In Cape Coral itself, five golf courses give golfers immediate access to the links. For big-league sports, residents travel to Tampa, Orlando and Miami unless the sport is baseball. The Boston Red Sox train in downtown Fort Myers at City of Palms Park and the Minnesota Twins train at Lee County Sports Complex, a major stop on the Grapefruit League circuit. A minor league club owned by the Twins, the Fort Myers Miracle, plays at the Sports Complex during the summer season. Warm days can be spent searching for rare shells or at the Bailey-Matthews Shell Museum on Sanibel Island.
Many locals prefer the area's cultural events and annual festivals that occur throughout Lee County.
Only minutes away in Lee County, a number of attractions draw both locals and tourists alike. In January, Cape Coral hosts the Cape Coral Festival of the Arts draws 200 juried artists and craftspeople to the downtown. Accented with food and entertainment, the festival is an example of the city's small-town charm. In July, the Red, White and Boom Festival celebrates Independence Day with fireworks over the water. Cape Coral's German-American Club puts on their popular Oktoberfest each autumn.