New Location – Same Old Fun!

 

Here’s a surefire way to make your family’s summer plans go just swimmingly this year!

The crew over at Sanibel Sea School will offer their extremely popular summer camp at two locations this year — at the flagship campus on the east end of the island and at a new location, the Bailey Homestead.

“With COVID still prevalent, we were in search of a location that could accommodate more campers in a safe capacity,” Director Nicole Finnicum said.   » Read more

Art by the disABLEd

“Rise and Shine” by Carol Murphy

 

BIG ARTS is welcoming back “Art by the disABLEd” to its Dunham Family Gallery.

This year’s exhibition once again features works by artists with special abilities in Lee Memorial Health System’s Arts in Healthcare program.  “Art by the disABLEd” displays the beauty of their art and helps extinguish old stereotypes about the capabilities of those with disabilities,  » Read more

iPods of the Sea

Photo from huffpost.com

 

So many of us have grown up thinking that seashells can mimic ocean sounds, almost like “iPods of the Sea.”  But can they, really?

Turns out that when you listen to a shell, you’re not really hearing the sounds of the ocean.  The shapes of seashells just happen to make them great amplifiers of ambiant noise.  What they’re actually doing is acting as a resonator,  » Read more

Rubber Duckie, You’re the One

 

Did you know that Rubber Duckies have helped shape our understanding of the ocean?

In 1992, a shipment of bath toys was headed from China to the U.S. when the cargo ship dropped a container.  More than 28,000 rubber ducks and other play animals were dumped into the North Pacific Ocean.  Oceanographers tracked where the ducks wound up to better understand the water currents, with some landing ashore in Europe,  » Read more

Our Resident Horticulturist

 

It’s so nice to have a “resident horticulturist” on staff!

Questions on the many beautiful flowers and plants we have throughout our property always seem to stump me.  Luckily, we have Andy, our general manager, who quickly comes to the rescue every time with his encyclopedic knowledge of floriculture and all things “Ocean’s Reach.”

For instance, guest Jack D. from Evanston, IL sent in this photo recently inquiring as to what type of flower grows outside our tennis and pickleball court.  » Read more

Spring Migration

 

From the Fort Myers News-Press:

Be on the lookout: one of Florida’s great animal migrations is underway.

Manatees are moving from their inland, warm-water winter retreats to coastal bays and oceans for the summer.

A tropical marine mammal that prefers water temperatures of 68 degrees and above, manatees can become more prone to sickness and disease when water temperatures get below that mark,  » Read more

Only Eleven?

Photo by EQRoy/Shutterstock

 

We ran across an article by The Points Guy entititled “11 Things to Do on Florida’s Sanibel and Captiva Islands.”  

Our first thought was, “Only eleven?”  Our second, of course, was to share it with you on our blog.

The article begins:

The gorgeous Gulf Coast barrier islands of Sanibel and Captiva — just a 30-minute drive from Southwest Florida International Airport (RSW) — have lured visitors to their shores for decades.  » Read more

Blue Revolution

 

In conjunction with its current “H2O Art Exhibition,” the Bailey-Matthews National Shell Museum is continuing its free lecture series on the importance of clean water throughout Florida with award-winning environmental journalist Cynthia Barnett.

“Water defines us as Floridians no matter where we live: Idyllic beaches surround us on three sides,” Cynthia explains. “Rivers and streams flow for ten thousand miles through the peninsula.  We’re blessed with nearly eight thousand lakes and a thousand more freshwater springs – the largest concentration of artesian springs in the world.   » Read more

Sign Up to Receive Special Offers