Sanibel Island

Three miles away from the mainland, the island of Sanibel is known worldwide by conchologists for being covered in an extraordinary amount of seashells washed up by the tides: that's because of its peculiar position, stretching east to west in the middle of sea streams. While the island's beaches are some of the best in the area, the urban scene is also charmingly underdeveloped and looks frozen in time at the start of the 20th century. Inland lie the Six Cypress Slough Reserve and the Bailey-Matthews National Shell Museum.