Night life on Sanibel Island (Yes, there is!)

Bloggers often read as many blog posts as they write, and I'm no different.


I like to take the pulse of what people are thinking and doing, especially when it comes to vacations and favorite places to live. Sometimes I agree, sometimes not, but it's fun to compare opinions, even if only on line opinions.


Today I read a post entitled "Death's Sunny Waiting Room" which was poking fun at Florida as being the last stop before you know where.


Now, the post was generic about the state in a general way, yet there are people who think that Sanibel is already kind of dead when it comes to things to do at night. And though it is no South Beach or Fort Lauderdale at Spring Break, there's actually a fair amount of activity if you still have energy and interest after your day of swimming/boating/biking/golfing.


Aside from the cultural venues like Big Arts and the Old School House Theater and Sanibel Cinema, there are a dozen outlets where you can enjoy yourself when the Island turns dark and the moon beams over the palms.


There's the relatively new kid on the block, Biddles. At Biddles, you can hear live music seven nights a week, from 6:30 pm until... You'll find four different acts all of them unique. There's piano, singing and dancing, and if you want to start your evening on the early side, there's a Happy Hour from 4 to 7.


Or you can step back to a time when Jazz was King, and a night out was something really special! Ellington's Jazz Club and Restaurant features live, world-class jazz nightly, along with a dining experience and great food. Dinner is served nightly 5-11pm with live jazz nightly from 7-11pm. There's also a Happy Hour daily 5-6:30pm.


On neighboring Captiva, RC Otter’s offers live entertainment, lunch and dinner seven days a week, 12:30-10pm. Voted 1st Place “Best Family Dining” and Taste of the Islands “Best Seafood.”


The Patio Lounge at the Jacaranda is considered by many to be the best nightlife on the island. There are live bands nightly. Enjoy their seafood bar with a cocktail on the patio under the stars, or enjoy garden dining in their award-winning restaurant. Happy Hour daily from 4-7pm. Live entertainment seven nights a week, 52 weeks a year.


The Keylime Bistro on Captiva offers live entertainment seven days a week. Let’s not forget happy hour drinks! Weekends offer daily island sounds and evening guitar.


If this all sounds a bit too mellow and tame for you, you might want to shout the night out at one of the Sanibel Sports bars like Doc Fords or the Great White Grill.


So who says there's nothing to do at night on Sanibel? Not us!