Natural Romantic Beauty
An oasis for 21st-century explorers, Charlotte Harbor and the surrounding Gulf Islands make it easy to recall this state was once a wilderness. Here you can paddle a canoe across cypress swamps where alligators, panthers, even bison, still roam.
Osprey and bald eagles soar over the area’s 219 miles of coastline. And endless barrier islands yield peaceful coves and scenic marinas. Of course, you won’t be the first ecotourist; Ponce de Leon plied these waters in 1513. Sanibel Island, a tropical-island getaway on the Lee Island Coast, is connected to the mainland by a three-mile-long causeway. Known worldwide for its shelling, Sanibel Beach receives more than 200 varieties each morning.
Can’t find that special shell? A local institution for more than 50 years, North Fort Myers’ Shell Factory claims "the world's largest collection of rare shells, corals, sponges, and fossils from the seven seas." An entire room is devoted to shell jewelry. In the Pearl Pavilion, visitors pluck pearls from Japanese oysters and select their own settings.
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