FORT MYERS, Fla. (Feb. 8, 2013) – Dining at its best… Stepping back in time… A timeless setting… First-rate service… An antidote to the bland, franchise-centered restaurant scene… These are all phrases that have consistently been used to capture the essence of one of Southwest Florida’s most celebrated dining institutions. For more about the Restaurant, Click Here.

The story of the Veranda is ingrained in the City of Fort Myers’ own history. In the early 1850s, a fort on the Caloosahatchee River was reactivated and named for Colonel Abraham Myers. The fort contained 57 buildings, a hospital, lawns and gardens. A trading post pioneer by the name of Manuel Gonzalez, delivered supplies and mail to the fort in his riverboat. After Seminole Chief Billy Bowlegs surrendered in 1858, the fort was abandoned until 1863, when a small number of Federal troops re-occupied the fort during the Civil War. After the war, the fort was again deserted. In 1866, Captain Gonzalez returned to the fort with his five-year-old son Manuel, to become the first known residents of Fort Myers. For years, the Gonzalez family would operate a trading post on the site of the present Federal Building.