The J.N. "Ding" Darling Wildlife Refuge is a must stop on Sanibel Island. There is a free information center with a few exhibits. There is a five-mile shell road that winds through the mangrove islands. You may drive your car or ride a bike. Cost is $5. To see the most wildlife, I suggest that you go early in the morning or late in the day. The trail is open from 7:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. Our timing was off and we didn't see many birds (they were off elsewhere feeding). We did, however, see a real, live, 3-foot alligator! Nothing is more Florida than spotting an alligator, getting within 8 feet of it without fences between you and it, and living to tell about it.
Our Internet quest for lodging had uncovered West End - Paradise, which is across from the Darling Refuge. They had no vacancies when we were coming, but we opted to stop by to see it and say hello to the owner, Peter Wilkins, who had been very nice and prompt with his email replies. His two-building resort is nestled in an upscale housing development 1,000 feet from the beach. They offer free bicycles to ride to the beach or they have a small private parking area next to the beach for their guests. With Peter's kind permission, we sampled his portion of Sanibel Island beach and loved it. Unfortunately, we didn't get to stay long as one of those summer rain showers sent us scrambling for the van after too short a time on the beach.
Even on his remote area, we found the shells picked over by the time we arrived. Alas, it is the early birds that get the shells on Sanibel and its northerly neighbor Captiva.
The rain proved to be fortuitous for my wife. On our way back, we found the Periwinkle Place shopping center on Sanibel. It is so nestled in its environment, that from the road you would never realize that it has over 40 shops. The walkways are covered, so we, and many others, whiled away a rainy afternoon looking in the shops. Hidden (from the road, at least) was the Sanibel Island Chowder Company where we had an excellent, if late, lunch.
We won't bore you with more sun and fun play by play. Needless to say, we enjoyed our stay on the southwest Florida coast. We recommend the area for a nice, laid back type of vacation.
Directions:
I-75 South to Fort Myers. Exit 21 is the best exit off of I-75 for the beaches. The route is well marked with signs to Ft. Myers Beach, Sanibel and Captiva. On the way, you'll travel on Six Mile Cypress (crossing highway 41), make a left on Highway 869 (Summerlin) which leads directly to the $3 toll booth before you cross the bridge to Sanibel Island. If your destination is Ft. Myers Beach, you'll turn left on Highway 865 (San Carlos). It is about 15 miles from the interstate to Ft. Myers Beach, about 17 miles to Sanibel.
