Fort Myers Beach, Fla., is a place of pure sunshine, happiness, and a hot spot for Kearsley students’ spring break.

As people migrated to Fort Myers Beach for a week of vacation, some of us were overcome with jealousy, while others grew with excitement as they headed down to the same place.

If you did not fly, the 24-hour car ride can be quite exhausting, but it was well worth it.

Maybe it is the palm trees, the cloudless sky, or maybe it’s yo!taco, which is the best restaurant shack to eat at when it hits 2 a.m. Whatever it is, Fort Myers Beach is always a fun place to vacation.

The softball girls head down here every year for training, but for those who intend to enjoy the area and relax there is so much more one can do down there.

Upon arrival, it is overwhelming with the amount of people you see — strangers, as well as people we are familiar with at school — the multiple, little shops all around, and activities going on along the beach.

It is especially overwhelming when all you can ever focus on is the breathtaking view.

If you are a water bug, there is access to the beach at all hours of the day and night.

There are even many activities you can pay to do on the beach that get you out in the water to do more than just swim.

Booths are set up all along the beach to sign up for parasailing, dolphin tours, jet skis, and banana boat rides where a jet ski throws you and up to five other friends around at an exhilarating speed.

The banana boat easily became my favorite activity.

If these do not interest you, although I cannot see how, fishing off the pier, deep sea fishing, and taking your boat out is always an option as well.

Others seemed to enjoy just relaxing on the beach, soaking up the sun’s rays.

Chairs and umbrellas are available for rental, or you can bring your own towel or chair to lie on.

Just don’t forget to bring  sunscreen or it is guaranteed you will turn into a lobster.

Or if you are as big of a beach bum as I am, beware of sun poisoning. I can vouch for you that it is quite irritating.

If you like to spend money, which a lot of us seem to do, walk along the road to the pier and check out the little boutiques and shops, spending money will be an ease.

There are many cheap shops with souvenirs, beach toys, clothes, and cute little pieces of jewelry.

Also, some shops offer henna tattoos with the design of your choice. These last 2-3 weeks and look as if they are real tattoos.

Believe me, I was asked multiple times whether it was real or not.

One shop even offered to braid your hair in cornrows or do beads and feathers however you pleased.

The pier is right by the bridge that enters Fort Myers Beach, and not only are there shops, but restaurants are all over the place down there.

Gaining weight on spring break was easy because we had to try as many of the restaurants as possible. After all of that, we still were not even close to eating at half of them.

One restaurant, Nervous Nellie’s, had the best seafood I have ever tasted. Although extremely expensive, the food immensely outweighs the price.

From their crab and artichoke dip, grouper bites (grouper is a type of fish), and seafood pasta, to their Key lime pie, everything was better than delicious.

Fort Myers Beach also is inhabited by Hooters and Dairy Queen.

If you are looking for fast and good food to eat at anytime, yo!taco is the perfect place.

Although small and always busy, it is in the middle of the island and is definitely the most popular among young people.

Ask anyone who attended Fort Myers Beach about yo!taco and they all will tell you the same thing, “It is my absolute favorite.”

In all honesty, though, everything about Fort Myers Beach is my favorite.

If you are interested in a place to vacation for next year’s spring break or anytime of the year, I highly recommend Fort Myers Beach. Even after going two years in a row, I have loved every minute down on the island.