Trip to Fort Myers, Sanibel and Captiva Island.

Its been more than a week since I last posted on the blog. So, today I thought of sharing my experience with you all about our recent long weekend trip to Fort Myers, Sanibel and Captiva Island. It was not a pre-planned trip and we decided just a week earlier. It takes about 2.5 hours from Miami to Fort Myers through freeway. But we decided not to take the freeway and traveled through Big Cypress National Preserve. Although this is a longer route and has only one lane, it gave us ample chance to enjoy nature and make frequent stops.

Our first stop in Fort Myers was the Manatee Park. It was super hot and humid. The Manatee park has beautiful wild fruits and flowers but we could not spot a single manatee. By the time we finished our stroll, we were starving and decided to have our lunch. We went to an Indian restaurant called India Palace for the weekend special buffet. The restaurant was clean and cozy and the food was really good.

Since it was extremely hot and we needed to freshen up for the evening, we checked into our hotel. Our evening stop was Fort Myers State Pier. The Pier area was very colorful with many shops and restaurants. Finding a parking can be a bit tricky but we were lucky to get a flat rate parking spot.

We then proceeded towards the beach and enjoyed the beautiful sunset. I always love watching sunrise and sunsets. Especially here in Florida, you get to see awesome sunrise and sunsets. There are so many colors in the sky and each day they are different. Looking at them, I always think how beautiful mother nature is. That day, on one side there were heavy clouds and on the other side the sun was setting amongst all beautiful colors. It was such an amazing sight.

After it was dark, we came out of the beach and decided to take out our dinner from a Chinese Restaurant. The food was really good and the best part, the owner was from Falmouth, Massachusetts. We met another customer there who was also from MA. It was great to meet people from there as MA will always hold a very special place in our heart.The day came to an end with heavy rain.

Next day, our first stop was J,N Ding Darling  National Wildlife Preserve in Sanibel Island. The road to Sanibel Island via Sanibel Causeway is very seinic. J.N Ding Darling National Preserve was good but nothing compared to Everglades. There are bus tours in the preserve but we drove. The best part of driving is that you are allowed to stop wherever you want. You can take pictures, enjoy nature and watch different birds and animals.

Our next stop was Browmans Beach State Park. The beautiful stretched beaches and white sand immediately blow your mind away. Sanibel and Captiva beaches are known worldwide for shelling. While on the beach you can look for shells and collect as many as you want.

From the beach, we went to the Bailey Matthews National Shell Museum famous for their collection of shells from different parts of the world. Here, you get to see world’s largest shell, Charonia Variegata which measures about 16 inches and was collected from northeastern Brazil in the year 1816.

Another point of attraction in Sanibel is the lighthouse. The Lighthouse is closed on Sundays but the beach was accessible.

We went to Turners Beach for the sunset. It was cloudy and we could not see a good sunset, but the beach was just too good. Turners Beach is worldwide famous for shelling. You get to see different types of shells. Its always fun to collect shells whatever your age is. The beach was less crowded as parking is limited. It was so beautiful and peaceful to sit and watch the day coming to an end.

Next morning it was raining heavily and we got up late. Its time to return home. We really enjoyed the trip except the hot and humid weather. Would love to go back but in winter.