Help! We're Vermonters in the frozen North with 3 small children (6, 4, 21 mos) who are thinking of escaping to Florida for school vacation (first week of March). We've never ben to Florida, so we're desperate for info about where to go. Right now, we're thinking Fort Myers or Sanibel: our objectives are beach, warmth, and relaxation (no Disney!). Any suggestions would be very much appreciated.

Liz, one thing you could do in the Ft. Myers area is take a trip to Babcock Ranch--they have a tour that shows you what FL used to be like, and they have some FL bufflalo, they are a registered alligator farm (we must have seen 2 or 3 dozen in a small lake-we were on the bus), wild turkey--and it was cheaper than Animal Kingdom and more interesting. Just ask about it--someone can help. On Sanibel is the "Ding" Darling bird sanctuary.

Liz,
Sanibel is a wonderful place for a relaxing family vacation. There is plenty to do if you and the kids get tired of building sand castles and combing the beach for shells (Sanibel is one of the top 10 shelling beaches in the world!). The island is covered with flat easy bike paths. Bikes, tandem bikes and baby carts are all available for rental. There are great "cruises" for dolphin watching, shelling, and wildlife encounters. There is a shell museum to help you identify all your great finds and a wonderful wildlife preserve mentioned by the previous poster. All of the restaurants are casual and extremely kid-friendly (you have never seen a kids menu the size of the one at The Hungry Heron). I'm not sure when it gets crowded on Sanibel for Spring Break but we found it super relaxing in November. My kids (now 7 and 11) have asked to go back to Sanibel next November rather than DisneyWorld! Have a great trip! If you decide on Sanibel, check the archives on this site for lots of great information. Also, I'd be happy to tell you where we stayed and what restaurants we went to.

Liz,
I agree with Sanibel, my kids love it. You could try the Pink Shell Beach resort in Ft.Meyers, never stayed there but friends have. Best of all places is Captiva the island adjacent to Sanibel, highly recommended is the South Seas Plantation. It is a sprawling resort with a kids program, they also run the Sundial Beach Resort on Sanibel, also very nice if you get a 2 bedroom. It's spacious and they have true kitchens.
Enjoy.

Thanks to all of you for your help! We're booked into the BW Pink Shell Resort for a week -- it'll be great to escape the winter. If you ever want any Vermont info, please feel free to e-mail me directly...

Thanks again!

Liz