On the Town - Southwest Florida Special

IN BRIEF

Art News

FT. MYERS: When four-time discus gold medalist Al Oerter retired, he pursued his other passion: art. Before he passed away in 2007, the athlete-turned-painter organized "Art of the Olympians," a traveling exhibit of works by former Olympians, which will find a permanent home next year in Ft. Myers.

MARCO ISLAND: Instead of letting retail spaces at Marco Island's Esplanade shopping and dining complex sit vacant, property managers formed a partnership with local arts organizations to allow artists to use them as studio spaces. Now, shoppers can watch painters in action and purchase works on-site.

DID YOU KNOW?

The Ochopee Post Office, located on the Tamiami Trail near Everglades City (76 miles from RSW airport), is the smallest post office in the US, large enough for just one postal worker.

BY THE NUMBERS

2 number of fosa at the Naples Zoo, the only zoo in the southeastern US to house the rare Madagascar predator

16 hours it takes sand sculptor John Gowdy to create his works at Marco Island Marriott Resort, Golf Club & Spa. He'll be in town Dec. 18-19 for the island's music festival.

374 circumference (in feet) of the largest banyan tree at the Edison & Ford Winter Estates in Ft. Myers. The tree is also the largest specimen in the continental US.

190 length (in miles) of the Great Calusa Blueway Paddling Trail. Located in and around Ft. Myers, it has areas for first-timers, families and advanced paddlers.

SEEING GHOSTS

The elusive ghost orchid is the main attraction at Fakahatchee Strand Preserve State Park, the native orchid capital of the US. The endangered flower is the subject of Susan Orlean's book The Orchid Thief and the film Adaptation.