Your Sanibel Island / Fort Myers CME conference.

Sanibel and Fort Myers after your study day

Study days finish at 2:00 PM local time. For an easy afternoon, choose one outing near your study setting: a walk on a Gulf beach such as Bowman’s Beach or Blind Pass, a bike ride on Sanibel’s shared-use paths, or a visit to the Edison and Ford Winter Estates in Fort Myers. Leave time for the drive between the islands and Fort Myers, and for beach parking; the City of Sanibel asks visitors to use only designated public beach access points.

Travel, accommodation and any admission are arranged separately. Your conference is built around your specialty and interests; the islands are the setting you choose for it.

Shelling beaches and low tide

Visit Fort Myers says Sanibel’s east-west orientation brings thousands of seashells to its shoreline, and that low tide is the rewarding time to look. It recommends Bowman’s Beach and Blind Pass, and describes Turner Beach, where Sanibel meets Captiva, as a popular spot for shelling and sunsets. Tide times change daily, so compare a tide chart with your 2:00 PM finish.

A Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission rule prohibits harvesting and possessing live shellfish on Sanibel’s beaches and nearshore waters, according to the City of Sanibel. The city adds that sand dollars, sea stars and sea urchins are also protected, and that all shelling is prohibited within the waters of J.N. “Ding” Darling National Wildlife Refuge. Read the city’s shelling regulations before you collect.

Ding Darling refuge and island preserves

J.N. “Ding” Darling National Wildlife Refuge has a four-mile, one-way Wildlife Drive with a 15-mile-per-hour speed limit that can be explored on foot, by bike or by car. The refuge lists more than 245 bird species and recommends visiting at low tide. Wildlife Drive and the Indigo Trail are closed every Friday, and the visitor center is closed on Fridays and federal holidays, so check current status before planning around it.

Bailey Tract is a 100-acre interior wetland where freshwater plants and wildlife dominate, and the refuge says it can be walked or biked. Tarpon Bay Explorers runs a 90-minute naturalist-guided tram tour along Wildlife Drive. The Sanibel-Captiva Conservation Foundation lists preserves and public trails on its website; check which are open.

Bikes and the shell museum

Sanibel has about 25 miles of paved shared-use paths, according to Visit Fort Myers, and bikes can be rented on the island. Visit Fort Myers notes Sanibel has no stoplights and no buildings taller than the tallest palm.

The Bailey-Matthews National Shell Museum & Aquarium is on Sanibel-Captiva Road and is a stop on the bike route. The Sanibel Lighthouse stands at the island’s southern tip.

Captiva or Fort Myers Beach?

Choose Captiva if you want to stay across the small Blind Pass bridge from Sanibel. Andy Rosse Lane is a sandy street with local restaurants, and boat tours go out to look for dolphins and manatees around the barrier islands.

Choose Fort Myers Beach if you want a livelier beach town; Visit Fort Myers calls it a lively and welcoming community. Mound House, a museum in the island’s oldest standing structure, is built on a Calusa shell mound, and a kayak launch serves the Great Calusa Blueway Paddling Trail. Visit Fort Myers has listed beach parking lots closed for restoration, with a park-and-ride and beach trolley as alternatives, so check current status.

Downtown Fort Myers and the Edison and Ford estates

Fort Myers’s River District is a group of early twentieth-century buildings that now hold shops, galleries and restaurants. The Edison and Ford Winter Estates date from 1885, when Thomas Edison bought land for a vacation home. The site includes the homes of Edison and Henry Ford, about twenty acres of gardens, a laboratory and a museum, and its website lists it as open daily, so check its hours against your 2:00 PM finish.

For nature closer to the city, Visit Fort Myers lists Six Mile Cypress Slough Preserve, Bunche Beach Preserve and Manatee Park, and downtown has the IMAG History & Science Center.

When to visit Sanibel and Fort Myers

November through April is a useful starting point. Visit Fort Myers lists peak season as January 15 through April and says reservations are essential during peak season. The City of Sanibel says sea turtle nesting season begins May 1 and ends October 31 each year.

Getting to Sanibel and your study setting

Southwest Florida International Airport (RSW) is in Fort Myers. Visit Fort Myers puts it about 20 miles from Fort Myers Beach and 24 miles from Sanibel Island, and lists rental cars, taxis, ride apps and public transportation. Sanibel is 12 miles long and three miles across.

The map shows straight-line distances from Shift’s designated center. These are orientation distances, not driving distances or travel-time estimates. Check your exact address against the conference’s check-in area before booking.