The Gulf Coast of Florida is an interesting place for travelers. It is a favorite stretch of coastline that makes Sanibel Island vacations really popular. Sanibel Causeway is the link to the island that contains the city of Sanibel and the mainland. Over to Captiva Island there is a little bridge via Blind Pass. The beaches at the island are amongst the best and renowned for the lot of shells found there, including whelks and scallops. In point of fact, Sanibel Island is place to the solely seashell museum in the world, named the Bailey-Matthews Shell Museum.
The region is often frequented by hurricanes, one of the strongest being the recent 2004 Hurricane Charley. Unfortunately, it demolished some nests of sea turtles and birds. The Sanibel Lighthouse was only slightly destroyed.
The ambience on the island is distinctly easygoing and locals like to preserve their quality of life among the mangroves and palm trees. Fast food outlets are not allowed, the only exception is a Dairy Queen.
The region is a great attraction for bird watchers and has a reputation for its wide range of species. Sanibel Island vacations offer the opportunity to see nesting pairs of Roseate Spoonbills and Bald Eagles. The J.N. "Ding" Darling National Wildlife Refuge is probably the best place to watch birds on the island. Here, there are herons, terns, egrets, sandpipers and pelicans. It's also home to numerous American Alligators and even a crocodile.
Especially favored by golfers is Fort Myers nearby that receives many tourists each year. Golf is played all over the region and the courses here are well known to be of the highest standard. Due to the excellent climate it is possible to play all over the year. On Sanibel Island vacations another tourist attraction of Fort Myers is the winter estates of the two inventive pioneers Henry Ford and Thomas Edison. The friends bought neighboring properties on McGregor Boulevard for their winter homes. Nowadays, the homes are museums and the botanical garden that Edison began is open to the public too. It is a noteworthy garden with over 1,000 plant specimens. It is full of colorful and attractive trees and flowers but began life as an try out in growing plants for industrial products.
For tourists who like to be active there is a lot of things to do. You can hire a bike to ride them on lots of paths. Sanibel Island vacations are perfect for water skiers, tennis players or keen fishermen too. Canoeing and kayaking, wildlife viewing, guided kayak fishing trips is also available or you can explore the area on boat tours, where it's possible to spot dolphins.
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