Sanibel Island is roughly 12 miles long and 5 miles across, with sister Captiva Island measuring in at under 5 miles long and 2 miles wide.
Sanibel Island has two main roads that parallel each other. Periwinkle Way – named, as are many of our streets, for a flower is the main business route. West of the causeway, it leads to the island’s shopping and dining. Follow it east and you’ll pass a quieter commercial section, ending up at the Sanibel Lighthouse and its beach.
The Gulf Drives – consisting of East, Middle and West Gulf Drive slinks past resorts, beaches and homes at water’s edge.
Sanibel-Captiva Road, know locally as San-Cap, passes by most of Sanibel’s natural attractions: J.N. Ding Darling national Wildlife Refuge, Sanibel-Captiva Conservation Center, the Bailey-Matthews Shell Museum, and the Care and Rehabilitation of Wildlife (C.R.O.W.) facility.
Captiva Island is connected to Sanibel by San-Cap Road. Once you cross the short bridge at scenic Blind Pass, the road becomes Captiva Drive, a beautiful tunnel of wild jungle growth and majestic Australian pines. Follow it north and find two public beach accesses plus restaurants and shops. South Seas Plantation Resort occupies the northern most part of the island.