Last updated on March 9th, 2026 at 05:27 pm
This out-of-the-way little bit of Old Florida west of Fort Myers avoided the scourge of look-alike commercial development and high rises, but it couldn’t avoid the power of a Category 4 Hurricane Ian in 2022.
In 2026, Matlacha shows glimpses of its colorful past as an island filled with little commercial buildings painted in vivid colors.
A few of the galleries, shops, cafes and bars are back, but the scars of Hurricane Ian remain. Unsafe structures were demolished, but many of those sites are still empty. Several structures are in the process of rebuilding.
The community is celebrating its 100th birthday in 2026 and its message is: We’re back; visit Matlacha and support our local businesses.
Three popular long-time restaurants have reopened: The Perfect Cup, Micelis Italian Restaurant and Blue Dog Bar and Grill.
One of the highlights of my previous visits to Matlacha was the gallery of artist Leoma Lovegrove. Lovegrove moved her gallery to Fort Myers after the storm but died of breast cancer at the age of 72 in 2025. Today, a gallery in Matlacha sells reproductions of her vivid paintings, often depicting birds, sea creatures, and palm trees.
Matlacha has a great back story
Matlacha (pronounced mat-la-SHAY) was a fishing village until 1992, when gill-nets were banned, putting most fishermen out of business.
Those funky little wooden cabins in Matlacha predate the fishermen, though. The oldest wood buildings were built by Matlacha’s original residents: Squatters who began to occupy the island that was created when Matlacha Pass was dredged in the 1920s. (A version of this story is depicted in the Elvis Presley movie, “Follow That Dream,” which was filmed on the Gulf Coast in Citrus County.)
When commercial fishing ended, artists started to move into the historic wooden buildings.
Matlacha still has no stop lights and a single two-lane road passing through it, connecting Cape Coral and Pine Island.
Pine Island is geographically bigger – 17 miles long and two miles wide – with several communities: Bokeelia and Pineland on the northern tip, St. James City on the southern end. It is largely residential with a number of mango orchards and tree nurseries.
Matlacha is good base for kayaking
The Great Calusa Blueway, an outstanding network of 190 miles of kayaking trails, marks several kayak routes along Pine Island and Matlacha.
You can rent kayaks at several locations, including Matlacha Outfitters and Gulf Coast Kayaking in Matlacha.
It’s all scenic – blue skies, placid water, plentiful bird and marine life, lots of mangrove islands – but there are no particular sights to see.
But kayaking here, you put yourself in a premier location to experience nature. There’s no guarantee, but if you paddle around here, there’s enough wildlife, you may have a memorable encounter.
Our group brought a canoe and also rented a kayak.
What did we see?
Fisherman trying to land a small bonnethead shark.
A hawk stalking a least tern and eventually catching the poor bird mid-air and carrying it off into the mangroves.
Dolphins in the near distance over and over.
The tips of a ray’s wings rhythmically poking out of the water as it flapped by.
Mullets jumping.
An American bald eagle overhead.
Ospreys, herons, egrets and ibis.
It was bliss.
Kayaking here is sunny with some open water and there are few places to get out and stretch.
You can put in kayaks at Matlacha Park and Boat Ramp, which has restrooms and picnic tables.
Consult the maps from the Great Calusa Blueway about possible routes.
Matlacha Park and Boat Ramp
4577 Pine Island Rd, Matlacha,
239-283-4110
You must pay for parking here.
The Calusa Blueway maps list several other area locations if you prefer to start from Bokeelia or Cape Coral.
More things to do in Matlacha FL
Once you leave Matlacha to explore Pine Island, we recommend walking the Calusa Heritage Trail at the Randell Research Center, 13810 Waterfront Drove, Bokeelia, 239-283-2157.
The trail introduces visitors to what was once a large and thriving Calusa Indian community. The towering shell mounds were built by a people who dug and engineered canals and supported a population of 50,000 throughout Southwest Florida by fishing and harvesting the bounty of these coastal waters. When the Spanish arrived, they considered the Calusa a fierce tribe. By the late 1700s, however, the Calusa were gone – victims of disease or captured and enslaved.
We learned a lot of surprising facts about the Calusa on our walk through this facility. (Archeologists found the Calusa had papayas and chili peppers – rare in early Florida – and they used shark liver oil as a mosquito repellent, for example.)
The information on the signage and trail maps is clear, informative and fascinating.
Admission is by donation.
Here’s a Florida Rambler guide to Pine Island.
Matlacha cottages, hotels and lodging
We stayed at the Tarpon Lodge on Pine Island, 13771 Waterfront Drive, Bokeelia, 239-283-3999, which is next to the Calusa Heritage Trail. A 100-year-old private home has been transformed and expanded into a beautiful waterfront lodge with an elegant dining room and spectacular views. The property has been lovingly restored and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2014.
At the northern tip of the island, Jug Creek Cottages, 8135/8145 Main St., Bokeelia, 239-283-0015, is operated by the company that runs the ferry to Cayo Costa on property owned by the state park. These are rustic efficiency cabins, very worn and basic and start at $100 a night.
Matlacha cottages: Several cottages in Matlacha are available through vacation rental agencies like VRBO and AirBnb
Camping: There is a KOA campground on Pine Island.
Places to explore near Matlacha
- Pine Island: Step back in time without a tourist in sight
- Manatee Park and the Orange River for winter manatee viewing
- Telegraph Creek: Unspoiled kayak trail worth discovering and not just for llamas, about a half hour east.
- Six Miles Cypress Slough Preserve
- Lovers Key State Park for manatees, kayaking and beaches
- Mound Key State Archaeology Site
Places to explore near Naples
- Naples: Rich in nature, beaches and boating
- Corkscrew Preserve in Naples
- Bird Rookery Swamp Trail for hiking and wildlife
- Barefoot Beach is on Southwest Florida’s wild side
- Clam Pass Park, a Naples beach where you ride the tide
- Koreshan State Historic Site: Wacky Florida history; lovely spot preserved
Your Pine Island and Matlacha was perfectly written. I lived in Matlacha for over 12 years, your description was delightful. Now that Hurricane Ian struck there, it will be a few years before the old ambiance is renewed starting with replacing the washed out bridge.
Hi, I don’t know if you experienced Matlacha at dawn and dusk, but the noseeums are horrible there.
My husband, Dr. Greene, and I traveled many places. My favorite artist, Leoma Lovegrove, lives there and her studio is a great place!