Lover's Key State Park is a great place to visit between Fort Myers and Naples, Florida. There is a park entry fee of $8 per vehicle (2-8 people) $4 if there's only 1 person in the vehicle or $2 to walk in. Various tours and programs are available and included in the above fee. Check the schedule they give you with the map when you enter the Park. What To Do At Lover's Key State Park:
Services Provided:As mentioned above, there are various programs available and included in your park entry fee. There is also a Tram that takes you from the parking area down to the beach. There are restrooms you can use, a gazebo and picnic area, and there is a concessions and near the parking area with food available for purchase. Hours: 8 am - Sunset 365 days a year!Easy to remember.. #1 Tip For Visiting Lover's Key State Park:Use **copious** amounts of sunscreen! Our tram driver told us to use sunscreen and said you WILL GET BURNED if you don't. She wasn't messing around. I applied sunscreen, but awkwardly missed a patch on my back and I absolutely did get burned. BAD. I rarely burn. In fact, I can't remember the last time I got sunburned like that -- maybe never. It was painful. And there was a (hilarious) outline of my fingers etched into my back (still can be seen) from where I tried to spread sunscreen initially and obviously did a terrible job. haha!! I am quite a fan of this Neutrogena Ultra Sheer Dry-Touch Sunscreen. It doesn't feel greasy at all, in my opinion! Photography Challenge:Capture one of these scurrying little guys on the beach -- try to get a clear shot, those buggers are fast! Tag me on Instagram @tripd0ntf4ll so I can check it out! I used my Nikon d3200 for these, let me know what camera you use to get your birdie shots! ;) Plan Your Trip To Ft. Myers/Sanibel/Captiva/Cape Coral:
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There's something irresistible about getting out on the water, feeling the wind in your hair, and seeing things from a whole new perspective... I love it! And you might realize that if you have followed this blog for some time. (Remember the Chao Phraya Express Boat in Bangkok, Thailand? or the Bridge2Bridge Cruise in San Francisco?) It's just a fun way to relax, get off your feet and enjoy where you are at. That being said, looking for a family-friendly activity in Fort Myers area (there are a lot of options!) we decided to embrace our love of that breeze and take a trip with Pure Fort Myers! The 7:15pm sunset cruise seemed like a great option so we could squeeze in some beach time at Sanibel earlier in the day. Hop on board and see some of the things that we saw! ;) What You'll See: At The MarinaHow cool is it that there is a rum distillery in Cape Coral?! I think that is the coolest!! So DH and I stole away from the family to enjoy a free tour and tasting here at the Wicked Dolphin Distillery. The TourI believe the tours take off Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays and you can check the times on their website. When you get started they will introduce you to the product line as seen in the photo above. While explaining the distilling process, you will enjoy a rum punch (if you're old enough!!) and smell the strongest alcohol you've probably smelled! -- not the finished product. I wish I would have taken notes or something about the process. It was all quite interesting. Barrel RoomIn the barrel room you can see the rum being aged and various trials in process. Some top secret ;-) They get various used barrels to add unique notes to the final product. Cool right?! The tour guide we had (SO SORRY I forget his name) was super friendly and personable and very enthusiastic about the product. It made for a really fun tour, there were just 4 of us at the time we went, but other times it will be PACKED we were told. The TastingThe tasting area and shop is the final stop. You can try the rums, rum shines, bbq sauces etc. all available for purchase. The lady was extremely knowledgeable in recipes for all of the products. I wish we could have carried some on the plane with us! :( And they are not YET sold in our local liquor stores. YET!! But we did pick some up for family we were with. They also gave us a coupon for a free Wicked Dolphin cocktail at a local restaurant with meal purchase. Unfortunately we had already eaten. But maybe you can go! ;-) Fun fact: Their Coconut Rum is made with real coconut water. So the coconut taste is way better than other coconut rums! Take a mini-tour in the gallery below!A beautiful place to visit in Florida is Sanibel-Captiva island. I had hoped to spend a lot of time there on this trip, but it didn't quite work out. Next time ;-) We did get to spend a few hours on Captiva and I was in the ocean for 98% of that time with the little tykes of the family so tragically, I hardly captured the beach! Amateur move, right? I did, however, have an eagle eye on this: BirdwatchingApparently some nesting was going on, and this mama (?) was on guard!! Baby watchingI also managed to capture the cutest, pruniest, sandy feet at the beach.. not that I am biased at all... Where are the pictures?!!!!I mean, I swear I took more pictures than this.. maybe not. ARGGGG! What was I thinking? I know the day ended up being quite rushed. We went out to Captiva for just a couple of hours. There is a parking lot there and the cost is about $4/hour if I remember correctly. So if you wanted to spend an entire day at the beach, it could get quite steep. But if you want to do some of the other things Captiva has to offer, or Sanibel, it wouldn't be as bad. What Does Sanibel- Captiva have to offer?* Beaches * Marinas and Boating * Cruises * Fishing * Shelling * Snorkeling & Scuba Diving * Water Sports * Golf * Tennis * Spas * Health Clubs * Arts & Entertainment * Restaurants * Movies * Bird Watching * Science and Nature Centers * Nature Tours and Historical Walks * Bike Rentals, Mopeds, Segway Rentals * Golf and Street Cart Rentals So there really is something for everyone.. and more! You can find out about any or all of those things by clicking the link above or visiting the Sanibel-Captiva Website which has an incredible amount of information to help you plan your trip! If you love shelling...If you love shelling, you should definitely visit the iLoveShelling blog run by Pam Rambo for incredible shelling tips, web cams, beach information, shelling trips, etc. It's really cool! She also has an instagram account that is fun to see in your feed! I mean.. she finds shells that I have never seen before, it's so incredible!! This is on my to-do list next time I'm in that part of Florida ;)
One of the quintessential vacation activities in my family is to go mini golfing. No vacation is complete without it. When my siblings and I were young, we always scouted out the best looking mini golf establishment on the strip and looked forward to going. Now that we are grown, we still make it a family tradition. Especially with young nieces and nephews, we want to make the same memories with them that we have from growing up. It can be hard to choose a place to go, deciding between the fanciest and best looking giraffes on the green or alligators in the lake (pretend, of course), or a cost effective option. Our group chose the latter. What They OfferMike Greenwell's has a number of activities including: * Batting Cages * Go Karts * Midway Rides * Arcade * Feeding Dock * Dugout * Mini Golf To be fair, I did not check out any of the other activities besides mini golf. Price ComparisonYou were busy at Pier 39, weren't you? I bet you saw sea lions, got something to eat, took a cruise around the bay, and maybe earlier in the day you had visited the famous Lombard Street. But no day is complete without meandering through some stores and doing a little shopping. Okay, that statement isn't really true. Plenty of days are complete without spending more money on stuff. Still, it's always interesting to pop in and out of unique stores and see what the offerings are. Pier 39 is no exception. Unique StoresYes, it's touristy. Yes, I still love it. Yes, I still think you should visit at least once. And by once, I mean once collectively including all of these options: 1. Drive down to test your skillzzzzzzzzIf you're looking to get off your feet for a while and enjoy the sights, you may consider taking a cruise in the Bay.
If you're interested in visiting Alcatraz Island, you'll want to reserve your tickets well in advance because they SELL OUT. Seriously. Speaking from experience. Still, I have heard from friends that it is worth the price to do it; they really enjoyed the experience and found it fascinating. Pier 39 is famous for being a hangout for an insane amount of sea lions. It can provide amusement for young and old. It's stinky, loud, and amusing. So many arfs at one time, so many sea lions flopped ontop of each other chillaxing, others stretching and striking a pose, still others fighting to push each other into the water.
Good, quality, clean fun. I love it! Check out a few shots of the sea lions & co @ pier 39.. While stumbling through the shops of Mariposa, I walked into the most random store ever. Located right next to the Epic Alpacas store I mentioned here. I don't remember what the store was called, but it was the most random mishmosh of stuff I had ever seen. Some was really great alpaca socks and stuff, others was stuff that should be at a garage sale, other stuff was antique and the price tag showed it. TOTALLY RANDOM. One of those places that is part fascinating to explore and part exhausting because there was just TOO much stuff. (in my opinion) Anyway, I decided to make my way up to the second level where I found something I had been wanting to buy for ages.... Don't laugh.... Felted soap! Turns out the soap was from Winterstrom Ranch who has an etsy shop! HOORAY!!!!!!!! There was a great array of soaps, some felted, some non-felted. Naturally the felted would be a couple dollars more. I settled on one called "Best Shave and Shower Soap Bar" in Cherry Almond Delight. The 6oz felted soap bar ran me $8. The ingredients are: - Coconut Oil - Olive Oil - Palm Oil - Baking Soda - Charcoal powder - Arrow Root Powder - Clay Powder Premium Grade FO I'm telling you, the smell is amazing. Before I used it, once I got home, it sat in my cupboard for a couple weeks while I used what was already in my shower. Every time I opened that door, I could smell that incredible cherry-almondness. SOOOO good! I'm so excited to have found this little souvenir and even more excited that this local soap maker (local to Mariposa, CA), has an etsy shop and website so she can be local to you and I also! ;-) Oh yeah, why felt soap?Great question. As her etsy listings explain, alpaca fibers are anti microbial, anti bacterial, and hypoallergenic. So they won't get bacteria while in the moist shower area. The soap lasts longer since it is wrapped up, it wont melt down as fast, and it is a soft exfoliation! ;o) For the win! Check Out The Winterstrom Ranch Etsy Shop For Soaps, Throws, Alpaca Fiber Dryer Balls and more!Check Out The Winterstrom Ranch WebsiteEmail Them |