Islands Night

 

It’s time for peanuts and crackerjacks and good times with island friends!

Join us tomorrow night when we commemorate the 25th anniversary of one of Sanibel’s most beloved traditions:  Sam Bailey’s Islands Night at Hammond Stadium.

Islands Night began in 1993 by beloved islander Sam Bailey as a way to celebrate the special community we have on Sanibel and Captiva.  It’s become a night for us to kick back and enjoy a baseball game with friends,  » Read more

Derby Day!

And down the stretch they come!

Enjoy “The Most Exciting Two Minutes in Sports” at Fort Myers’ inaugural “Down & Derby” party from 3:00 – 7:00pm today on the back lawn of the historic Heitman House along the beautiful Caloosahatchee River.

Hosted by HelloSWFL, this Kentucky Derby-themed party and social event should be just the right mix of fun and flair, with stellar fashion,  » Read more

A Slice of Old Florida

 

It’s been described as “one of the last vestiges of how it used to be” on Captiva Island.

Jensen’s Twin Palm Cottages & Marina Resort looks like it jumped off a postcard depicting historic Old Florida.  Featuring small wooden cottages along the waterfront, tiki huts scattered about, and a marina with longtime, knowledgeable boat captains, Jensen’s has long been considered a Captiva institution.

The first cottage was built on the property in 1928.  » Read more

Lights Out for Sea Turtles

The Darker the Beach, The Brighter their Future  » Read more

Every year hundreds of sea turtle nests are laid on the beaches of Sanibel and Captiva.  Sea turtle hatchlings emerge after dark, using the light of the night sky over the sea to navigate to the water.  Artificial light causes hatchlings to crawl away from the water and toward the light sources.  Each year thousands of hatchlings die in Florida due to lighting along beaches.

The Coveted Pink Jacket

Past Tarpon Tournament winning captains sporting their coral tarpon jackets. From left to right: Matt Mitchell, Chasin’ Poon (2016); John Landry, Doc Ford’s and SportFisha (2012 & 2015); Mark Sparrow, YAM (2017); John McDaniel, Boomer Sooners (2014); and Rhett Dixon, Team Teaser (2013).

The newest tradition of the “Ding” Darling & Doc Ford’s Tarpon Tournament  » Read more awards the captain of the winning team a pink tarpon jacket.

Art in the Gardens

Each spring, creativity blossoms at the annual Art in the Gardens exhibit at the Edison & Ford Winter Estates.

Teachers and students from throughout Southwest Florida use their artistic talents — along with recycled and unusual materials — to create spectacularly unique sculptures that are displayed throughout the historic estate gardens.

This year, in celebration of the 10th anniversary of the program, students will be tasked with creating patriotic-themed outdoor sculptures.  » Read more

Earth Day on Sanibel

Earth Day marks the anniversary of the birth of the modern environmental movement.

On April 22,1970, more than 20 million Americans took to streets, parks and college campuses in massive coast-to-coast rallies to protest against the deterioration of the environment. Groups that had been fighting against oil spills, polluting factories and power plants, raw sewage, toxic dumps, pesticides, freeways, the loss of wilderness, and the extinction of wildlife realized they shared common values.  » Read more

The Art of Music

What happens when visual artists depict how music feels or what it means to them? Can art express the nuances of music?

Imagine our delight when we learned that one of our favorite longtime guests, Frank M. from Groton Point, CT, had submitted a painting for the recent Art of Music exhibit at BIG ARTS. Frank, who has been coming to Ocean’s Reach since the 1970s(!),  » Read more

Sign Up to Receive Special Offers