Things to Do on Sanibel & Captiva
Plenty, if you want it. And if you’d rather spend the week with a book on the beach, the islands are good at that too.
Getting to the Islands
Sanibel sits just off Florida’s southwest coast, connected to the mainland by a causeway, with Captiva across a short bridge at its far end. Most visitors fly into Fort Myers and are on the beach within the hour.
More Like a Jungle Paradise
Sanibel became a city in 1974 so islanders could protect it from big development, and it shows. You won’t find a single stoplight, neon sign, or building over three stories.
There’s still plenty to fill a week, with three golf courses, tennis, marinas, galleries, and live theater, plus restaurants that range from beach shacks to white tablecloth. More than 20 miles of bike paths connect it all.
J.N. “Ding” Darling National Wildlife Refuge
About 60% of Sanibel is protected for wildlife, and roughly half of that is the “Ding” Darling refuge, named for a cartoonist and early conservationist who fought to save it.
Drive, bike, or walk the four-mile Wildlife Drive for close looks at roseate spoonbills, osprey, egrets, and herons, with alligators and otters along the way. If you get real lucky, you might even spot a bobcat. Go at low tide for the best viewing, and skip Fridays, when the drive is closed.
Shelling on Sanibel & Captiva
Sanibel is one of the few Florida islands that sits perpendicular to the coast, so Gulf currents push shells toward its beaches instead of past them. A sandbar-like ridge just offshore helps carry them in, many still in one piece. Head out early near low tide, and you’ll see the “Sanibel Stoop” all along the beach. Olives, angel wings, horse conch, and sand dollars turn up often. The real prize is the junonia, rare enough that finding one can get your picture in the local paper.
Collecting live shells is against the law, so if something is still living inside, leave it on the sand.
Where to Go on the Islands
