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Island Inn Family Vacation Guide on Sanibel Island

Sanibel Island is a great place to vacation with your family. From shelling on the beach, biking paths, and various guided and boat tours, there are activities and places to visit for families of any size and children of any age.

Seasonal Events: Some of the best events to bring your family to on Sanibel Island are the Annual Shell Festival, Ding Darling Days, the Fourth of July Celebration, Easter, the Island Hopper Songwriters Festival, the Luminary Festival, Christmas, the holiday season, and many more!

Swimming: The Island Inn is situated on the Gulf of America with warm waters that are perfect for families and young children. The tropical tides provide a natural swimming pool for guests to experience throughout their vacation! And, the local wildlife loves to pop in for a visit so be sure to be on the lookout for our dolphin and manatee friends! Don’t forget your sun screen and floaties!

Land Tours: There are a variety of tours to take part in on Sanibel Island. From the land to the water you can see the best of Sanibel Island with the people who know it best. There are Land Tours to show you and your family historic buildings, museums, lighthouses and more.

Boat Tours: There are Gulf and Bay Tours and Wildlife & Estuary Tours that offer a place to meet the Sanibel and Captiva’s wildlife, in their own natural habitat! Take your family on a firsthand experience to engage with Sanibel Island wildlife such as dolphins, sea turtles, manatees, bald eagles and thousands of other wonderful plant and animal species that call Sanibel Island home. There are a variety of tours available to suit the individual needs and interests of your family.

Museums: Sanibel Island is as rich in history as it is in beaches. We have historical sites such as the Sanibel Historic Museum & Village and educational experiences such as the world-famous Bailey-Matthews National Shell Museum. Just over the bridge is the IMAG History and Science CenterThomas Edison & Henry Ford Winter EstatesSidney and Berne Davis Arts Center and the Florida Gulf Coast University Art Gallery. These museums offer a change of pace from the beach and water as well as a great escape from the occasional summer shower.

Shelling: Sanibel Island is known for incredible shelling brought by the island’s unique shape and orientation. Different parts of the barrier island act like a scoop, facing toward the current from the south, west, and north. As the currents run up the slopes and sandbars off Sanibel’s shoreline, they slow, turn, and drop their colorful shells. The Island Inn’s 550 feet of pristine beach is coated in shells that are waiting to be picked up and marveled at.  In fact, it is said that the Matthews Family chose the Island Inn’s exact location all the way back in 1895 because of its advantages of being on Sanibel Island’s most Southern Point, therefore “catching” the most and best shells available on Sanibel Island.

Child searching for shells on the beach

Bike Paths: Sanibel Island is designated as a bike friendly community with bike paths leading all through the island. Rental bikes are readily available at the Island Inn, so no need to bring your own along. Our bike rental services offer child trailers, child tandems and baby seats for your littlest little ones. Check our recommendations for bicycle safety and tips of how to safely use the bike paths.

Adult with child on bicycle path

Guided beach tour: An exclusive amenity for Island Inn guests is our complimentary guided beach tour with an expert from the Sanibel Sea School. This is a great way for kids to learn more about the shells they see all over the beach along with all the wildlife your family will experience while visiting Sanibel Island.

Watch Vloggers’ Stay At Sanibel Island Inn: We recently had a family visit the Island Inn who documented their stay and all the activities they did on Sanibel Island. Check out Ellie And Jared’s family vacation here.

As you can see, your family will have more than enough options when it comes to family-friendly activities on Sanibel Island.  Now, all you have to do is find time in between the beach and the pool to take advantage of them!

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Visitor Reviews

5 star rating Tranquility I usually travel alone and I felt completely safe at the Island Inn. The inn is clean and well cared for, everything is in tip-top condition! In addition, the employees were all very kind. The free use of the umbrellas and beach chairs are the icing on the cake! Some other resorts on the island charge you $$ to sit under an umbrella.
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98331 6/11/2025
5 star rating A great place to stay! We just left this wonderful inn. The people were so kind and welcoming, the room (actually more of a condo) was beautiful and had everything we needed. The beach in front of the inn was beautiful and had better shells than most places on the island! The balcony, which was screened in, was beautiful, we ate breakfast there every day! There were chairs and umbrellas on the beach. You can’t beat the sunset as well. This was our first time back to Sanibel since the devastating hurricanes. There were plenty of restaurants open and lots of shops are coming back too. We’ll be back!
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bilingualteach 5/02/2025
5 star rating Return to Paradise We have stayed at the Island Inn many times. However, this was our first stay since the hurricanes hit Sanibel. The rooms in Matthews Lodge were just as great as ever. The beach had a great many more shells. The chairs and umbrellas made sitting on the beach very peaceful and enjoyable. The staff was as friendly and welcoming as ever. While so much has changed, we were glad to support the Island Inn and all the other familiar businesses on Sanibel. It is important to show your loyalty to such a wonderful place and the people who live and work there. We will be back again in the near future!
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D4593FJpatriciac 4/28/2025

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