Sanibel Island

Sanibel Island is located off the coast of Fort Myers in southwest Florida. Sanibel is an extremely popular tourist destination home to many amazing beaches, swimming dolphins, wildlife refuges, restaurants, historic landmarks, and many, many shells. So many, in fact, that it is commonly known as the “Shell Capital of the World.” In 2022, its population was 6,382. The island is 33.16 M.2. In 2022, Hurricane Ian slammed the island and destroyed almost everything. The one and only causeway to get off the island by car went almost completely submerged in water. When I visited the island in 2024, many shops and hotels were still rebuilding after the hurricane, yet I still had an amazing visit.

I like this island so much because it was very fun to go there when I visited with my family. The calming walks along the heavily-shelled beaches and the peaceful bike rides through the wildlife preserves gave me a break from my normal, busy life. Even though many of them were permanently closed or still rebuilding from the hurricane, the restaurants were still amazing. I would definitely like to go back there in the future.

Sanibel Island and its connected Captiva Islands were formed by rising sea levels. Dating as far back as 2,500 years, the Calusa Indians were the first-known residents of the island. After explorer Juan de Leon discovered the island, he named it "Santa Isybella" after Queen Isabella. They fought each other until he suffered a fatal arrow attack, which later killed him.

It took 3 years to construct the causeway. The grand opening was held on september 8, 2007. The bridges cost a whopping 137 million dollars to build!

The lighthouse was petitioned to be built in 1833, however action was only taken when the island received the 50,000 dollar donation necessary for construction. The lighthouse was completed and first lit on August 20th, 1884.

The hurricane hit on September 28, 2022. It was a category 4 storm. There were 2 people recorded dead.

The hurricane completely changed the people's lives. When I visited in February of 2024, many hotels weren't open, many houses were not completely rebuilt, and some restaurants just celebrated their grand opening.

Many pictures and videos of people on the island during the hurricane show water swelling to very high levels, trees underwater, and wild wind speeds battering through people's houses. A firsthand account of someone escaping the island states, "To say that this was one of the most horrific experiences of my life is an understatement." After escaping the island, the survivor managed to regroup with other survivors at a shelter before returning to the island.

When visiting the Bailey-Matthews National Shell Museum, there was a graphic on the wall in the entrance hallway that showed how high the water level was at the time of the hurricane. The museum was only half-opened and was still recovering from the hurricane.

There are over 50 restaurants on the island. Many of them are still reopening or have recently reopened. The island features several cuisines, however unsurprisingly, they specialize in seafood. There are many very good restaurants on the island, and I was lucky enough to visit some of them. The one that stood out to me the most was Mudbugs. The restaurant featured cajun cuisine and live accordion music! It was very yummy. There isn't necessarily a signature dish on the island, however, because they are on a, well, island, they have a large variety of fish. The fried calamari is also very good.

I am thankful for the experience Sanibel Island gave to me and I am excited to go back when I get the chance. I would also like to thank Mr. Stanford for giving me the opportunity to create this website and for being an amazing teacher year-round.