Sanibel Island Vacation Rental Cottage
Sanibel Island, Florida
1-800-883-7134

What To Do

While we know that you could spend all of your time on our beautiful beaches, you might just want to get out and do a little exploring.

Shelling

Sanibel has been called the third best shelling destination in the world!  Once you step foot on our beautiful beaches you will certainly see why and we are sure that you'll be hooked into doing the "Sanibel Stoop".  The best time to look for shells is from one hour prior to and one hour after low tide.  When shelling please remember that it is unlawful to collect live shells on Sanibel.  A "Live Shell" is defined as any with an inhabitant, whether or not the animal seems alive.  This law also protects sand dollars, starfish, and sea urchins.

Bailey-Mathews Shell Museum

If you tire of looking for your own shells, this is a fun alternative!  The Bailey-Mathews Museum is the most comprehensive shell museum in the United States.  it exhibits a third of the world's 100,000 shells.  Exhibits feature shells in art and history, rare specimens, fossils, interactive exhibits and much more.

Bike Trails

Sanibel offers close to 25 miles of bike paths that will take you through the shopping districts, quiet neighborhoods, across wooden bridges and waterways and into wildlife areas.  There are several public bike rental facilities on the island that rent by the day or the week.

Fishing

A license is required for fresh and salt water fishing.  There are numerous charter companies for deep-sea fishing adventure. For those that don't have their "sea legs" you can try your luck from the Sanibel Fishing Pier located near the Lighthouse on the East End of the Island.

J.N. "Ding" Darling National Wildlife Refuge

This "Everglades-like" environment is comprised of over 6,000 acres and covers nearly a third of Sanibel.  Alligators, Egrets, Roseate Spoonbills, Herons, and Anhinga are just a few of the varied wildlife that you can view during your visit.  This refuge also offers an Interpretative Center with interactive wildlife exhibits and special tours and guided walks.