My husband and I are going to Sanibel with some friends in January. We have some questions for all you Sanibel experts.
First of all, we have heard that access to the bridge that connects Ft Myers and Sanibel is a nightmare. Are there certain hours of the day to avoid it? Secondly, what do you recommend for restaurants? And lastly, what type of activities are 'musts'? Thanks!

It is hard to know exactly when the bridge will be backed up, but I'd rarely call it a "nightmare". The worst is a line to the island about 9 or 10 on a really nice beach day. And I've been tied up the worst either direction around 4 or 5 PM -- workers going off the island and commuters coming back on.

One "new to us" restaurant is the delightful Twilight Cafe -- excellent food in a kind of artisty, funky setting.

Sorry, I posted too soon. We haven't been to Sanibel for two years, so I can't even say if the Twilight Cafe is still there, restaurants do seem to come and go there. Ding Darling sanctuary is a must. But the best activities on the island are just beaching and shelling.

Sanibel is a place to chill. But if you've had enough beaching, biking, fishing, snoozing, and eating, you might enjoy a trip over the bridge to Ft. Myers to the Edison and Ford winter homes. Both are vintage 1920s homes that have been restored -- wood frame structures along the river. The grounds of these two buildings are just spectacular, very tropical with large banyons and bamboos. The cost is negligible, they have tours, it is really interesting to see the houses and hear the histories of these two pioneers.

You would surely enjoy a trip to Captiva, the next island down the road. There is a seashell museum on either Sanibel or Captiva that I've never visited -- it seemed like a ludicrous thing to go to a shell museum when you have the beach with all the shells there.

Restaurants on Sanibel change frequently. It seems that owning ones own restaurant is a fantasy many must try when they move here. Most fail.

My favorite of a 18 months ago, Katie Gardenia's Kitchen and Mermaid Club was sold and is now Katie's and is no longer as good but the decor is a hoot and fun for a casual dinner.

The Island Cow is a newer place that replaced Gilligans. It is run by an excellent restauranteur that knows what Sanibel types like...lots of choices of well prepared food, nothing too trendy, good drinks and entertainment for the whole family. It is on Periwinkle Road just north of Periwinkle Place, the main shopping area of Sanibel.

The Shell museum is awesome. It has shells from the world over and nothing like you see on the beach. Really, the best shells must be gathered on Sanibel after a big storm churns up the shallow Gulf. It is more interesting than you would think.

I think the best thing is to charter a boat for a day to do Pine Island Sound. There is much to see and it is wonderfully relaxing. The water is crystal clear and you can see the fish swimming through the sea grass (you need someone with a flats boat or one with a shallow draft). There is an entire "island" of white pelicans that migrate each winter from the north and float as though attached.

Old fishing shacks on stilts abound with much folk lore to go with. You will have dolphins approach you boat to see what you have to offer and you can see hundreds of egrets, herons and the odd bald eagle decorating the mangrove islands like ornaments. You can go to lunch on Cabbage Key while on this trip or go another time.

I like Key Lime Bistro on Andy Rosse Lane on Captiva. Excellent food and wine in a funky setting. RC Otters is off its game but still nice and across the street. I have no comments on The Bubble Room as I do not want to mess with peoples memories of this institution. I think the Mucky Duck is great for lunch and maybe a drink outside at sunset.

http://www.birdingsanibel.com/where_to_birdwatch.shtml

http://www.dingdarlingsociety.org/Th...ng_nation.html

http://www.captstevebailey.com/photo.htm

LilMsFoodie has excellent suggestions! We were there in October, and loved all the places she mentioned, with the addition of the Green Flash for a nice dinner, very good and an excellent view also. I think it is on Captiva. We loved Cabbage Key, if you go be sure to walk through the "nature path" or whatever they call it, very beautiful!

I can definitly state that my favorite restauraunt on Sanibel/Captiva is The Green Flash. It's located on Captiva with great big huge windows and a nice view of the bay, boats, and other keys. Usually excellent stone crab, professional adult servers, not gimmicky. Locals hang at the bar- they know.

we have been to Sanibel in early January the last 2 years. It is much less crowded than in feb or march, from what we hear. did not have any trouble getting over the bridge either way. Of course we did not go at rush hour. Not a problem with traffic on the island either.