Casa Ybel Resort Official Site - Sanibel Island Florida

Recommended Island Places & Activities

Art and nature are in harmony on Sanibel Island, where visual and performing artists draw inspiration from the Island's spectacular variety of wildlife and natural habitat. An abundance of attractions and sightseeing opportunities give visitors the full experience of Sanibel Island's rich cultural and natural lifestyle.

Bailey-Matthews Shell Museum -- A one-of-a-kind museum, it pays homage to the island's reputation for superb shelling and examines the role of seashells in history, religion, economics, art, and geography.

C.R.O.W. (Clinic for the Rehabilitation of Wildlife) -- This non-profit treats more than 2,200 patients a year with the goal to release them back into their natural habitat. It conducts tours of its facilities almost daily.

J. N. "Ding" Darling National Wildlife Refuge -- Sanibel's largest sanctuary encompasses more than half of the island with protected habitat ranging from estuary to hardwood uplands. It is known particularly for its great birding and state-of-the-art Education Center. Cars, bikes, and hikers can travel five-mile Wildlife Drive any day but Friday. A nearby concession conducts tram, pontoon, and paddling tours of the refuge, plus rents kayaks, canoes, and bikes.

Sanibel-Captiva Conservation Foundation (SCCF) -- A nature center, hiking trail, observation tower, and butterfly house explore habitat along the Sanibel River. SCCF also hosts boating, beach, and other interpretative nature programs.

Sanibel Historical Village - A collection of vintage island structures, it takes you into Sanibel bygones via a pioneer cottage, old general store, original post office, tea house, and more.

Arts -- Intimate theaters, galleries, and the multi-discipline Barrier Island Group for the Arts (BIG ARTS) provide a lively cultural verve. Through March, Sanibel Music Festival brings national and international artists of renown.

Bike Paths -- Sanibel's 23 miles of paved bike path provide an intimate way to tour the island's attractions. Suggested bike routes include

Rabbit Road Trail which scurries along a canal, home to the small brown marsh rabbits that give the road its name, wading herons and alligators;
the five miles loop around J.N. "Ding" Darling National Wildlife Refuge, which includes short walking trails and a bird observation tower.
Dixie Beach Road. 1.5 miles to Heart of the Islands shopping center and San Carlos Bay, encompassing beautiful bayfront homes, a crooked shell road and secret places where bikers can rest seaside in solitude.
Middle Gulf Cemetery Route. Sanibel's pioneer cemetery, once a part of Casa Ybel Resort's original property and not accessible by car.

Boating - Boating - For an easy escape to the sea or more extensive adventures, Casa Ybel can advise or arrange sightseeing, shelling and nature excursions. The most popular tours is island-hopping, featuring lunch and secluded beaching. Sea life excursions provide "edutainment" for the whole family.

Canoeing and Kayaking -- Canoeing and Kayaking -- Canoe & Kayak magazine rated Sanibel Island among the top 10 places to paddle in the U.S. Casa Ybel guests can rent sea-kayaks or oar into the wilderness at "Ding" Darling Refuge (see above).

Community Activities -- Centers for community activities include Sanibel Public Library, which hosts kids programs and visiting authors, and Sanibel Community House, where everything from yoga classes to the annual Shell Fair take place.

Fishing - Surf fish right on Casa Ybel's sunny beach, or from the fishing pier at Lighthouse Beach Park. A number of charters offer back country or deep water fishing. The region boasts spectacular catches such as tarpon, snook, redfish, grouper, and mackerel. Local guides encourage catch and release.

Shopping -- Art galleries, shell shops, clothing boutiques, jewelry stores, and souvenir shops make up the Sanibel Island shopping scene.