USVI-On-Line

Yesterday we drove down to Lovers Key to check it out, and we were NOT disappointed! There's so much to see... so many birds and shells and it's just plain beautiful there! Here are a few pictures...



Ibis


Great Blue Heron


Osprey


Manta Rays swimming under and around the foot bridge to the beach

Gorgeous! Just gorgeous! Must get to the Ft Myers area again soon!

Yes- Thanks for sharing - great pics, love that one with the tree in the water

Thanks! The tree is one of my favorites too!

Thanks for posting these. They remind me a lot of places on Sanibel and Cayo Costa. I love that part of Florida. This reminds me I need to go look at your blog. I was very interested in reading it since one day we will move to a coastal area in the south. I've lived in the same area my whole life, and only moved from one side of our town to another 3 times. Moving to a whole different area seems like an adventure to me

I need to go there! Nice pictures. Exactly where is it? What Key? We just went as far as Islamorada last summer and I was disappointed. I wish we would have found this place.

Bill, moving cross-country is definitely an adventure! And adventure and a WHOLE LOTTA WORK! But definitely worth it!

I've been checking out Cayo Costa (also very close to us), but I think you need a boat to get there. (??) We love Sanibel, too, but until "season" ends, we're avoiding it for now! LOL!

Sea-nile, Lovers Key isn't in "the Keys," it's a spot between Fort Myers Beach and Bonita Beach. It's totally accessible by car and not at all difficult to get to. We plan to go back often!

That is even better FG! My mom lives fairly close to there.

Margo,

You may also like Stump Pass. Check it out. My Dad used to take us there for a picnic. I remember getting nipped by a crab. Water is Caribbean like.

I'll definitely check that out, Terry! Thanks for the tip!

I understand about avoiding Sanibel in season. I visited my parents who live in Venice and we went to Sanibel for the day in mid Feb. It was really jammed. They like to eat at Granma Dots in the marina, and we had to wait quite a while for a table. Had great seafood there.

When you visit Sanibel, be sure to visit Periwinkle Park. When you go across the causeway and take a right to go on the main drag, its a little ways down on the left. Its a campground and they take in rescue birds. They have a small sanctuary where you can see different kinds of parrots, macaws, lemurs, toucans, and several kinds of ducks. You have to park in a lot right outside the main gate, and its just a short walk to the bird area. Its a fun little place, and some of the parrots are very verbal.

To visit Cayo Costa, you have to go by boat. We rented a small boat at Jensen's Twin Marina (on Captiva) and they give you a chart to get up there. We saw lots of dolphins along the way. If you don't want to rent a boat, there are also several tour boats that take you up there, including one from Jensen's. We went to Cayo Costa many years ago, and it was completely undeveloped. You just beached your boat, and walked along the beach, which was totally covered in shells. I see online that its now a park, so I don't know what it its like now.

Have fun exploring your new area!

Jeri (the 'J' in B&J)

Hey Jeri -

Thanks for all the tips!! We will definitely check out the birds and animals at Periwinkle Park. We're real "softies" when it comes to animal sanctuarys! Thanks for telling me about it! Also, Granma Dots! We're always looking for another good place to eat. Unfortunately sometimes we find out the hard way when restaurants are bad... for instance, NEVER EVER eat at the Junkanoo Beach Bar on Fort Myers Beach! I was sick for 2 days!

When it comes to Cayo Costa, we'll probably have to take a tour boat because we don't know anything about operating a boat! Since it's not easy to get to (like you can't drive there), I bet it's not too spoiled, even though they've turned it into a State Park. Actually, sometimes a State Park will save a place (like the NP on STJ). And if the beach is covered with shells, like Sanibel, I definitely have to go there!