- eyetacsMinneapolis, Minnesota268 contributionsUncrowded beachPark is still closed due to hurricane damage. Restrooms and facilities are still closed. Port o potty's are available. Parking is by QR code. Lots of seaweed on beach when we went mid January. Plenty of room On the beach for your beach chair as not crowded. Very north end of island had quite a bit more seaweed on the beach.Visited January 2024Traveled with friendsWritten January 30, 2024
- RosemountChickPortsmouth, Ohio738 contributions$2 hour to parkVisited today at around 5pm. The changing area and bathrooms are closed, but you can still park in the back and walk to the beach. It’s $2 per hour to park and you can pay on your phone. We went at low tide and water was shallow for a long way out. The water is sort of murky- I could see my feet but only to about knee deep. The water has a yellowish color to it and isn’t a pretty blue color so don’t expect that. I went a few years ago and found probably 20 sand dollars but didn’t find any today. Not a good beach for shelling either, I found maybe one shell and it wasn’t anything fancy. This beach would be good for children at low tide since it’s so calm and shallow.Visited July 2024Traveled as a coupleWritten July 17, 2024
These reviews are the subjective opinion of Tripadvisor members and not of TripAdvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
Popular mentions
4.5
740 reviews
Excellent
463
Very good
218
Average
51
Poor
6
Terrible
2
AlphaRam
Broken Arrow, OK2,912 contributions
Nov 2020
We only used this park as a turnaround for Estero Drive after seeing the rates to park. From what we saw, it looked beautiful. However, since we were already renting a house at the beach, we did not feel inclined to pay for parking to see a beach a couple of miles down from our beach.
Written December 12, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Sherri D
Forest Lake, MN14 contributions
Jan 2022
This beach usually has less people than the area near the pier. It has gorgeous powdered sugar sand.
We took a leisurely walk to the pier and got ice cream from Cold Stone Creamery on the nearby street .
We even found several intact conch shells as we walked.
We took a leisurely walk to the pier and got ice cream from Cold Stone Creamery on the nearby street .
We even found several intact conch shells as we walked.
Written January 23, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
JG3-777
Jacksonville, NC217 contributions
Feb 2020
Nice pavilion, parking is limited. Short walk to the beach. One person waited for 30 min for a parking spot, we had decided we would not wait, we were fortunate to have someone leave as we were driving out.
Written February 13, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Ellensadventures
Fort Myers Beach, FL21 contributions
Feb 2020 • Friends
Bowditch Point State Park is a nice walk if you are staying South of Times Square. We walk the beach from the Ft. Myers Public Library Area.
This walk will take you past several hotels, condos, and toward the Times Square area where there are shops, & restaurants, and the Ft. Myers Beach pier.
Past the pier, heading toward Bowditch you will find the beach quite populated. You will pass some private beach homes, and the Pink Shell development.
Bowditch is well marked, and quite informative in terms of signage regarding birds, and other wildlife. We met a ranger there who was quite knowledgable.
There are public bathrooms that you can use, in addition to seating and boardwalk type of paths.
The trolly and tram both stop at Bowditch.
It’s a nice stop at the north end of the beach.
This walk will take you past several hotels, condos, and toward the Times Square area where there are shops, & restaurants, and the Ft. Myers Beach pier.
Past the pier, heading toward Bowditch you will find the beach quite populated. You will pass some private beach homes, and the Pink Shell development.
Bowditch is well marked, and quite informative in terms of signage regarding birds, and other wildlife. We met a ranger there who was quite knowledgable.
There are public bathrooms that you can use, in addition to seating and boardwalk type of paths.
The trolly and tram both stop at Bowditch.
It’s a nice stop at the north end of the beach.
Written February 20, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
RosemountChick
Portsmouth, OH738 contributions
Jul 2024 • Couples
Visited today at around 5pm. The changing area and bathrooms are closed, but you can still park in the back and walk to the beach. It’s $2 per hour to park and you can pay on your phone. We went at low tide and water was shallow for a long way out. The water is sort of murky- I could see my feet but only to about knee deep. The water has a yellowish color to it and isn’t a pretty blue color so don’t expect that. I went a few years ago and found probably 20 sand dollars but didn’t find any today. Not a good beach for shelling either, I found maybe one shell and it wasn’t anything fancy. This beach would be good for children at low tide since it’s so calm and shallow.
Written July 17, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Lou
10 contributions
Jan 2020
We took the free tram from Lani Kai to Bowditch. The park is beautiful, clean bathrooms and the beach is quiet and great to get away from the crowds. Plenty of great shelling! Bring your own blanket and umbrella - no beach rentals here. I didn't see any concessions either. Bring your own snacks and water. If you want a little out of the way beach location, this is it.
Written January 20, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
eyetacs
Minneapolis, MN268 contributions
Jan 2024 • Friends
Park is still closed due to hurricane damage. Restrooms and facilities are still closed. Port o potty's are available. Parking is by QR code. Lots of seaweed on beach when we went mid January. Plenty of room On the beach for your beach chair as not crowded. Very north end of island had quite a bit more seaweed on the beach.
Written January 30, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
DeAnna
Louisville, KY74 contributions
Jun 2020
My family and I visited here on our last day of vacation last week and I am so glad we did! The beach is beautiful here. We didn't have much time, so it left areas unexplored, but what we did see, we loved. We spotted a star fish and three jelly fish while walking around the border of the shore. It was neat to watch the boats come in and out from the bay as well. Definitely a very neat area that screams a little more Florida and a little less attractiony. The restroom facilities were very nice as well. Great area for picnics. I believe the parking was $2/hour. We absolutely loved the short time we explored here and will definitely be going back to see the rest on our next trip.
Written June 24, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Cathy M
5 contributions
Dec 2021
Bowditch was an amazing surprise! We had scheduled family photos and they photographer chose Bowditch. We returned the next day to walk the shore. Oh my goodness....shells, starfish, manta rays, sun dollars and crawling around the driftwood made an excellent adventure. We actually returned 2 additional times, and it just kept getting better and better!!
Written December 28, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
lindaofny
South Salem, NY257 contributions
Feb 2020 • Friends
Lovely facilities on a white sand beach. There are restrooms and dressing rooms. Very clean and pleasant. There’s a free tram to take nearby residents to the beach. When we pulled up to the parking lot, there was a car waiting. The driver explained that she was in a line waiting for a space. Within 10 minutes, a car pulled out and we pulled into a space - very civilized.
Written February 24, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Are you able to recommend lodging in your area….the inn??
Written June 11, 2021
Check out their website for the most up to date info...and contact details if you have additional questions. They don't allow links to be posted, so you'll have to Google the park name...sorry!
Written January 7, 2021
Hi! One of the persons in our group will have a portable oxygen unit. No wheelchair. I'm curious how long the walk is from the parking lot to the gulf. We won't be walking about the park, just wanted to get some nice group photo's on the beach. Thank you!
Written February 6, 2019
How are the beach conditions and red tide?
Written October 6, 2018
Happily, we swam and snorkeled everyday of our vacation on Fort Myers Beach..No sign of red tide when we were there last week in September..We took many day trips to explore...Big Cypress..Barefoot Beach ..Sanibel..and all was good..Except on Sanibel, sadly, Lighthouse beach, my favorite for shelling, made us cough so we left..Still had a great day on Sanibel, JN Ding wildlife refuge was fine! Great day trip anyway!
Written October 6, 2018
As mentioned, just for parking. however the lot is very small. You might be better catching the trolley that comes in from several points in Fort Myers Beach. It seems to be roomy enough to carry all your great beach goodies. And you might save money if you're planning a whole day of it.
Written February 7, 2018
We're headed to Bowditch on a Friday in high season (February). What time (in the morning) should we get there to be able to park?
Written February 10, 2017
I was there in November, when it was fairly crowded. I got to Bowditch around 1:30 and there were plenty of spaces. One other thing--I did call the park; you can Google their number & they can hopefully give you a better answer.
Written February 10, 2017
what time of year and day is it best to see turtles and dauphins?
Written February 7, 2017
Hi Joyce, The best advise i can give you is contact the Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission (850).488-4676, or on the internet. They can tell you about the turtles, dolphins and manatees viewing and mating and viewing seasons and where they can be seen. Enjoy it's really a very beautiful place to go. TripAdvisor can assist you with Hotels, Restaurants and many Attractions.
Written February 10, 2017
Went straight to Fort Myers Beach web for answer, however, cannot post link due to html; just perform Google search using "lee county beach dogs allowed", and you'll be able to locate Fort Myers Beach webside with the info you requested.
Site provides info about Dog Beach and where dogs are allowed and not allowed.
Written September 14, 2015
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