Our Votes for Best Web Sites on Sanibel

The web is a wonderful place.

It has so dramatically changed the way we find and share information, that in the realm of vacationing, it has become the research of first resort.

Not only does it provide an incredibly effective way to find vacation accommodations, it offers the internet user an amazing array of portals to get insider's view points and details about destinations.

There are several informational websites on Sanibel Island that are must visits for any one who is planning a trip to Sanibel.

The following are our favorite sites for the reasons given here.

If you have a site that is not purely promotional, but strives to provide some insight into the island, we'd love to hear from you, too.

So here goes:

The City of Sanibel provides up to date news on Sanibel Island. This is particularly important if there is bad weather heading into the island or there is some festival taking place where you might hit traffic. Folks who live on the Island are aware of the site and subscribe to alerts, but even for a casual visitor, the site is information rich in the practical matters:
http://www.mysanibel.com/

The Sanibel Captiva Chamber of Commerce site provides a great deal of information on the Island, things to do, where to eat, where to shop. As one might expect, the site caters to their members so one can't expect it to be all inclusive, but it's certainly worth a visit if you are looking for some suggestions for a Sanibel holiday:
http://www.sanibel-captiva.org/

The "darling" of Sanibel is, of course, the Ding Darling Nature Preserve. The site for Ding Darling is a government site and covers other wild life refuges as well. But there is a news release section where you can find out what is happening currently as well as other pages that explain the park and its operation:
http://www.fws.gov/dingdarling/

No doubt one of the major draws for Sanibel Island is the fabulous shelling that you can do on the beaches. But it's so much more interesting to shell when you know what you are looking at or for. The Bailey-Matthews shell museum can provide a quick and highly informational tour of the shelling experience and their website offers a glimpse of what's in store at the Museum:
http://www.shellmuseum.org/

We know we mention them a lot on this blog, but the Sanibel Captiva Conservation Foundation does do an outstanding job of educating visitors about the beauties of the Islands. Their website deserves not only a hand clap, but a nice stop to see what the Islands are all about:
http://sccf.org/

The site that tugs most at our hearts is the one for the Center for the Rehabilitation of Wildlife (C.R.O.W.) The Center takes in injured or ill wild life from the Islands and surrounding areas and does a fabulous job of blending the rehabilitation process with the educational process. Their site tells various stories of animals and birds that were rehabilitated at the Center. Definitely worth a read:
http://www.crowclinic.org/index.html

There are dozens more websites out there specific to boating, golfing, and other activities, but we'll let you find those on your own. Happy trails and happy browsing to all!