The Rich and Famous on Sanibel Island

Our little Island has had quite a few celebrities either visit, vacation or , in some instances, invest in our barrier paradise of tropical nature.

But, by and large, the Island keeps this , not necessarily hush-hush, yet rather subdued.

We do not run up to the celebrity, rather we studiously ignore them unless they reach out to us.  That's the Island way, and we are protective of all our guests.  One of the reasons all of us choose Sanibel is for the peace and relaxation we find here, and we are neither gawkers nor tattle tailers.

Among the frequent visitors is , of course, Arthur Frommer who actually made the announcement himself that Sanibel is his favored vacation destination.  That announcement was a nice nod to the Island's enticements, as what better endorsement than that of a man who has traveled to and written about destinations throughout the world?

Other frequent visitors are equally well known.  Christie Brinkley and Cindy Crawford are frequent visitors. Denzel Washington and Hank Williams Jr. have been known to vacation here as well.  Most recently, Dan Brown, author of the Da Vinci Code, has been added to the long and special list of well known frequent visitors.

And speaking of authors, Randy Wayne White who has helped Sanibel to grow famous in his novels based on the Island, lives year round on Sanibel as does---or at least did- Ted Kopple.   

In fact, all residents here know they’re lucky that nature lets them live here. On this 17½-square-mile barrier island near Fort Myers, people (all 5,700 of them) are out- numbered by wildlife, including poodle-size raccoons that hide in tangles of dense brush and blue herons that forage for dinner in the mangrove fringes along Tarpon Bay. It’s this unique environment — Gulf of Mexico beaches and untamed Florida wilderness — coupled with the small-town ambiance that lure homeowners like Today Show weatherman Willard Scott.

Well, we know we are being a bit obnoxious with all this name dropping (but we still kept many under our hats) so all we can say is that when the rich and famous go traveling, our sweet Sanibel is often the choice of their global destinations!