Feels like Fall in Paradise

Go ahead and flip your calendar. October … feel any different? Probably not. After all, this is Southwest Florida. Fall is a frequently missed season by those northerners who have moved down here to avoid winter. The first signs of fall here in paradise begin with noticing an occasional car carrier and the out-of-state license plates while waiting for the next traffic light to change.

Year after year, what our calendar says makes very little difference; seldom does the weather even pretend to cooperate. If you have young children or grandchildren, you haven’t lived until you have spent a couple of hours trick-or-treating in 85-degree weather! (Chocolate candy bars suffer a little as well).

Nevertheless, the signs of fall’s arrival are here: classes have begun at FGCU, and the regular season of Major League Baseball has ended as fans look forward to the playoffs and World Series. College football is going strong, and the NFL has kicked into gear. And pumpkin spice is seemingly in everything!

For many of us who are hockey fans, fall means anxiously waiting for the 2026-27 hockey season to begin for our five-time Kelly Cup Champion Florida Everblades! Our cover story this month highlights the exciting playoffs of last season as well as a new NHL affiliation for the Blades: the Pittsburgh Penguins. Should be another amazing season. If you have never seen the game on ice in person, you are missing a truly exciting, fast-paced experience, not to mention a chance to really cool off!

This month, we want to help you find fall festivity through our “Pumpkins in Paradise” feature, which will give you a few seasonal activities to try. There is something for everyone to enjoy about the season.

A couple of weeks after Halloween, the Village of Estero invites the entire community to come together for a Veteran’s Day celebration on Saturday, Nov. 14, from 10 a.m. to noon at the Estero Community Park. Enjoy free hotdogs, chips and water, music, classic and muscle cars and vehicles from the Estero Fire Rescue and Lee County Sheriff’s Department. Complete details can be found in this month’s Village Connection.

Lastly, there’s no better time to beat the seasonal crowds and try one of the newest dining locations right here in Estero: Piccolo Buco. It’s a creative collaboration of Cooper’s Hawk and the original Piccolo Buco in Rome near the Trevi Fountain. Ahhhh… a relaxing dinner with wine seems just the thing to welcome the (hopefully) cooler temperatures of fall. Our dining feature offers some delightful suggestions for that perfect night out. Mangia Bene!

 

Until next month, remember to…

Enjoy the Good Life: Estero Life!!!

Gary

Gary Israel, President & Publisher

Estero Life Magazine