Sanibel Island, FL

It’s funny how 2 Chicas’ travels seem to take them to such a variety of beautiful places. This trip is no different as we were headed to Sanibel Island, a mainland paradise located off the coast of Ft. Myers, FL.  Sanibel is considered a shelling capital. For some reason, because of its location, the waves seem to kick the most beautiful shells on shore.

The island itself is only 12 miles long and is conjoined with Captiva Island, which is less than 5 miles long. Neither island is very wide with Sanibel being about 5 miles across and little Captive being ½ mile wide. More than half of the island is preserved as a wildlife refuge.  

There are no gigantic skyscrapers blocking the view of the beauty. Strict rules limit buildings to be  no taller than the trees.  This makes the island a well kept paradise.

There is a $6 toll to go over the Sanibel Causeway Bridge, which tells you something about this tiny little strip of land. Although both islands are small, there is a lot packed onto this diminutive island.

Shopping, kayaking, cruising, shelling, skiing, canoeing, wading, hiking, swimming, birding, eating, conserving, museuming, enough of the made up names already!

2 Chicas and the Ding Darling Birding We Go

2 Chicas are just crazy birds – uh oh - crazy about birds!  So a visit to the J.N. Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge was a prerequisite to hanging out on the beach. This guy was a cartoonist, conservationist, and the inventor of the duck stamp – a requirement for any duck hunter.

This stamp puts money back into conserving the lands where ducks thrive and as such, protects a wide variety of wildlife. Pretty cool stuff!

The onsite education center has wonderful exhibits and shares information on the habitat that you will traverse while in the park. There are three different types of mangroves that serve as the underpinning plant of the area. There were so many different birds hanging out in this hostel while in their migrating patterns, you would have to imagine the rooms are free. Tee hee he Some birds travel 20,000 miles just to drop in here.

As we went deeper into the preserve, there were numerous vantage points to get a bird’s eye view of the locals. One of the neat things is that a volunteer who goes through the park reporting bird sightings back to the education center, shows human visitors some of the very special bird visitors.

She also shares interesting information about the birds. She has a portable telescope that she allows everyone to look through to get an up close and personal view. How absolutely precious!

She told the kids about the white pelican that is native to Montana, Minnesota and Wisconsin and these suckers are huge!  Her little telescope made the birds seem as if you could reach out and touch them. Yet they were far away on a sandbar. Great job – you know customer service and it shows! Hey Chica 2, let the kids get a look why don’t you?

We got to see a 2 Chicas favorite, the Roseate Spoonbills – there was an entire flock of pink just perched out on a sandbar chilling! There are other exciting finds like a crab trying to crawl up a tree trunk giant fish swimming everywhere in the water, prehistoric seashells that were just lying in the paths.

At an observation tower on the site, the 2 Chicas headed to the top of this three story tower to gaze out over another beautiful cove where flocks of birds posed for us. An osprey flew overhead, dipping into the water and coming up with a fish in his talons.

Chica 2 threatened to jump off the top story of the tower and see what she would come back up with.  We both agreed some seriously broken bones. Tee hee he

Although there was a shell mound, it didn’t really provide any ah ha moments like the other vista points, and the displayed materials did share very educational information about the Calusa Indians.

But remember, when visiting protected areas, only leave your footprints and don’t take anything out of the reserve with you but your trash! Enough of the birds – 2 Chicas are off to the beach!

2 Chicas Feeling Beachy and then Woozy

The beaches on Sanibel and Captiva Island are splendiferous! Pearly white sand covered with a variety of seashells made the beach feel like a far away paradise. 2 Chicas decided to try the beach at the end of Captiva Island.

Driving past the fabulous homes facing the Gulf of Mexico provided Chica 2 with the perfect excuse to play the lottery. We all know that’s about the only way we’re going to get one of these roomy homes!

Man, God ordered up one perfect day for a little fun in the sun. Parking at the beach is $2 per hour, so remember to pay before you play. When you round the corner after leaving the parking lot, you can’t help but think how lucky you are having all these wonderful pleasures right here in America!

Chica 2 pitched the sunbrella and we perched in our chairs admiring the crystal clear water glistening as the sun danced across the surface. We looked through the piles of seashells that washed ashore and marveled at the number of live shells still on the beach. BEWARE – collecting live shells is illegal. What is a live shell you ask – a shell that is still inhabited. There is a live creature still inside – simple enough.

So much for biology, Chica 1 dipped her toe in the water and was surprised that it felt like a cool spring.  Chica 2 said it was cold as ___ , which really isn’t cold at all is it? The pelicans put on quite a show diving in the water grabbing fish. Each pelican seemed to have its own fan club of small seagulls flying around looking for leftovers.

Walking on the beach is a true experience. Chica 2 got a stiff neck from strolling along the beach with her head down looking for seashells. She sailed sea shells. Say it over and over if you can! Chica 1 almost passed out from heat exposure, and this was early February!

As children splashed in the shallows and enjoyed moments of spontaneous water play, Chica 1 saw the beach slowly begin to spin. Chica 2 hustled Chica 1 off to the car for a quick cool down and a long tall drink of water. Remember to always hydrate when outdoors! There’s just so much of a tropical delight that anyone can take. So 2 Chicas packed up and went off in search of a good meal.

 

2 Chicas Eat the Cow

Chica 2 was determined to eat at the Island Cow – a restaurant that spent a good deal of time marketing their food to families. The colorful (almost coloring book) ad certainly mesmerized the not so latent child inside of Chica 2. So off we go to have a taste of the moo cow. 

First of all, the décor is a very casual, relaxed kind of island feel. There are a variety of knick knacks hanging on the wall and there is indoor and outdoor seating available. The dress code is flip flops and shorts! There was about a 20 minute wait to be seated, but you can wait out back on the patio.

Second of all, this place has quite a menu! While you are waiting you may want to begin to check out the offerings. Fortunately, breakfast ends at 11 a.m. most days so you won’t have to add that list of food items to your decision making matrix. Tee hee he

Chica 1 chose the BBQ Turkey Reuben which was interesting, but not that great. The turkey breast didn’t taste like it was grilled and the tropical slaw was just average. The food was served at a moderate temperature. It came with fries and hushpuppies which were pretty good. Chica 1 washed it down with a Mango Margarita, which was yummy!

Chica 2 had the Adobe Chicken with black beans and rice and veggies. She said the chicken was very tasty, but the sides were extremely salty.Not a good mix with heat as dehydration is sure to follow. The kids menu is very good and filling. 

One kid had the cheeseburger and the other child had the chicken fingers and a fruit smoothie. Needless to say, both children were happy. 2 Chicas would rate the Island Cow as average, average fare.

2 Chicas Captivated on Captiva

The T’ween Waters Inn on Captiva Island is a well known property on the island. These cottages and the adjoining buildings have been on the site, some as early as 1914. The Old Captiva House was a former one room schoolhouse that is now a restaurant. What is unique about this current restaurant is that it was transformed from a school to a dining hall in 1925. There are great paintings throughout. The food is good, but a little pricy like most restaurants on the island.

The Mucky Duck Restaurant has been around since the mid 70’s. The owners gave this establishment a good old fashioned English pub name. The food is fantastic and the views from the outdoor patio are stupendous! This is a great place to enjoy a sunset!

Experiencing the Bubble Room is akin to having a meal in a fun house. It is a unique Captiva experience and should not be missed, especially if you have kids in tow. The place is outrageous, the food is fantastic, and the staff will make sure to give you a personalized experience. If you have problems with being over stimulated, this is not the place for you. There are so many things going on in here, you have to check it out for yourself. Reservations may be necessary during busier hours and seasons.

2 Chicas Get to Know you Better at the Sanibel Community Fair and Retail Expo

Now these Sanibel guys have the right idea about how to keep people coming back. This little expo is a great way to get to know the businesses and services offered on the island. The event is sponsored by the Sanibel/Captiva Chamber of Commerce and engages local business to share their wares. The support of the business community was amazing. Almost every business offered a raffle basket of goodies!

There was a gigantic slide and bouncy house as well as other outdoor activities and face painting for the kids.  The Sanibel Firemen were very helpful and informational.

They take time to walk each interested party around their truck and share information on the different equipment found on the vehicle. The kids faces really light up when they see the jaws of life.  Just thinking about how fit the fire fighters must be made Chica 2 thirsty. Go figure?

That leads the 2 Chicas to Bailey’s, who generously provided beverages and hotdogs. A local cake company provided scrumptious morsels of chocolate cake and orange dream cake. Every vendor provided a trinket, candy, or something worth taking with you. 

One of my favorite old Florida hotels, the Tween Waters Resort was a big sponsor of the event. It was fantastic getting to meet many of the local business men and women. They were very friendly and just based on the interactions alone, made you want to be a part of this warm community.

2 Chicas Blinded By the Light

2 Chicas headed over to the Sanibel Lighthouse to check out one of Chica 2’s favorite things, lighthouses.  Chica 2 loves lighthouses and on every trip, she has to go look into the light. Poltergeist you may ask? You never know with Chica 2.

The Sanibel Lighthouse was built for $50,000 in 1883. It was used to light the way for ships moving goods to Cuba, of course when that international relationship was better. This lighthouse is made of iron, which seems to be a peculiar choice of materials, but what do we know about constructing a lighthouse. The lighthouse now is the property of the City of Sanibel. This neat metal pyramid stands for all to see at the tip of the island known as “old Sanibel” island.

As 2 Chicas said goodbye to Sanibel Island, Chica 2 exclaimed a simple “Look!” Just as we pulled onto the causeway, a school of dolphins appeared. They seemed to be safely escorting us out and on our way.   What a perfect ending to a lovely island escape!

While in the area, be sure to visit the Thomas Edison and Henry Ford winter estates in Fort Myers, FL. The grounds are beautiful and the properties provide a great opportunity to see how the wealthy wintered! There is also the added bonus of being able to view one of Edison’s laboratories.