Matlacha: The Fishing Village That Traded Nets for Paintbrushes

Somewhere between Cape Coral and Pine Island, a sliver of land barely wide enough for a two-lane road holds one of the most colorful stretches in all of Florida. Matlacha (pronounced “MAT-la-shay”) is a fishing village turned art colony where every building looks like it was painted by someone who just couldn’t help themselves.

From Fish Houses to Galleries

Matlacha didn’t exist until 1926, when the government dredged fill for a bridge connecting the mainland to Pine Island. Fishermen settled the new strip of land, and for decades the village ran on mullet, shrimp, and stone crab. The name likely comes from the Calusa word for “water to the knee,” which tells you everything about the terrain.

Then in 1995, Florida voters banned commercial net fishing statewide. The fish houses went quiet. But instead of dying, Matlacha reinvented itself. Artists discovered the cheap rents, the Gulf light, and the funky old buildings along Pine Island Road. They moved in, set up studios, and started painting the walls every color in the box.

A Half-Mile of Pure Florida

Today, Matlacha is home to fewer than 600 people and dozens of galleries, studios, and seafood shacks crammed into a half-mile corridor. The buildings are turquoise, hot pink, mango yellow, and lime green. Hand-painted signs advertise everything from watercolors to smoked fish dip. Pine Island Sound wraps around the village on both sides, and the fishing is still some of the best inshore water in the state. Snook, redfish, tarpon, and sea trout all run through here.

Visiting Matlacha

Matlacha sits about 25 minutes northwest of Fort Myers off Pine Island Road (CR 78). There’s no admission, no gate, no parking garage. You just drive in and start walking. Most galleries are open daily, and the restaurants serve fresh-off-the-boat seafood. Hurricane Ian hit the village hard in September 2022, but Matlacha rebuilt with the same stubborn charm it’s always had. If you want to see what Old Florida looks like when it refuses to quit, this is the place.