It's known for its natural beauty including gorgeous beaches, shelling, and island lifestyle. This family-friendly island has lots of activities for kids of all ages most of them free! Parenting lesson learned? I am going to be honest. I am not going to post about EVERYTHING to do on Sanibel Island for kids. Sanibel is all about relaxingand it settles in as you cross the causeway you wont even find a stoplight until you return over the bridge on your way back home. Paddle throughmangrove swamps and winding waterways, and then keep your kayak for free for the remainder of the day. Food shopping on the islands is ridiculously expensive and youll kick yourself if you end up having to buy a weeks worth of food there. A good day on the water promises dolphins, manatee, and other sea life sightings. Your whole family will enjoy spending hours exploring all the creatures they find! Sanibel is the larger and (slightly) more commercial of the two islands, while Captiva is more remote and private. Find out when low tide is and hit the beach before anyone else can snatch up all the good stuff. They loved running and collecting new shells. We also had dinner there and the kids were super happy with their chicken fingers. By: Jodi/Updated on: February 15, 2023/3 Comments. Sanibel Island is known for shelling and is one of the best places in the world to shell. Parking at Blind Pass Beach costs $5 per hour and the beach is free to explore. I offer tools, guides and resources to help you through all of the steps of planning meaningful, memorable family vacations. 9. The island's east-west orientation situates it perfectly to catch over 250 types of shells out of the Gulf of Mexico tides. Activities that appeal to kids of all ages from babies to toddlers to teenagers and beyond. They were pretty excited to start filling their bags when we got there. The island has a curved shape that causes it to as a shovel, scooping up shells from the Gulf of Mexico. Learn how your comment data is processed. Just make sure there is nothing living inside of the shell. Sanibel Island isworld-renownedfor its abundance of seashells. A trip to Sanibel Island with kids is perfect if you are a family who wants to send some quality time together in a laid back, relaxed atmosphere. Fun Things to Do in Sanibel Island with Kids: Family-friendly activities and fun things to do. These months offer the best weather, with comfortable temperatures and less rain, making it a joy to explore the island. The best times for shelling were at low tide and early in the morning (even better if these coincide). Turner Beach, in particular, is known for itsspectacularsunsets. The island acts like a big scoop and because of the way that the ocean currents flow, the shells just wash up on the beach. Be sure also to visit the family-friendly Bailey-Matthews National Shell Museum, the only one in the United States devoted solely to shells and mollusks. In the winter, catch both sunrise and sunset on the southerly beaches. The beaches on this barrier island are covered in beautiful shells of different shapes, sizes and colours, so make sure to set aside a day at the beach where you and the kids can swim in the gulf, lounge in the sun and rifle through all the shells to find the perfect specimen. Copyright 2023, Create Kids Club. This is Tampa's Ybor City is a National Historic Landmark District. As a visitor, that attitude is somewhat concerning to me and in the future, Id like to see some efforts in place and real discussion about red tide and the time of year when its low and high, and how to prevent it from happening. We really loved the fact that they walk right out onto a perfect stretch of pristine beach that we had nearly all to ourselves. Ever been to Captiva or Sanibel? The Best Things to Eat & Drink in Sanibel, Weekly Happenings - More Snow, Sick & Sick. There are shells all year long. It's such a great way to spend a bright and sunny afternoon almost any time of year! We are beach people and love to spend lots of time at the beach on our trips! Manatee Park. 1. If the ocean is a little to rough for your likes, be sure to be booked at a hotel with a pool for guests to use because you will want it! Although I had never been before, I knew I wanted to take Miss M and Z Man. This property offers a spacious family-style living room, Cable TV, free Wi-Fi, a washer/dryer . Not so much. Click here for instructions on how to enable JavaScript in your browser. 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. 4. Besides relaxing and playing on the beaches, there are kid-friendly restaurants, museums, and historical sites to enjoy with your family. For the 4 nights we were there, we stood on the beach of the hotel and observed and gave thanks that was our view. A jaunt down the beach or a bike around the island makes for wonderful take-home memories. Thats awesome. 2022 5. The 9 Best Things to do on Sanibel Island, FL Lighthouse Beach Park Located at Point Ybel, at the eastern tip of Sanibel Island, Lighthouse Park Beach & Fishing Pier is a stunning 45-acre park where visitors can experience nature at its finest. Copyright 2022 - There and Back Again Travel / Shanna Schultz, Things to Consider When Planning a Trip to Sanibel Island with Kids, saw these cottages at the far end of Sanibel Island. We booked the guide out of Fort Meyers. My family loves Sanibel and I'm sure yours will too. If you like a bit of history in your travels, then be sure to pay a visit to the lighthouse on the eastern tip of Sanibel Island. It is a really cool nature preserve that takes up much of the island. The Best, Most Unique Places to Stay In Hawaii on a Budget, Universal Studios for Kids What We Learned on our First Visit, Essential Travel Gear 10 Seemingly Random Things that I Wont Travel Without, The Ultimate Guide to Eating Cheaply in Paris, How We Spent 3 Days in Amsterdam with Kids. You can also rent them. Unsure of the treasure found on Sanibel Island? There are several ways to explore the refuge. The lighthouse dates back to 1884. Get there early, as parking spaces fill up. The same currents that bring all of the shells and wash them up on the shore also stir up the shallow bottom, making the water less than clear. Our room was clean and spacious, and had a little kitchenette (some of the units in this resort have full kitchens, if this is a need for you). Sanibel Island has enough beautiful beaches to keep you busy for days. Address: 3883 Sanibel Captiva Rd, Sanibel. This is a review for fun things to do near Landfield Ave, Monticello, NY 12701: "Amazing place: gorgeous view, extremely pleasant people and lots of fun. There is something for everyone on the menu and the servings are enormous. Joeys Custard is located at 2467 Periwinkle Way. This was a close second choice when booking our trip to Sanibel Island with kids. As a bonus for families, the captain usually invites kids to steer the boat and take a photo with him in his captain's cap. The island is a special place for any type of trip, but there is a unique charm in taking kids there because it allows them to appreciate nature a bit more than more developed beach cities. So will you. Taking a walk at Sanibel Lighthouse Beach Park is one of the best ways to explore the eastern tip of the island. 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. Tip for Canadians Tim Hortons coffee is served at Joeys Custard! Cue the tears. It's such a fun way to have even more fun at the beach with kids. We spend a ton of time on North Captiva and always make trips over to Sanibel truly a beautiful spot. Book a ride with Captiva Cruises, and make a stop at Cabbage Key. Along the way, a naturalist will point out local sights and landmarks while answering questions about wildlife and island history. Things to Do in Sanibel Island with Kids Enter dates Filters 1 Attractions Traveler favorites All things to do Category types Attractions Tours Day Trips Outdoor Activities Concerts & Shows Food & Drink Shopping Transportation Traveler Resources Types of Attractions Boat Tours & Water Sports Nature & Parks Sights & Landmarks Museums Dedicated to saving wildlife through state-of-the-art veterinary care, this center offers various educational experiences. Corrie P./CROW - Clinic for the Rehabilitation of Wildlife, Inc. At the Crow Clinic Animal Rehab, kids can interact with animal ambassadors for a remarkable learning experience. I love seashells so I would love to pick them up too. 7. Visit Cayo Costa Beach. Visiting this lighthouse is one of the more popular Sanibel things to do. It is a pretty photo stop, the beach is (of course) covered with shells and there is a lovely shaded picnic area there. Kids can easily split a kids meal, especially if they fill up on the bottomless muffins that come first. You might spot a dolphin or two from there. Sanibel Island is as much about world-class as it is about beaches. From beautiful beaches for shelling to countless water activities for kids, Sanibel Island is a great place to vacation for families. Notify me via e-mail if anyone answers my comment. The beaches are lined with more shells than you could ever collect. Located near Fort Myers, just offshore Floridas Gulf Coast, this unique island offers visitors the opportunity to bask in many outdoor activities. I've always wanted to visit Sanibel Island. The options are endless but here are a few of the activities my kids enjoyed the most on our recent trip. Get our travel tips Delivered to your inbox. As bills fall off the walls, they get added to a big end-of-the-year donation, so make sure to bring a bill or two for your kids to sign and hang up themselves (don't worry about the marker and tape, just ask the server). The occurrence of Red Tide is when simple plants that live in the sea and freshwatergrow out of control. Just wondering. There is also a tower about halfway through the drive with fun telescopes. Back in 1996, the City of Sanibel passed an ordinance that prevented big chain businesses from opening up shop on the island. Here you'll find shell-strewn beaches, a laid-back vibe, terrific restaurants and shops, and an incredibly diverse wildlife sampling. Most of the pools in the area are heated, making them great for use even in the winter. Buy groceries before you come over. The french fries are really good. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. 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