Planning your Sanibel Island vacation

From the air, anyone can see why Sanibel stands apart from the typical Florida tourist destination. The lush green vistas give away the fact that more than half of Sanibel's area is preserved in its natural state as wildlife refuges. The largest, J.N. (Ding) Darling National Wildlife Refuge, can be enjoyed walking, biking, riding, canoeing or kayaking. Named for the Des Moines Register cartoonist who was a frequent visitor to the island and who started the federal Duck Stamp program, the refuge is home to alligators, otters, and hundreds of species of birds, including white pelicans, roseate spoonbills and ospreys. Located on Sanibel-Captiva Road, the preserve's 5-mile-long Wildlife Drive takes a visitor through 6000 acres of mangrove swamps and winding waterways. One walking trail loops through subtropical vegetation over an ancient Calusa Indian shell mound.

Sanibel and its sister island Captiva are famous for their seashells. Visitors with no previous interest find themselves doing the "Sanibel stoop" as they hunt for the more than 200 varieties. Shelling can be extraordinary after any storm or at strong low tides. Each year in March collectors display and sell their finds, including the rare junonia, at the Sanibel Shell Fair. The Bailey-Matthews Shell Museum, a must for shellers and non-shellers alike, houses a rainbow of shell exhibits. Actor Raymond Burr, an avid sheller, contributed generously to the current museum.

At the eastern tip of the island stands the Sanibel Lighthouse, erected in 1884. While en route to Sanibel, a storm sank the ship carrying the dismantled lighthouse. The salvaged structure, along with the keeper's quarters, are the oldest buildings on Sanibel. Although now automated, the light continues to warn maritime traffic. The lighthouse and the surrounding beach are probably the most photographed spot on the island.