Things to do on Sanibel

 

Relaxation – the beaches are beautiful and quiet and the Gulf is wonderful for swimming - the average water temperature is mid 20s Celsius and hardly ever drops below 20 degrees
Wildlife – visiting the host of nature reserves and centres, and following amazing animal, marine and plant life can fill weeks
Water based activities – kayaking in the mangroves or the gulf, fishing, boating, jet and water skiing, scuba diving
Golf - And of course people come to Florida generally for golf – Sanibel has three courses and many more are just over the bridge starting 5 minutes away

Here are some useful comments and links to the main activities:

Thriller - Circumnavigating the Sanibel and Captiva, the best way to see the islands and worth the money.  We take all our visiting friends.  Usually full so you have to book https://sanibelthriller.com/

J N Ding Darling Wildlife Refuge – main reserve on the island with an exhibition and visitor centre; only $1 to cycle round! (or $5 to drive around the 4 mile trail) https://www.fws.gov/refuge/JN_Ding_Darling/

Tarpon Bay Explorers – outdoor and aquatic centre where you can hire kayaks, a pontoon boat and sail the bay, or join one of their group nature tours. We like the evening boat trip watching all the birds return to nest for the night https://tarponbayexplorers.com/

Bailey-Matthews National Shell Museum – the only dedicated shell museum in the USA.  Very interesting and well worth a visit for a couple of hours; includes a live tank and demonstration.  https://www.shellmuseum.org/

CROW (Clinic for the Rehabilitation of Wildlife) -  a teaching hospital and visitor education centre dedicated to saving wildlife through state-of-the-art veterinary care, research, education and conservation medicine.    http://www.crowclinic.org/

SCCF (Sanibel and Captiva Conservation Foundation) – offers guided tours around the wetlands taking in turtles, snakes, and all sorts of fauna http://www.sccf.org/our-work/nature-center

Cruises, boat hire and guided fishing trips at Sanibel Marina http://www.sanibelmarina.com/charters.html Captiva Cruises to many local islands http://www.captivacruises.com/ or Jensens Marina https://www.gocaptiva.com/marina.html

Sanibel Museum and Historical Village - Explore and discover the rich history of Sanibel up close and personal at the Sanibel Historical Museum & Village https://sanibelmuseum.org/

Cinema & Theatre -Sanibel also has it’s own small cinema with two screens http://www.islandcinema.com/ and a performance theatre, Big Arts https://bigarts.org/

Golf - Two golf clubs welcome visitors: The Dunes http://www.dunesgolfsanibel.com/ and Sanibel Island GC https://sanibelislandgc.com/  with tee time deals apart from peak season between Christmas and mid April. The third course is the best but you will need excellent connections to get on The Sanctuary https://www.sanctuarygc.net/