Gulf Waters RV Resort

Several white sandy beaches are nearby, including Fort Myers, Bunch and those of Sanibel Island, a barrier island also known for its plentiful accumulation of seashells. If you're not lucky enough to find your own rare Junonia shell, you can see them on display at the Bailey-Matthews National Shell Museum (the only museum in the world dedicated entirely to the study of shells), or buy one to take home from a local shell shop or at the Sanibel Shell Fair. Over half of Sanibel Island is made up of protected nature reserves, the biggest of which is the J. N. "Ding" Darling National Wildlife Refuge, known for its migratory bird population. The rest of the island is also a birdwatching haven, home to pelicans, herons and egrets among other species. If you're in this part of the States to tour around Florida and the Keys, travel south of here to famed and beaut Key West and its spectacular views, fab fishing and Old Town lanes. The Ernest Hemingway Home & Museum, in the writer's former island house, is in Whitehead Street across from the lighthouse.