Is there a place you’ve visited over and over again in your childhood that stays with you? There were a few places that have made such an impact on me, but my ultimate favorite childhood place to visit was Sanibel, Captiva and Ft. Myer’s Florida. Every year, my mom’s side of our family would head down to Florida with my grandparents, my uncle and aunt and two cousins, and my parents and I, and we’d spend a week or more exploring and making memories on the islands on the golf shores of Florida. It was always a magical visit, and something I looked forward to every year!
I’ve been visiting Ft. Myers, Sanibel and Captiva since I was little, and I’ve had so many memories there that have shaped my childhood (and my adulthood too). There’s something magical about the area – and to this day I still get this feeling like I’m home (or at my home away from home) the moment I step off the airplane the moment I land in Ft. Myers. The smell of the beach is singed in my memory, and there’s no better feeling than the salt in the air and feeling the sunshine after a long Midwest winter.
The first time I went to Sanibel and Captiva was when I was just 3 years old, and it was my first time at the ocean (complete with a teeny tiny bathing suit and diaper look below!). Ever since then, we’ve headed to Sanibel and Captiva and the place has mostly stayed the same – but in the best way possible. There’s the Island Bean for the best coffee in Sanibel, the Bubble Room for a giant slice of cake (the best on the island!), the Island Cow for lunch, and the Pink Flamingo with the best grouper sandwich on the island, at least in my humble opinion. 
As a family, we have so many fun memories in Sanibel and Captiva that I still remember fondly every time I visit. From ringing in the New Year in 2000 and being pretty much convinced the world was going to end (Y2K in 2000, remember that?!), playing cards all afternoon with my grandmother Jessie (who happily traded cards under the table with me), spending long days on Bowman’s beach shelling, eating my first oyster at the Lazy Flamingo with my dad, and watching my younger cousin attempt to eat parrot wings there (the hottest wings on the island) as he (justifiably) cried in front of the whole family. We’d wake up and head to the Island Store to get food for dinner each night, take long walks around the island (and check out the manatees and dolphins swimming by the shore), write coconut postcards to my friends back home (where you literally write on a coconut and send it in the mail!) and buying way too much candy with my cousins and running around the island like little crazies. I’d give a lot to have the whole family together again back in Captiva and Sanibel like the good old times growing up! 
If you’re looking for a getaway this summer, you’re in luck! The Beaches of Fort Myers & Sanibel are offering a chance to win a trip to enjoy a vacation for yourself! Their “You Can’t Choose Your Family” sweepstakes is running from now until June 30th, and you can submit a photo of a funny or awkward family photo, or a quick funny family story for a chance to win the grand prize trip! Visit https://www.fortmyers-sanibel.com/familyvacation to upload your photo and caption for a chance to win! I’d submit this adorable photo of my dad and I below that truly captures ourselves in summer vacation mode 🙂 
And if you happen to win and are looking for some inspiration – check out my long weekend guide to Captiva, Sanibel and Ft. Myers here!
A big thanks for the Beaches of Ft. Myers and Sanibel for sponsoring this post! As always, all opinions are my own.
