I was invited by The Beaches of Fort Myers & Sanibel for a fun *and safe* family road trip to this beautiful area. I got so many questions via Instagram and I want to share all the details about where we stayed, where we ate, where we went, and more.
Because of the current worldwide pandemic, I personally do not feel comfortable traveling by plane- especially with a two year old. However, I love the idea of driving to another city in your state, changing the scenery, supporting local business and tourism, and enjoying life while still being safe.
The drive to Fort Myers & Sanibel is under 3 hours from South Florida. 3.5 from Orlando, and a little bit over 5 hours from Jacksonville- we were coming in from Miami so it was a really easy drive with a toddler.
Where we stayed: Matlacha Tiny Village
I was so excited about staying in a tiny home, I absolutely love the concept and it was adorable. The one we stayed in was “Flamingo” themed and everything had little flamingos on it. This home sleeps 6 adults and it includes a full kitchenette.
The community has a few tiny homes and its amenities include BBQ grill, dock, deck and kayak launch. I also found very convenient that it had picnic tables outside because we liked picking up food at restaurants and eating outside.
We also loved the location, Matlacha is so colorful and the people were very nice.
Must-have eats:
- Blue Dog Bar & Grill: If you want local seafood, this is THE place! It was recommended by many locals and it did not disappoint! My favorite were the fish tacos.
What to do:
-Pineland Site Randell Research CenterThe first day we visited the Calusa Heritage Trail (0.9 mile walk through mounds and canals of the Pineland archaeological site). It was very interesting to learn about the Calusa Indians that inhabited the area many years ago.
-Cayo Costa State Park (we used Tropic Star of Pine Island to get there)
The second day we went to Cayo Costa, which is a state park island that is only accessible by boat or kayak and used to be a former fishing ground of the Calusa Indians. We arrived via boat in the early morning (Tropic Star takes about an hour each way), it was nice that it wasn’t full and everyone was required to wear a mask. Many people were in their “hiking" gear and when we arrived there I was excited to see a lot campers with their tents. It looked really fun staying overnight (adding it to my bucketlist!).
We headed to the beach since the island has nearly 9.5 miles of pristine beach on the Gulf of Mexico. The day was a bit cold and cloudy but the water was still so beautiful.
TIP: you need to bring everything you need as there is barely anything on the island- aka bring food, umbrella, towels…everything!
Because of Nico, we decided to stay until 1pm instead of 3pm- and it was a great decision, he was already super tired from all the playing in the sand and he napped the whole boat ride to Pine Island.
- Thrifting on Fort Myers
The third day we headed to Fort Myers and as I absolutely love finding gems in thrift stores, I googled the ones in the area. There are MANY thrift stores around Fort Myers and so many have amazing beach furniture.We might go back when we start decorating our home. I actually bought some gold beautiful frames that I can’t wait to repurpose, and some vintage jewelry!
if you want to enjoy the beach and shops, rent a bike! Toddler seats are available for your little one!
Sirenia Vista Park
- On our last day, before driving back to Miami, we stopped by Sirenia Vista Park to see if we were lucky enough to see manatees (as they are common during the colder months January/February). We didn’t see them but Nico had a blast running and we read some books after having breakfast with a view!
Have you been to The Beaches of Fort Myers & Sanibel? I had a blast doing this little guide, let me know if you want to see more like this!
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