7 Reasons to Visit Harrisonburg Virginia! Dont forget the camera some of my best shots have come at this time. Beaches, Free TYPE 2 hours to Half Day TIME TO SPEND Bowman's is well known for having beautiful, unusual shells, but you'll have to put a. Address: 1 Wildlife Dr, Sanibel, FL 33957. We've found lots of fun ways to spend our days on the island and I'm sure we'll continue to do that as the kids grow older. Bonus tip if you come down here, make sure to include a stop at Sanibels Best Homemade Ice Cream. You'll probably not be surprised to see this list includes enjoying the beaches fully with different beach activities, swimming, and even shelling! While you can't exactly access the light,the site itself features agreat shelling beach, a fishing pier, and a nature trail. Sanibel Island is a barrier island located on the Gulf Side of Florida, about 30 minutes from the Fort Myers. Just ask! Red Tide is a name given to an algae that are harmful to fish and humans. Tarpon Bay Explorersofferscanoe and kayak trips in the J. N. "Ding" Darling NationalWildlife Refuge where naturalist guides give you an up-close experience with this unique ecosystem. Don't forget the camera some of my best shots have come at this time. Nature comes in a spectacular variety in the Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge. Located near Fort Myers, just offshore Floridas Gulf Coast, this unique island offers visitors the opportunity to bask in many outdoor activities. Love Boat Ice Cream is at 1700 Periwinkle Way in the Plaza with the big Jerrys grocery store. Hit the big grocery stores in Fort Myers on your way. Fort Myers Brewery. Worth-visiting institutions include the Village Sanibel Historical Museum, which preserves nine historic buildings that tell the islands story. I definitely want to go back and explore and this sounds like an amazing place to do just that. Stuff your face at Island Cow. Consider renting a tandem bike for those younger kids who may end up tired from long bike rides. Kids can easily split a kids meal, especially if they fill up on the bottomless muffins that come first. Sanibel Island is a great place to vacation with a family. Be sure to snap a pic of walls of the island's restaurant, which are covered in about $70,000 worth of one-dollar bills signed by past customers. The island is home to many burrowing gopher turtles and lush plantlife grows wild here giving the island an old Florida feel. All ages. Your email address will not be published. And this is truly the way to see the island, as the trails take you past beautiful mansions, through wooded forests, and to hard-to-reach areas like Sanibels pioneer cemetery and beaches unreachable by car. See these marine mammals leaping and frolicking in the waters of Pine Island Sound. As the kids are flying down the waterslides enjoy a nice slow ride in the lazy river. Billys Bike: 1509 Periwinkle Way (239) 472-3620, Finnimores Bike & Beach Shop: 2353 Periwinkle Wa (239) 472-5577. That and snowbirds who retire there, my late paternal grandparents being them! Another note, Sunburned Willie, the host of the crab race, can be a bit crass. Sanibel Island (and the neighbouring Captiva Island) is loaded with fun, family-friendly things to do proving it's worth broadening your vacay horizons beyond Orlando. They offer a wide variety of accommodations choices as well as a beautiful kid friendly pool with a water slide. He had Little Man and Miss M jumping to be first in line the whole time. One of the main reasons I love coming here so much is for the shells. ): I did not realize until we visited Sanibel and next door Captiva Islands that each of these islands is distinctively different. It's a great activity for kids and families. These eye-popping gardens host wild creatures like butterflies, turtles, rabbits, and birds. Connecting the Florida mainland to Sanibel Island, this majestic roadway rises 70 feet over beautiful San Carlos Bay and offers show-stopping views over the aquamarine waters. Convinced to travel to Sanibel Island and check out the cool things to do in there? Sanibel Island is best experienced by bike. Come over and. Sanibel Island is an island on the west of the Florida panhandle. Sanibel Island with kids is the perfect place to spend a family vacation! Sanibel Island Rentals: Billy's Bike : 1509 Periwinkle Way (239) 472-3620 Finnimore's Bike & Beach Shop: 2353 Periwinkle Wa (239) 472-5577 3. Once I heard of it, I wanted to know what there was to do on Sanibel Island with kids. Baby sea turtles hatch late at night when the moon is bright. Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge On this part of Sanibel you'll find a protected piece of nature with quite an impressive wildlife! As my kids are only 5 and 10 and we would have to pay to rent bikes anyway if we opted to cycle around the island, it made sense for us to have to get groceries. Island Inn Sanibel Island Review | Kathryn Anywhere, Winter Hiking Tips for Hikers of All Levels, Craigleith Ski Club Snowmaking How The Magic Happens, Quebecs Eastern Townships Plan The Perfect Long Weekend. . Mini Golf. I had the Key Lime Ice Cream and my daughter had something called Unicorn poop. J. N. "Ding" Darling NationalWildlife Refuge. Its amazing! More shops and restaurants and better choice of hotels and resorts. Sanibel is known as the Shelling Capital of the World, and it's not hard to see why. Having a sub-tropical climate, visitors and residents enjoy the outdoors and sunshine all year long. The Island also offers many opportunities for kids to learn and have fun at the same time. 8. Once we left the beach area, we stopped coughing. Suzanne Rowan Kelleher is a nationally recognized family travel expert and an award-winning travel writer and editor. One day we went for a later brunch at the Lighthouse Cafe, which was very busy! We are Shanna and Aaron + kiddos. The Clinic for the Rehabilitation of Wildlife (CROW) is great for learning about Southwest Floridas native and migratory wildlife. Any suggestions on the beat and least expensive fishing guide? Road trips to Florida were the best part of my childhood. Kids love being responsible for shutting curtains and blinds to help protect the turtles! One person mentioned that it comes from Alabama. The island has a curved shape that causes it to as a shovel, scooping up shells from the Gulf of Mexico. We collected shells every day we were there and it never got old for the boys. It connects by bridge to Captiva Island. Have a look! Photo: Courtesy of The Beaches of Fort Myers and Sanibel 1. Some of my favorite memories as a kid are from Sanibel Island and I think these are all such great activities to do with kids! Kids of all ages love a pool and there are plenty of them in Sanibel! We also recommended Algiers Beach (aka Gulfside City Park Beach), one of the most popular dog-friendly beaches in Sanibel. On our first trip to Sanibel with took the twins to the Bailey-Matthews Shell Museum. I would absolutely stay there again. With about 22 miles of paved bike trails, it's super easy to get anywhere on the island. Pick a beach, any beach, and head on over after dinner. I think we stopped here three times during our stay. They were pretty excited to start filling their bags when we got there. Watch the sunset on the beach. Included with admission: $16; $13 seniors and visitors with disabilities. Captiva Island: Felt more off the beaten path and exclusive. Hello, my name is Shanna, and I am a detail obsessed travel addict on a mission to make planning your own family trips fun and easy! Bricks 4 Kidz - Piscataway. Definitely can do an adult only trip there too! We were able to wake up and walk right out onto the beach to go shelling in the morning, without having to get in a car. It is located in Lee County and the easiest way to get there from Toronto is to fly to Fort Myers, rent a car and go. As someone who doesnt have kids, I still love all the suggestions. Lounge on a Fort Myers Beach. Check out the nearby learning centre at the Clinic for the Rehabilitation of Wildlife(CROW) where kids can watch as animals are nursed back to health at the animal hospital and perform their own pretend rehabilitations on stuffed versions of their favourite critters. Party & Event Planning. No arguments there! Sanibel is a beautiful and well-protected Gulf Coast barrier island. 3. While visiting Chateaux Sur Mer, you might make a stop by sights like Sanibel Island Southern Beach and Bowman's Beach. Captiva And Sanibel Islands are just over an hour from Ft. Myers and relatively easy to get to, but feel like a tropical paradise. One of thebest things to do on Captiva Islandis to watch the sunset. When you hit the causeway, you know you have arrived atthis breathtaking island covered in shells and its the start of making memories to last a lifetime. Download a tide app to check tide times. The Sanibel Island Lighthouse is on the east end of the island and has a lovely fishing pier, nature trail, and beaches with great shelling. As I am a big craft beer aficionado, I had to hit up Doc Fords Rum Bar & Grille. Its located right on the beach in the premier spot for shelling. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. If you aren't familiar with Sanibel Island, Florida it's a small island off the coast of West Florida near Fort Myers. Watch the sunset on the beach. It's such a great way to spend a bright and sunny afternoon almost any time of year! This is a fantastic place for viewing Florida manatees. Here you'll find healthy vegetarian and pescatarian recipes, health & wellness tips, healthy travel guides, plus behind the scenes fun from my life as a twin Mom. The gator viewing wasnt plentiful, there were a few eyes popping up here and there, but it certainly was exciting to try to see them! The time lost in driving, the tolls and just the increased level of relaxation that staying on the island gave us were completely worth the extra money. Celebrate Women's History Month and commemorate pioneering figures in science, technology, arts & design, and mathematics. Sanibel Island is an island on the west of the Florida panhandle. Time seems to move differently on Sanibel. Learn all about seashells and the animals that make them. This family-friendly island has lots of activities for kids of all ages most of them free! Sanibel Stars & Stripes 43 Boat Tours By 797brendank Friendly staff, great experience, had multiple dolphins chasing and jumping behind the boat for majority of the the r. 39. It is located in Lee County and the easiest way to get there from Toronto is to fly to Fort Myers, rent a car and go. They have a great kids menu, too, and are really patient with annoying children. There are shells all year long. What I am going to tell you is some insights what we did while visiting Sanibel, and what is on our shortlist for next time: This is the number one reason that many folks make the trip to Sanibel, and for good reason. My family loves Sanibel and I'm sure yours will too. With beaches that boast over 60 different kinds ofseashells, Sanibel Island is a shell hunter's dream. Although I had never been before, I knew I wanted to take Miss M and Z Man. It was a day of ribbons and confetti cannons, hugs and back-slapping as two more island business emerged from . Photo: Theresa Baldwin, Courtesy of the "Ding" Darling Wildlife Society, J. N. "Ding" Darling National Wildlife Refuge, Clinic for the Rehabilitation of Wildlife, Road trips to Florida were the best part of my childhood. Warm Gulf waters and calm surf make most of the island's beaches great for families withsmall children. The Sanibel Inn offered the use of paddleboards, kayaks and bikes free of charge for their guests. The shelling is the best and the kids love climbing all over the driftwood and making their way through the forest. Because of this, the island is home to a ton of locally-owned boutiques where you can buy bathing suits, sun hats or souvenirs to take home. We spend a ton of time on North Captiva and always make trips over to Sanibel truly a beautiful spot. 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