Sanibel & Captiva Islands

A part of me hesitates to continue on the stories of my travels, because there are some places that I would love (selfishly) to keep to myself.  The islands of Sanibel and Captiva fall into that category.  I'm honestly not sure if they were "undiscovered" in 1996, when I first went there, but since then, Lonely Planet published a small visitors guide, and the islands have been featured in the Wall Street Journal within the last month.  The islands have even made it into 1,000 Places to See Before You Die.  And yet, the last time I visited, the years really hadn't changed the islands all that much.

There are plenty of things that appeal about the islands, enough that I've been back multiple times, although there are certainly closer beaches.  That said, I'm not certain that I can capture specific places we visited on each trip at the date of this writing, some 18 years after our first visit to the islands.  There's a few places that were there that aren't around anymore.  The main one that comes to mind is McT's Shrimp House & Tavern.  I've done a little digging around, and apparently it had taken a turn for the worse before closing, but back in 1996, it was a good choice for a meal.  I do recall eating at the Jacaranda on this trip as well, but I can't say that I recall too much about it.

The two main things that I find to be so appealing, though, are the shells, and the secluded feeling.  I'll start with the second part first.  I grew up going to the beach, and while the beach has never been deserted, beaches today are a far cry from the beaches I remember.  This is the whole point of the Wall Street Journal write-up on Sanibel and Captiva - they've maintained the "Old Florida" feel.  The islands aren't overrun with condos and high-rise hotels, and while there is shopping to be had, you won't find huge discount outlets there either.  So, if that's your idea of a week at the beach, you will be sorely disappointed by what you find.  There are several good dining options, but the islands also aren't overrun with restaurants and fast food joints.  What you will find is clean beaches, with unbelievable amounts of shells, and a small beach community feel.  Even today, there's simply not that much "to do" on the islands, which, in my eyes, makes them all the more tempting.

If you haven't been there, it is almost impossible to explain the shells you can find.  When you hear the waves crash on the shore, there is a musical tinkling sound, like someone diddling around on the high piano keys very lightly.  That diddling happens to be the sound of thousands upon thousands of shells being pushed back and forth by the waves.  Simply strolling along the beach you will find hundreds upon hundreds of perfectly shaped shells.  Stay for a week, and even if you didn't think of yourself as a "sheller", you will have caught the fever, and you will have spent at least one day stooped over, digging through the sand for your next piece of treasure.  We ended up bringing back a bucket full of shells the first time we went - after getting rid of another couple of buckets.  It seems like every time we go back, we come back home with another bucket.

I'll do some searching for photos to see if I can add a few - I'm not sure I'll be able to do the place justice.