Blogs from Sanibel Island, Florida, United States, North America

Biking on Florida's Sanibel and Captiva Islands Bikes can be rented at Billy’s Rentals at 1509 Perriwinkle way (located not far from the Perriwinkle campground) near the Sanibel causeway Biking on Sanibel and Captiva islands (off the coast of Ft. Myers) is a real pleasure. The two boomarang shaped islands have one main road and a few parallel roads and most of them have a bike path running beside the streets. Even though parallel to roads there is usually a thick hedge and it actually appears rural On Captivia Island there is no path but there is very little road traffic. Paths also along the southern beach areas and through J N Ding Wildlife Refuge area. The paths are well used as many visitors (lots of condos) simply leave the car behi... read more

A whole week of laying on the beach on Sanibel Island. Heaven! We got up each morning, grabbed the beach chairs and umbrellas and headed to the beach. It was 85 degrees each day, with low humidity and a light breeze, PERFECT! The Surf temperature was 83 degrees and there are sand bars so you walk out really far in the water. We saw several sting rays, tarpon, and lots of sea birds. Two thirds of Sanibel Island is a nature reserve with over 200 different species of birds. Most nights we went out to dinner. I love Florida seafood. And No, there was no evidence of the oil spill, anywhere. One day we went to the Edison and Ford Summer Estate Museum. This was our only day inland, and it was very hot and very ... read more

During our week on Sanibel, we visited the JN "Ding" Darling National Wildlife Refuge at least 6 times. The Visitors' Center has well-informed volunteers. We learned enough from Barry, our driver and narrator on the Tram ride through the preserve that we took the same route with the jeep the next day and spent more time "bird watching." We took a sunset cruise from the Tarpon Bay Facility where Brie, a marine biologist, did a fascinating pre-cruise talk around a salt water "table" and allowed us to hold many shell specimens. The cruise took us to several rookeries where hundreds of birds were returning to spend the night. Tarpon Bay is where we rented the kayaks for the Mangrove trail mentioned in a previous travel blog. The preserve was started when Ding Darling, a syndicated political ... read more

We have visited Sanibel five or six times over the past few years. This is our first "stay!" We set up camp at Periwinkle Park - no credit cards; no pets; no Canadian checks. This park has its own quirky with a collection of quackers - native and exotic tropical birds; some free to swim in the pond beyond our site; and some in roomy cages. We learned that the "bird lady" has returned and gives "bird talks" at 10 am on weekdays; can't wait! First stop is the Sanibel Island Chamber Visitors Center. This source of information with well-informed staff, great maps, brochures, and coupons is well worth a visit. Next a drive for a walk on Lighthouse Beach (there is ample beach parking at $2/hour). Then a drive along Periwinkle Way to pick out ... read more

I didn't feel too guilty yesterday about taking it easy on the beach knowing today we would be exploring as much as the island as possible on bicycle. With the ultra friendly locals, patient tourists behind the wheels of their motor vehicles (yes, even the northerners followed the rules to yield to pedestrians and bicyclists) and 22 miles of well paved and often shady bike paths spanning the entire island, we couldl not have chosen a better way to get to go exploring. And if we had been really on the ball, we would have worn our bathing suits so we could stop off for a swim when it got too hot. Sanibel Island is about 12 miles long and three miles at its widest point stretching more or less east to west. As we headed ... read more