Sanibel and Captiva Islands After Hurricane Ian: A Weekend Getaway

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Since I moved to the west coast of Florida in 2021, I have heard about the beauty of the white sand beaches filled with amazing shells on Sanibel and Captiva Islands. A weekend getaway has been on my radar since I moved to Florida. It is a only a 90 minute drive from my house in Lakewood Ranch to the beautiful beaches of Sanibel and Captiva Islands.

However, before I had a chance to arrange a trip, Hurricane Ian visited the islands and nearby Fort Myers, leaving devastating destruction in its path.

The bridge on Sanibel causeway collapsed and three sections were washed away by the storm surge. Residents and business owners couldn’t get back on the islands for over a month. Since returning, many businesses have been shut down as they clean-up and rebuild.

It’s been 20 months and the area is open and ready for business, even in the off-season.

I packed my bags and arranged for an overnight in Fort Myers. My sister and her daughters joined me as we all love an adventure! Excited to look for shells on the world famous beaches, I even ordered snorkeling and shelling equipment in hopes of finding a rare Junonia shell.

Zenoplige Mask Fins Snorkel Set, Snorkeling Gear for Adults, Panoramic View Snorkel Mask Anti-Fog, Adjustable Dive Flippers, Dry Top Snorkel and Travel Bag, Scuba Gear for Swimming Snorkeling Diving

3Pcs Shelling Tools for Beach Include Beach Mesh Shovel, Sand Sifter with Extra Long Adjustable Handle and Mesh Beach Bag, Collecting Shells Beach Toys or Kids Girls Boys(3Pcs)

Fort Myers

We could not check into our hotel until 4:00, so we decided to explore Fort Myers area first.

Fort Myers is named for a confederate soldier named Abraham Myers and was a fort used in the Seminole wars and in the American civil war. The Battle of Fort Myers was fought on February 20, 1865,during the last months of the American Civil War. This small engagement is known as the “southernmost land battle of the Civil War.”

In 1885, inventor Thomas Edison was touring the area and purchased 13 acres of waterfront property. His beautiful estate and his next door neighbor Henry Ford’s home are open to the public to visit for a fee. We stopped in the parking lot across the street to check out the enormous Banyan tree. A gift shop and nursery are also located in this spot so a fun place to see.

The river district has a downtown area with shops and restaurants. We visited the Downtown House of Pizza and as a native New Yorker, I can say for sure that this was really good pizza. In fact, it was so good , I burnt the roof of my mouth – just like old times!

Walking along the shops and the waterfront everything is looking so clean and new. The river district is home to larger-than-life metal sculptures that are fun to pose with.

The eerie emptiness of the marina reminded us of the boats and cars that sunk or were washed out to sea during the hurricane. I wonder when they can use this marina again.

It is May and already proving to be a very warm season as the temperatures reached the high 90s. We checked into the hotel and rested in the air-conditioned room before venturing back outside.

Next stop was Fort Myers beach. I have a photograph of me at this beach when I was 2 years old. We could really see where the buildings had been damaged from the storm here. The beach front hotels were all under construction with a few now open. We could see a lot of damage still untouched since the hurricane.

Captiva Island

Watching the breathtaking sunset on Captiva Island is a must do, so we looked for restaurants with a view of the gulf that were open. If is the “off-season” in Florida, and some businesses like the Bubble Room have not opened back up yet. We took a scenic drive north to the smaller island of Captiva for dinner. Be sure to check the websites before making plans.

Our dinner choice of the beachfront English-pub called Mucky Duck is a long standing establishment on Captiva. We enjoyed our baked artichokes, crab cakes, salmon dinner, steak and seafood platter. After dinner we watched the enormous ice-cream sundaes going by and sadly acknowledged that we were too full for dessert!

With an hour before sunset we walked down the street past newly renovated rental homes and shops in the Captiva Village Square. We heard live music playing but wanted to get back to the beach for sunset. The Mucky Duck and beach were getting crowded, so we decided to move to Blind Pass beach known for its piles of different seashell.

The stunning sunset distracted from the fact that the shell search was limited. The sand was lovely but where were all the shells? I knew that at low tide we would more shells are exposed, but I had expected to see more on these beaches.

According to the Sanibel-Captiva Chamber of Commerce, Hurricane Ian’s landfall on Sanibel flattened the island’s beach and dune areas. As the storm surge from Ian receded, significant erosion occurred. They have recently replaced approximately 400,000 tons of sand to restore the beaches. Maybe the sand covered some of the shells? Just a thought.

Sanibel Island

Our hotel near the Sanibel causeway was fine and breakfast offerings plentiful. We packed our bags and headed back over the causeway bridge to the islands, this time heading south towards Lighthouse Beach. Along the way, we stopped for specialty coffees at the Magic Bus. The coffee and ice-cream store is located next to gift shops that are fun for browsing through especially if you are looking for t-shirts or sunscreen.

Lighthouse Beach Park costs $5.00 per hour to park off season as do most of the public beaches on Sanibel and Captiva Islands. A short boardwalk from the restrooms leads to the historic 1885 lighthouse that is undergoing repairs from the storm.

Warning signs that debris could be in the water did not deter us from putting on our mask and fins, grabbing a shell scooper and heading into the water in search of exotic shaped shells.

Oh what fun to dive down and scan the sandy bottoms looking for alphabet cones, lightning whelks and scotch bonnets! Not my lucky day. Most of the pretty, unbroken shells were already occupied with hermit crabs and snails. I had better luck in the shallow water and along the shore looking for smaller shells. I still managed to gather a good stash for future shelling crafts.

As I mentioned, the sun is very strong now, and it was hot, so by noon we were close to being fried. Outdoor showers provided us a spot to remove the salt and sand and the restrooms were clean enough to change clothes for lunch.

Road Tripping

We took the scenic route back to Bradenton.

Lunch was at the Lazy Flamingo in Fort Myers on McGregor Blvd. The one on Sanibel is still not open. The decor has a laid back island feel where you can eat inside or outside. We ordered conch fritters for an appetizer which were large and yummy. My fried oysters were juicy and fresh and I was pleased that I could substitute a house salad for the French fries. My sister said her grouper sandwich was the best one she’s had.

Next stop was to the Biggest Shell Factory that we passed on our way down. Maybe I could pick up some shells that I did not find at the beach. Would they have that Junonia shell everyone gets so excited about? It’s so rare, that if you find one, they put your picture in the local newspaper.

They had a few in a glass show case. It was part of the shell museum.

This factory claims to be the biggest gift shop in Florida. As we wandered inside the giant building, we did see buckets of shells, rocks, t-shirts, touristy souvenirs, a bar, an arcade, a military museum, expensive corals, jewelry and a huge Christmas Palace with knick-knacks, decorated trees and ornaments galore.

But that was not all.

Outside has a merry-go-round, a nature park, a restaurant, a zipline and more. It was all a little deserted on this off-season Thursday but if you want to do some shopping, it’s there.

Englewood

Last year my sister and I stayed on Manasota Key for my birthday. The best part of that trip was watching a baby turtle make his way to the shore. We also loved walking around West Dearborn Street in Englewood. Culture Coffee serves breakfast and lunch while featuring local artists and live music. Boutique style shops line the street and I found an awesome pickleball outfit there last year. We loved this quaint street and looked forward to another visit.

Due to the off season, we discovered that main street shops close at 4:00 in the summer. We were too late. Back on the road again, we stopped at a used book store called Book Worm. Lots of popular titles or only $1 or $2.

Venice

You know when your trip is coming to an end, but you don’t want it to be over yet?

Well, that’s why we made one more stop in Venice, Florida. Live music was being set up in the Centennial park in town and the shops were open until at least 5:30, some even 7:00pm! We did some shopping and learned that little shark statues are hidden all around town and part of a scavenger hunt. Venice beach is famous for finding sharks teeth.

While a week away would be nice, an overnight trip to Sanibel and Captiva Islands is enough time to get a feel for the area. The traffic and crowds are gone and the beaches are truly beautiful. I did not find that elusive Junonia shell on this trip, but that’s OK. I’ll just have to keep searching.

Can’t wait to find out where we are going next!

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No Simple Highway: A widow’s journey to seek justice for her husband’s death