Today is my last day at the beach and then I leave bright and early tomorrow for a quick, less-than-48-hour blog trip to Minnesota. (Talk about a change in climates, right!?) I’ve been having such a nice time with my family and even though it’s been chillier here than we anticipated, we’ve been spending most of our time outside, exploring the island and soaking up quality time together.
Here are some highlights from our trip so far:
- Bubble Room Cake
If you ever find yourself on Sanibel or Captiva Island, you must make your way to The Bubble Room.
My family and I always plan a trip to the quirky restaurant, but not for lunch or dinner. Dessert is the real reason why you visit The Bubble Room. Late Friday afternoon, we stopped in just before it closed after lunch and nabbed a few giant pieces of cake to dig into as a late afternoon sugary snack. We opted for the White Christmas cake (basically a coconut cake), orange crunch cake (their number one seller) and the chocolate torte. All three were fantastic, but the orange crunch took the cake. (<—Sorry, I couldn’t help myself.)
- Biking Around The Island
My mom and dad brought their bikes from Jacksonville and Leslie and I rented two one-speed bikes from Billy’s Rentals so we could all cruise around the island and avoid the traffic that seems to backup at all times of the day. Biking is definitely the preferred mode of transportation on Sanibel Island and I just love it! We’ve been biking everywhere from the farmer’s market to coffee shops to lunch hot spots and the beach! Exploring Sanibel by bike has been a blast, especially since the cooler weather prevents lots of sweating as we bike about!
- Dolphin Sightings
Dolphin sightings are definitely not a rare thing when you’re walking on the beach on Sanibel Island and we’ve seen tons of the playful mammals splashing about and darting around for fish just off the shore. Dolphins and whales have always, always fascinated me and I love watching dolphins swim around in the ocean. Now I just have to see a whale in the wild…
- Sanibel Island Restaurants
Aside from the beach, perhaps my favorite thing about Sanibel Island is the fact that the island is home to a bunch of unique restaurants and shops. There’s actually an ordinance in Sanibel preventing formula (chain) restaurants and shops from opening up locations on the island which I love! Everything feels so unique and local and it’s neat to be able to visit somewhere and not feel like you’re surrounded by the same chain restaurants and stores you see all the time. This is probably why whenever I blog about Sanibel, I cannot help but highlight the restaurants we visit!
- Beach Walks
Put me on a beach, and I swear I could walk for hours. Smelling the salty air, feeling the cool water rush in between my toes, listening to the sounds of crashing waves and enthusiastic seagulls… There’s nothing better! We’ve enjoyed our fair share of beach walks over the past few days and I hope to get in another long one today before I have to leave tomorrow.
- Dinner at Gramma Dot’s
There’s something my whole family loves about the cozy atmosphere at Gramma Dot’s, a local seafood restaurant located right on the Sanibel Marina. Though I’m not usually a fried food lover, I cannot get enough of their fried oysters.
They’re so darn good and I was grateful my mom and sister wanted to share a batch to start. I also began my meal at Gramma Dot’s with a cup of their clam chowder, which is an absolute must if you ever visit the local hot spot. It’s wonderful!
- Shell Collecting
Sanibel beaches are well-known for the massive amount of seashells on the beach. The island runs east to west, whereas most islands run north to south, and is a barrier island that extends out into the Gulf of Mexico, causing it to act like a plateau where millions of seashells wash upon the shore. Shelling is one of my all-time favorite island activities and I spent a few hours wandering up and down the beach yesterday, collecting shells to bring back home with me! (I am hoping to fill a tall, decorative glass jar with the shells.) We found lots of gorgeous shells to add to our collection yesterday and I hope to make it out to the beach again this afternoon to do a little more searching!
- Sunday Morning Farmer’s Market
The farmer’s market on the island is a great one and after breakfast yesterday morning, we biked over and walked around, sampling fresh produce and purchasing a few treats. The salt water taffy booth was a personal favorite!
Now I’m off to enjoy my last full day of vacation on the island. I hope you have a great Monday!
Question of the Day
- Share one highlight from your weekend below!
P.S. I’m having some issues with the formatting of this blog post. I apologize for the funky layout and oversize images! I’m working to try to get it resolved without dropkicking my laptop…
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Ok, I need to check out Sanibel! I live in Naples which is only about an hour South of there. Sounds like a day-trip is in order!
This sounds like such a great time! I’ve never visited there but now Id love to haha.. And I’d love to get a way to somewhere a little warmer, too!
Kim
http://trendkeeper.me .. Bloggers in real life?!
I visited Sanibel when I was in high school…would LOVE to go back!
It is really cold here in Minnesota! Be prepared:/
I am scared! I packed before I left for FL since I’m flying straight there and already feel massively unprepared!
Love Love Love the Sanibel features. But I’ve been saying that all week 🙂
I will add Bubble Room to our list of spots to stop next time we’re in the area! YUM!
And I love the shell collections. I still have a jar of sand/shells. Word to the wise – clean them out. For some reason our cat (Blinker) kept tipping them over to get his smell on, and it was messy! And …. more often than not, we have found little creatures making their way across the floor when we’ve brought shells back to our condo! HAHA!
haha!!! we’ve learned that lesson the hard way, too!
I’ve heard so much about the Bubble Room! What a dreamy beach weekend!
My best friend’s in-laws have a place on Sanibel Island, and I always love hearing about it. Sounds like a magical place!
Welcome to MN! It’s a balmy 8 degrees right now 🙂 What brings you to our neck of the woods?
Ohh how beautiful! I’d love to go there one day! I’m glad you’re enjoying yourself. A highlight of my weekend was going out to eat and then dancing with Josh. It was a lot of fun!
Looks like such a fun trip! Glad you had a great time with your family. Safe travels to Minnesota!
I am really missing Florida right now as I read this blog in my puffy sweater with my little space heater going!
Your whole family is just adorable! My husband is a firefighter who worked on Valentine’s Day, so I spent the gorgeous 75 degree Saturday in the park with a good friend of mine, and then ordering chinese food for delivery and binge watching Scandal that evening. It was a perfect and relaxing day!
I have never heard of Sanibel Island but it looks like a lot of fun! I love beaches where biking is the best mode of transportation 🙂
seems like such an idyllic little island!
Enjoy Minnesota – that’s my home state! If you’ll be in the Minneapolis area and want any food recommendations, I suggest Punch Pizza (<– best pizza I've ever had, and only available in MN!) or Yum! kitchen and bakery :).
All of those things sound so amazing right now! I’m hugging my space heater at work while we wait for the 8 inches of snow to arrive later. I could totally use a beach vacation!
Weekend highlight- my husband got me a juicer as an early birthday present!
It sounds like such a lovely trip with your family. Bike rides, beach walks, visits to the farmers market, all sounds so amazing!
Your blogs about Sanibel Island are making me want to drop everything and go there now!
The highlight of my weekend was competing in my first CrossFit competition. I’ve been doing it less than a year and competed in the Rx (highest level) Division and, though my partner and I didn’t place very well, we beat our practice times and challenged ourselves. I can’t wait to do another!
Congrats to you! Sounds like a big accomplishment to me!
Highlight of my weekend: I skated 12km in the Rideau Canal, the world’s “Largest Skating Rink”!
Julie, you should totally visit Ottawa, Canada in the winter time! You’d love Winterlude, and there are tonnes of great Canadian food and drinks to be had! Beaver Tails are a country favourite!
The favorite highlight of my weekend is my fiancé and I were able to take engagement pictures and
register on Valentine’s Day! It was a long day, but it brought so much excitement for the both of us
and our upcoming wedding in August!!
Aw, I love this!! Congrats on your upcoming wedding, Alex!
We do the same thing at the Bubble Room – dinner or lunch somewhere else and hit them up for cake. Orange Crunch Cake = EVERYTHING.
It’s SO freaking good!!! I want to get another piece today… 🙂
You are making me dream of Florida! Gulf Coast beaches are the best, and I’ll be back at them in May this year for a visit. This weekend was fabulous — my hubby went on a Valentine’s Day hike and picnic, followed up by steaks on the grill for dinner at home. Enjoy your last day! 🙂
UGH!! I’m stuck up here in New England with thunder snow and could really use some beach life right now – even high 60s sounds amazing!
Is your sister’s scarf from stitch fix? My boss has the same one and that’s where she got it!
xo
Sanibel Island sounds like such a fun weekend! I especially love the idea of no chains! Reminds me of my favorite Onion article: http://www.theonion.com/articles/vacationing-man-excited-to-try-fast-food-franchise,34916/
Looks like a wonderful, sunny vacation!! That cake looks delicious too! My weekend was a ski-getaway with my family and it was much needed!
Highlight of the weekend: Ran my 9th half marathon in Austin with some girlfriends…carb loading the night before and eating whatever we wanted afterwards is the main reason I do it! HAHA
that’s awesome! congrats to you!
That cake!!! YUm!! Dying to get to Florida again soon, especially since it’s a blustery 9 here in Chi, ugh…..
Hi, Julie,
My family is going to Hawaii over Easter, so i’ve been reading your posts on your trip to get some ideas about things to do in Waikiki. What kind of clothing do you recommend we take? Do we need anything dressier for evening? Are athletic clothes OK for most touristy type activities like hiking, etc.? Thanks!
Hi JJ! You will LOVE Hawaii!!! We found that athletic clothes were totally fine for most things and I feel like a sundress and nice flip flops is the “nicest” dressy outfit you’ll need! We visited Oahu and most places there were very casual, and even the nicer restaurants seemed fine with people in flip flops! I packed a pair of wedges to wear with a dress a few times and liked them for a slightly dressier feel. 🙂 I hope you have a BLAST!
WELP, you’ve definitely convinced me to take a vacation to Sanibel next winter. Pretty sure I’m going to spend the rest of my day planning that trip. Everything about it looks so amazing!
I’ve never been to Sanibel Island, but now I so want to go! It’s beautiful and looks like so much fun! I think the highlight of my weekend was Saturday night karaoke… and lots of Valentine’s Day chocolate 😉
Looks like you had an amazing time! I live oceanside in Santa Barbara California (my college is located on the beach), so we see dolphins from my house all the time!
Your trip looks amazing! I live in Minnesota and your photos make me dream of spring and summer and I cannot wait to get my bike out to cruise around town! The best part of my weekend was celebrating a friend’s birthday by going downtown to the bars which isn’t a typical way to spend a weekend night but it was a lot of fun…..even though temps with windchill were at -25 for the night.
Sounds like such an amazing trip with your family! The highlight of my weekend was meeting Jason Segel on Saturday! He came into the art gallery where I worked and I had a major star struck moment! It was awesome.
Oh man, you HAVE to try to go whale watching sometime! If you think dolphins are cool, just wait! I was never even really all that into whales or marine life, but when I went whale watching in Hawaii I could not contain my excitement. And now I actually live about ten minutes from a prime whale watching spot in Southern California, so I bring my 8-month-old out to the point to see whales at least once a week! I’m sure you’d love the experience!
Also, I wish every place had that rule about no chain restaurants. I feel like the quality of food would be SO much better! Local restaurants for the win!
Glad you had fun this weekend! My weekend highlight was a walk (to see whales!) with my husband and baby!
What a fun family getaway! I’m jealous of all your outdoor time. Biking, walking on the beach…it all sounds perfect! I’ve never personally been to Sanibel, but have family members who have. They rave about it just as much as you have. Definitely on my “must do” list. And now I’ll have to add a visit to the Bubble House. Safe and WARM travels today!
I absolutely love the Bubble Room!! Best restaurant and dessert hands down!!
I’m so excited that you’re coming to Minnesota, but I wish it was going to be better weather for you!! It’s supposed to be “unusually cold” the next few days. If you need any recommendations, feel free to shoot me an email. It’s always fun to hear one of your favorite bloggers is visiting your hometown!
Sanibel looks so fun and quaint! It is especially appealing considering it’s 10 degrees in New York right now 🙁 Send some sunny warmth my way! 🙂
I’m a west coast girl, currently living far from the ocean, and I definitely miss long beach walks! Looks like a beautiful weekend!
My weekend was pretty busy but the best moment by far was receiving a single red rose from a stranger on Valentine’s day at the place I volunteer. I apologize for my cheesiness but it sure warmed my heart 🙂
Spent Saturday with my fiance and his parents at the Wild hockey game (MN) and they won! It was a really great game! What blogging event brings you to MN?! It’s supposed to be extremely cold the rest of the week, but the snow is very pretty up here today!
Yep its definitely cold here in MN! What part of the state will you be in?
I love Sanibel! On the topic of seeing whales… we went to Maui in December and they have a whale watching/snorkeling tour – amazing experience!
Well I wouldn’t call it a highlight…we are iced in in Memphis. Had to come into work anyway which stinks, but oh well! Hopefully it will melt soon.
Is The Snooty Fox still a restaurant there? My family and I used to go to Sanibel Island for spring break, and we would get the fried clam strips there. Memories…
okay totally unrelated and you’ve probably already seen (or posted it) but this totally made me think of you.
https://medium.com/@jasonwdonnelly/10-reasons-why-anyone-who-says-leggings-arent-pants-is-wrong-1d0e4b9f88f7
btw leggings are awesome and I love Audrey Hepburn, never put those together lol
Oh I love all of these beautiful pictures! I feel like I need another vacation just looking at them 🙂 This weekend I went to Cedar City, Utah, and I loved how warm it was and seeing my extended family 🙂
SO jealous of your warm beach pics!!! 🙂 One highlight of my weekend was getting so many productive errands out of the way yesterday… does that make me old and lame if running errands is a highlight?! hahah
Looks like a great time! My husband and I are headed to CA this week to visit some family and I can’t wait to get out of this Chicago weather! I don’t even know what clothes to bring out there; it feels like it’s been forever since I’ve worn shorts! So excited 🙂
Your trip looks so beautiful! Thanks so much for sharing! You definitely have me dreaming of summer weather and the beach!
My highlight of the weekend was definitely having a girl’s night on Valentine’s Day. My boyfriend and I are doing long distance right now, so it was so nice to be able to spend that day with people I love! Another highlight was receiving a super sweet card and chocolate covered strawberries from a student I am working with! So sweet!
Yikes! Try to stay warm in Minnesota!
Sanibel island sounds totally dreamy. I have never heard of this place before and now I really want to visit! My weekend was uneventful–spent it holed up in bed with tissues and cough syrup 🙁