Dear Steve;-
    Sanibel is not "fabled". It's really real.
    Eating : you can't go wrong. All you have to do is be sure the restaurant
has an "OPEN" sign in the window. Try "Hamburger/Hamburger" for lunch.
    Shelling: The best place is under the bridge between Sanibel and Captiva.
Low tide you can wade out into the mud flats.
    Problem: There's no parking---that is to say---there IS parking but all the
spaces are usually full.
    However---on Sanibel, there's shells everywhere. And there's some very nice
shell shops as well. And Jose Leal at the Museum can tell you what's in season
and where to look for it.
    Don't pass up the Ding Darling "park". If you are having domestic problems,
you can encourage the wife to feed the nice gators.
    Have a great time.
        Art

Stephen Browning wrote:

> Fellow CONCH-Lers:
>
> My wife and I are eagerly anticipating our first vacation to fabled Sanibel
> Island.
> I understand that collecting of live specimens is prohibited on Sanibel
> Island.
> If anyone could offer collecting information (licenses, locations, times,
> etc.) for
> the surrounding area, we would greatly appreciate it. If any of you have
> non-
> shell-related information that you would wish to share, (restaurants, sites
> of
> interest, precautions, etc.) could you please send that information to me
> privately?
>
> Best regards,
>
> Steve