There are more than enough reasons to love Fort Myers and Sanibel Island: great weather (the Gulf water averages 76 degrees, almost never dipping below 60 even in the wintertime), delicious food (it’s rumored that Jimmy Buffett wrote “Cheeseburger in Paradise” after dining at an area restaurant), fantastic outdoor sports. It has the best of Florida, without the over-development. It’s also been repeatedly voted as the #1 shelling beach in the nation by Travel + Leisure.
Honor roll
Drinks: Peel ‘n eat shrimp and a cold beer at the Lazy Flamingo.
Eats: Stop by Andy’s Island Seafood Mobile Truck. Also visit Sanibel Farmer’s Market and the Captiva General Store.
Coffee: Visit The Island Cow for a big breakfast or lunch. Try a slice of Key Lime Pie at the Key Lime Bistro.
Things to do: Visit Bowman’s Beach, one of the world’s best shelling beaches. Cheer on spring training baseball in Fort Myers. Visit the Edison & Ford Winter Estates Museum. Check out the the National Shell Museum and paddle in the JN “Ding” Darling National Wildlife Refuge. .