First Dibs on Shelling at Cayo Costa Beach, FL

There is nothing quite as disappointing to the would-be shell seekers who rarely have a chance to go to Florida, only to find that the shells on their beach are not too many and none too great, and their walk each morning is an exercise in futility at least for finding those lovely shells. This place seems to get the shells first, especially in the winter months and at the southern tip of the island.

For families who don’t need or want a lot of noisy activities around them to keep them occupied, and have a penchant for the unknown, try the beautiful Cayo Costa Beach for a few nights or longer as part of your Florida beach vacation. You are not entirely forging into the unknown, but you will need to take a ferry at the cost of about 25.00 per person to reach this southern gulf tip of an island west of Fort Myers, and west of Pine Island, though if you are staying overnight, it is 30.00 per person. There will be a white picturesque nine mile stretch of beach for your playing pleasure, with 18 camp sites, including 12 cabins, public bathrooms with showers, bunkbeds to sleep six, and zero electricity. Everything will be powered from whatever you bring with you. Charge for cabins is 40.00 a night for the roughing it kind, and 90.00 per night for the better cabins called Jug Creek Cottages. Tent fees are 22.00 per night. Don’t forget the taxes times two that they hit you with on accommodations even if it is a primitive cabin. Bringing a boat? It will be 20.00 per night for that. Expensive? Well, the ferry charge irks me, but hey, the other fees help pay for the upkeep of Cayo Costa State Park. After Hurricane Charlie in 2004, they are working on restoring some of the areas that were hit the hardest, including much of the pine forest.

Take a bike if you want to traverse through over five miles of trails, or rent one at the park by contacting them in advance. Watch dolphins, manatees and myriad flocks of bird species. You can lounge in a hammock, or go fishing – make sure you have a Florida fishing license if you are over 16, There are actually wild hogs still here, from their ancestors left by the Spanish explorers. Your pace will slow down, your heart beat will hopefully normalize, and you’ll be away from the high rises, so you don’t have to worry about your kids going back to the hotel alone on elevators and such. You will need to know there is a lagoon however with alligators so that is one area that comes with warnings. If you are into camping, and want to be in that special place on the opposite side of the spectrum from Disney World for a Florida vacation, then this could be it.

Ferry: Tropic Star of Pine Island. (239) 283-0015 as you will need to reserve in advance which I find amazing. tropicstarcruises.com

Park: Phone: 941-964-0375