Germain Arena

Just had a private event at The Big Cypress Club. Contacted the catering director, Collette McCormick a couple of months before the event and she emailed me their catering guide. All the available clubs, menus and pricing. She was extremely helpful in guiding me through getting the right club and setting up the best food choices for my party. She was also helpful in putting me in touch with the right people for tickets and a special request I had. In the days prior to my event, she kept in touch with me to make sure everything was running smooth and we were all on track. On the day of the event she was there and oversaw that all my guests and I were satisfied. Several of my guests had mentioned to me that they were amazed at how well I pulled this off. The food was very good and the options ran the gamut from simple dogs and burgers to fine dining. The servers that worked for us were super and went out of their way to take care of our needs. When the bar is packed with people and she was able to slip in and get me taken care of pronto — that’s excellent service!
I would not hesitate to recommend them for catering any special events and I would certainly use them again for my next big adventure!

This is a nice, clean arena right off of route 75. It’s the home of the Florida Everblades (hockey) and the Florida Tarpons (arena football).

This arena was built on land that was reclaimed swamp… so with that in mind why did they put the rows so incredibly close to one another. Honestly, if they added a mere 3 inches between the rows in the stands, the total increase in size would have been less than 15 feet in diameter… I would understand if it was built in Manhattan or Los Angeles, but on the swamps of Florida?
Secondly, the ladies room serving two full sections has a measly 6 stalls. Honestly, how disgraceful, how inconsiderate. Probably designed by men who never gave a minutes thought to women.
I saw a wonderful concert there… the night was wonderful in spite of the failed arena. The staff was very kind and helpful but the arena was bordering on terrible. I would have been tempted to pay to see an ACHL game but I’m not returning, just too uncomfortable.

The hockey game was great. This facility though needs work.
Germain Arena is old and it’s time for an overhaul. They just need to bring it up to date.
The food though is another matter. it’s just awful We had a group of twenty and thought it would be nice to have dinner in the arena before the game. That was a huge mistake. The buns for the chicken sandwiches were hard and the french fries were really bad.
Never ever order food for your group in the arena. It’s that bad. Plan a dinner in one of the nearby places in Miromar.
The hockey game was a 5-​start event. The arena itself is 2-​stars. The food barely reached one star.

Truly disappointed with this site. Went to see Jeff Dunham arrived with over an hour to show time and couldn’t believe the traffic piled-​up outside the arena that only had a two lane entrance into the parking lot. Besides the cars piling up to try to get in, there was limited access to the entrances of this facility. The true concern was over 8000 people and only two doors into this arena made for really unsafe situation. The bathrooms were clean and fully stocked.
I will say, the concession stand had great fries, hot dogs that were really hot, and quick efficient service. Although, the pizza was nasty and under-​cooked. Loved the pretzels. The show was excellent, but the exit out of this arena was an absolute nightmare. Again, a parking lot with only one lane of traffic to exit. Took over 30 minutes to get out of the parking space alone! Why? No traffic moving. This spot needs some real management to update the entrances and exiting of this establishment for the cars and for the people. Heading further north into Tampa for future shows.

I saw Barry Manilow with my mother. They gave out free glow sticks. I know, I know, honey, it’s super gay! (not that there’s anything wrong with that) Seriously, would a straight man perform a duet with a 1975 version of himself? #Mandy I was laughing pretty hard.
Anyway, we had a good time. The opening act was a Sax player by the name of Koz and he had nice intonation. His act also pretty gay — he performed the world’s first instrumental version of the Elsa/​Frozen song. Not great, but he brought 3 different saxes. (soprano, alto and tenor) I love the saxophone but I’ve never hear of him until now. I guess he’s like a poor man’s Kenny G
We had nosebleed seats (3 rows from the back) but it didn’t feel that far away. Be sure to checkout stubhub for tickets. We paid under face for this event. More importantly, the sound was very good.
Small complaints: Traffic flow isn’t great, but I’ve seen worse. Our Über ride from Coconut Point was $ 15 on the way back. Also, I think the screens on either side of the stage could be bigger and in HD, but it’s not really a huge deal. Lastly, certain concessions take credit cards and those particular vendors did not sell wine. We did not come with a lot of cash, so my mom had to drink beer.

I went to Germain Arena for a College Hockey Tournament and it had its pro’s and con’s.
Con’s
— On the older side
— Lower Bowl seats look dirty
— Food is over priced
— Not very clean
Pro’s
— Perfect size for all events
— Family friendly
— Helpful staff and employees
— Cozy
— Good location
— Lots of restrooms
— Helpful to handicapped people
Germain Arena is home to many family friendly events. It’s main event is the Florida Everblades who are a part of the ECHL. Definitely check out Germain Arena when staying in the area Ft. Myers area.

Came down from New York to referee a hockey tournament. Had a blast. Staff was great, hockey was great, and so was the weather.

Seats are way to small and the up charge for a soda or water is ridiculous!!! If you have any kind of hips there is no way you are going to sit in the seats. My petite aunt even said the seats were snug. I will not go back there!!!

I’m going to give a 4. I had no issues with it. It is what it is, as my wife just said. I got some free tickets from work for a EverBlade game. I can’t lie… I had never heard of them and never planned on going but free is free, right? We actually made it a family thing and brought our nephew who was impressed with the seats we got.
In all honesty, the place isn’t huge so there isn’t a «bad» seat. Obviously there are nicer seats but it’s totally not necessary. We got some snacks and they weren’t pricey. I think it was $ 5 to park which kinda shocked me. Parking fee for a minor league hockey game? cmon now.
Anyway, I just may come back. It was something to do that didn’t involve a computer. :)

We attended the Bob Seger concert last night. While the concert was very good, Germain arena DOES NOT HAVE ENOUGH PARKING FOR CONCERT GOERS!!! So beware! We arrived one hour before the concert and had to park at the Miromar Outlet shopping center, along with thousands others, and then walk (about 2 miles) to the arena. We left early so we could walk back to our car with little risk of being hit by cars leaving the concert. When I asked the lady zapping our ticket why there wasn’t enough parking, she said that «everyone arrived at once» and that 6500 people were attending tonight. That is a pitiful number of people for a rock concert. Does that make sense? Most arenas hold at least 10,000 seats. Really Germain??? is this the best you can offer?

Really liked the location of our seats but they were pretty narrow, not to mention I cushioned. We decided to enjoy the game from the sports bar .
Breakaways had pretty standard fare, I would not order the cheese fries. Shoestring fries with nacho cheese and literally one piece of bacon. Next time well eat at Chipotle before coming in.

I’ve came to see the Everblades a few times and also been known to watch wrestling along with 4^th of July fireworks. Big boy tech and toy shows, a few RV shows. They have had concerts, Disney on ice, along with the circus here as well. Its close enough to both Ft. Myers and Naples. Parking is plentiful but the bottle necks are in the roads around not being able to handle the volume of every one leaving all at the same time. So we anticipate a little wait and walk around the shopping center next door and save a few buck on parking at the arena.
Food: 3
Ambiance:3
Service:3
Location:3
Value:3

I loved it here. Smallish 6.000 seat arena in FT. Myers where you can watch professional hockey for under $ 15 bucks. It was very clean and comfortable, but like all minor league venues it was a bit corny and loud. If you like Hockey and you’re in FT. Myers, you can’t beat it. Great time.

During my trip to Fort Myers, I got to see an Everblades hockey game at the Germain Arena. I am trying not to judge too harshly, being that I live in Fort Lauderdale where I am a regular at the FL Panthers games which are held at the lovely BBT center.
There is not a whole lot to be said. 3 sheets of ice, one of which has the stadium seating for the Everblades games and concerts/​shows, etc. The seats are not cushioned about half way up, so not the most comfortable, not to mention quite cold on your toosh when you first sit down. But, there really is no «nose bleed» section and having a smaller stadium lends to having no bad seat. They had dancers and activities between periods, t-​shirt tosses, the whole shabang you get from an NHL game.
On the night I was here, there was also a FGCU game as well as regular recreational ice skating on the other 2 sheets of ice. The arena is pretty well maintained, not the most glamorous, but not too too shabby. Compared to other arenas I’ve been in, I’d say they can probably improve most upon their concession area. Even in the main part, where the stadium rink is, the concession stand didn’t seem to have more than your standard hot dogs and pizza. At the BBT center, you can get some amazing food at their concession stands and everything is fresh and hot. But again, not trying to judge too harshly, I guess we are comparing apples to smaller, not as good apples.
Parking cost 5 bucks and spaces fill up fast and people have to park on the grass, so if you come, come in time to get a spot.

No bad seat, all the staff are so friendly, as if we were family.
Prices are high as expected. Wish they had healthier choices.
TIP: Bring winter garb if you are coming to watch ice hockey.

went to a concert, this place is TOOO cold and smells like sweat.
the parking is good and it fits a lot of people.
not enough bars and not the nicest bathrooms.

AWESOME PLACE TO CATCH A CONCERT!
Smallish venue, all seats are great, especially our floor seats for Tom Petty!!!
:)
If I lived here, I would love to watch hockey game. Very cool arena!
Upstairs bar is super busy! Our poolside bartender from our hotel told us he was working here so we popped in to say hi. Glad we did, a very cute door guy to boot ;)

Excellent for its size and demonstrates just the right amount of awe for what the arena features: ECHL hockey. I mean, sitting on the ice for Bruins game at the Garden is going to carry more majesty, but it’s all about scale, right? If Germain were a modern Colosseum, the gladiators would be untrained teens and the caspian lions replaced with very large, angry dogs.
Concessions are a premium, yet still ringing in lower than larger markets — $ 5 – 6 for a beer, $ 3 for a pretzel or a bag of nuts. Whereas $ 20 might net shitty nachos and a single brew at Fenway, here you feast like Nero.
If anything exemplifies the benefit of a smaller space, it’s the seats and ice visibility. We plopped down in our designated row, four back from the boards and just beside the visitor box. Probably should strapped on skates and taped up a stick — we felt like we were in the game. Every slap shot, shoulder check and snippet of smack talk played out in stereo, and the robust speaker setup made sure Nickelback crooned during play breaks.
Just kidding, Nickelback sucks.
And when I found out these seats ran a peedly $ 15, the jaw fell agape. I recognize Florida rocks sunshine like Vegas bleeds hookers, but in the same vein, there’s only so much of that you can take. Find some friends, carpool (parking is a little tight for busy games) and hit the ice for an entertaining — and stupid cheap — three hours of Everblades play.
— — –
Disclaimer: Last night’s game against Trenton finished with a bench-​clearing brawl. I may still be riding that high while crafting this review.

This is a great arena for watching hockey (and other indoor sports; I’ve watched arena football, bull riding, boxing, MMA and basketball at this arena), and that’s what I’ll be reviewing it as.
There’s really not a bad seat in the house, although I’ll admit to a preference for the cheap seats on the end of the rink — partly for the price, and partly for the ability to view the action from enough of a distance to take it all in. There’s no such thing as a nosebleed seat here — the back row is probably only 20 rows from the front.
Concession prices are… well, it’s a sporting event. It’s not cheap, but it’s not nearly as expensive as at other places — expect to pay $ 6 for a beer, $ 2.50 for a pretzel, etc. Expensive, but not nearly as much as the other major arenas in Florida. There are often specials, such as last season’s dollar Wednesdays ($ 1 hot dogs and $ 1 Budweiser drafts for an hour before the game), and combo packs (4 tickets, 4 dogs, and 4 sodas for $ 44 is a common one). Get on the mailing list to find out about deals!
There are 2 on-​site restaurants; the Big Cypress Club, which is members-​only on game nights, and Breakaway Sports Pub, where you can reserve a table with your ticket (the pub is also open for happy hour after games). The food there is a nice step up from the arena.
The arena recently updated their scoreboard, as well; where they once had a 16-​color, low-​res board, they now have a vibrant LED board showing replays and such in full color.
My one beef is parking and getting off-​site after a game. On-​site parking is $ 5 — again, a bargain for a sporting event. However, you often wind up in overflow parking on the grass! Whoever designed this parking lot somehow expected to fit 6000−7000people into 2000 parking spots. Not happening. When you leave the arena, there’s only 3 ways into the lot (2 exits onto Ben Hill Griffin, and 1 to Miramar Outlets, next door), and there’s horrible traffic jams leaving, all the time, Would it kill the arena to have some staff directing traffic out of the lot into the exits? However, one nice thing — there’s always police officers directing traffic on Ben Hill Griffin, so once you’re in the exit lane, it’s easy to leave.
All in all, it’s a top-​flight facility for minor league hockey, and a good multi-​sport arena for other events; as I said above, I’ve seen everything from MMA to bull riding, to the circus at this facility, and it’s been good for all of them.