Location: Sanibel Island
Top Things to do in Sanibel Island
Countries
The 10 Best Things to do in Sanibel Island, Florida (FL)
Most vacation spots are either relaxing (Tahiti) or family-friendly (Orlando). Sanibel Island, however, is that rare place which is both. Spend a quiet afternoon shell-collecting, or find a hotel with a kids' program so you can enjoy a trip to the spa or a round of golf.
Restaurants in Sanibel Island
1. Sanibel and Captiva Chamber of Commerce and Visitors Center
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 893 reviews
The Sanibel & Captiva Islands Chamber of Commerce Visitor Center is your official source when visiting our beautiful islands. Stop in for information on lodging, restaurants, activities, shopping, attractions, and much more!
Reviewed By Erfurt - Jupiter, United States
it is located very conveniently, as soon you get off the causeway bridge on the right hand side, a very modern facility, knowledgeable , friendly staff, the Lady on duty took her time to answer my question, very much appreciated. A good place to get Information.
2. Sanibel Island Farmer's Market
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 447 reviews
Founded in 2008, The Sanibel Island Farmers Market is held at City Hall, Sundays, 8am - 1pm, October thru end of May. This open air market features over 40 vendors including: local produce, baked goods, live plants, fresh seafood, cheese, pasta, meats, honey, pet treats, prepared foods, organics and so much more. We will be closed on November 11 due to Veteran's Day event, but will be open on Monday November 12th. We are open on Easter Sunday.
Reviewed By scrosby76 - Waconia, United States
Went there with my daughters with the intent of getting breakfast and wound up with so much more! While on vacation I don't love to cook more than I have to but I also get tired of eating out and thought this would be a nice happy medium. We arrived closer to 8 AM and didn't have trouble finding a parking spot in the historical museum parking lot. It does get crowded, so even though it is outdoors they currently have a masking policy since it is near impossible to maintain distance. The girls started out with some fresh fruit smoothies while we scoped the place out. I was so impressed by the variety of things there from goods, to prepared food, fresh flowers, and produce. And so many ethnic choices as well! One of my kids got a fresh, made to order crepe and the other got, I think it's called the little bird from 3 little birds food truck-think toad in a hole meets biscuits and gravy. I got a croissant breakfast sandwich from 3 Little Birds as well-bacon, cheddar, egg and added avacado-it was yuge! So much for just getting breakfast...We ended up getting enough food to eat for 2 more days and not have to make a trip to the grocery store. We brought home some delicious empanadas, fresh guacamole, some pastries, and more. There was a stand with Indian food and I forget what it was called, but OMG, I am still daydreaming of their food. She was giving me sample after sample and I don't even know what I was eating it was coming at me so fast and I was stuffed by the time I left. We ended up with a couple of different samosas, yogurt sauce, and a mango chutney. I'd have them ship to me if it was an option-give them a try! If I make it back to Sanibel, this will definitely be a stop on my list again!
3. The Bailey-Matthews National Shell Museum
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 1,607 reviews
The Bailey-Matthews National Shell Museum is the only museum in the U.S. devoted entirely to shells and mollusks, and one of the best things to do on Sanibel Island. It features more than 30 engaging exhibits of stunning shells, showcasing some of the largest and rarest shell specimens in the world, including the goliath conch, lightning whelk and Atlantic trumpet triton, as well as common Southwest Florida shells, fossil shells and more. New in March 2020, “Beyond Shells: The Mysterious World of Mollusks” adds the live animals that create shells to its must-see experiences. New aquariums include live octopuses, giant clams, nautilus, nudibranchs and gastropods, and two 15-foot-long touch tanks let young visitors get their hands wet. For a perfect Sanibel experience, fun daily beach walks can be reserved, and the nonprofit museum’s scientists also conduct research with local mollusk species.
Reviewed By invertpaleo - New York City, United States
This has always been an amazing museum, and now it has many aquariums with live mollusks in them, and the live mollusks are fascinating to see! There are mollusks with shells like the Junonia (yes a live Junonia!), and ones without a shell like the octopus, the cuttlefish, and the seahares. If you like shells, you will love this place -- the only national shell museum. Sanibel is all about shells, so even if you are not shell-crazy, you may find this museum of interest because it covers so many shell-related topics. It is a little expensive but it offers so much for the price!
4. J.N. "Ding" Darling National Wildlife Refuge
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 6,185 reviews
Established in 1945, this wildlife refuge occupies one-third of Sanibel Island and is a prime spot for bird watching. Fees are required for Wildlife Drive, which is open everyday but is closed on Fridays, gate times vary. The best way to plan your visit is to stop in the informative FREE visitor center first which is open daily 9am-4pm. Then begin your adventure with many activities including the wildlife drive, tram tour, kayaking, fishing opportunities, picnic benches, and even a free scavenger hunt style game and wildlife spotting app (Discover Ding) if you prefer a self-guided tour.
Reviewed By michiales - North Fort Myers, United States
Ding Darling Wildlife Refuge is home to a large number of wildlife, including roseate spoonbills, anhinga, pelicans, herons, egrets, anoles, otter, alligators... it's a must-see for anyone visiting the island!
5. Bowman's Beach
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 3,042 reviews
Reviewed By Markclo1 - San Antonio, United States
Our family has been coming here for the last decade and its just beautiful here. Bowman is a wonderful beach, beautiful white sand, awesome blue ocean. There is tonnes of space on this beach. They have great facilities as well, only downside is that its a long walk from the parking lot to the beach, only a problem if you have small children like us. There is a park which are kids enjoyed too, we saw turtles, everywhere is very clean. I dont mind paying for parking when the facilities are well maintained like this. There is no doubt that red tide has had an impact on the wildlife in South West Florida, there seem to be less birds and fish than previous years, we are seeing that everywhere
6. Clinic for the Rehabilitation of Wildlife (CROW)
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 429 reviews
Established in 1968, CROW is one of the nation's leading wildlife rehabilitation hospitals for Florida's native and migratory wildlife. A non-profit veterinary hospital, CROW provides medical care for more than 200 species and about 3,500 injured, sick and orphaned wildlife patients every year, with the goal of returning them to their natural habitat. CROW provides educational opportunities for students from across the United States and other nations to participate in wildlife rehabilitation process while introducing them to conservation medicine. Although the Hospital and its patients are not open to the public, CROW does provide a Visitor Education Center with interactive exhibits for all ages and live feed cameras of the Hospital intake room and patient enclosures. “Wildlife Walk” Guided Hospital Tours are offered for a chance to go “behind-the-scenes” and see the veterinarians in action. Registration in advance for the tours is required, please see website for available dates.
Reviewed By 214tinar
Our party visited Dec 2019. We had an hour long presentation about snakes with an ambassador Indigo snake who was quite feisty. After being told some crucial differences between venomous and non venomous snakes we felt a little more confident about how to deal with one in the wild. After an excellent talk we were shown to the clinic. An injured pelican arrived while we were there and was examined and X rayed (we could see into the examination room through a window). Once the examinations and treatments of the emergency patients were over we had a walk through so we could see how the patient areas are organised. The animal ambassadors are the ones that interact with visitors - there was an American Kestrel ambassador in one of the rooms keeping an eye on us. The patients are not photographed and don't interact with visitors - which is reasonable given that they are patients not exhibits. This is an exceptional clinic - doing some great work for injured animals - including those poisoned by red tide. Good to know that the modest fee for our tour goes towards supporting the work here.
7. Blind Pass Beach
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 807 reviews
Reviewed By jennabe317 - Columbus, United States
We absolutely love Blind Pass and make sure to stop here every time we're in town. It's very clean and great for shelling! We were just in town (June 2019) and found several great shells, saw sting rays and even a Horseshoe Crab. So many great memories have been made here. We look forward to coming back again soon!
8. Sanibel Causeway
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 1,344 reviews
Reviewed By thaward - The Villages, United States
Driving over the Causeway bridge heading towards the island of Sanibel, you get this amazing elevated view of the bays and surrounding waterways. It’s beautiful and tranquil any day of the year. Once on the narrow causeway, you will find sandy beaches and places to park along both sides of the road. Picnic tables and grills as well as restroom facilities are located near the second, lower bridge before arriving on Sanibel. This is a popular area for locals and day tourists to swim, paddle board, fish, kayak, and have a relaxing time and a picnic meal!
9. Lighthouse Beach Park
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 166 reviews
Reviewed By TerryM217
Love going to the lighthouse beach at low tide. Always find shells and you can see so many live sand dollars. I'm a little sad that all the boats dock just past the sand bars. What used to be a peaceful beach is now filled with loud, loud music, at least on the weekends. I was not a fan of that.
10. Sanibel Island Lighthouse
Overall Ratings
4.0 based on 2,639 reviews
This lighthouse, built in 1884, offers a storied history, unusual architecture and quiet spots for romantic interludes.
Reviewed By MelissadWelsh
we rode our bikes to the lighthouse and loved walking around the beach area and stopping to see the lighthouse! worth going to if you have a spare hour or so!
