You’re on a beach vacation – so what happens when it rains? Thunderstorms usually blow in fast and leave just as quickly on these barrier islands, but if the rain continues to fall, you can still have a great time with your kids. Here’s your Rainy Day Guide to Fun on Captiva and Sanibel Island:
Watch In-room Movies
At ‘Tween Waters Island Resort & Spa, you can watch Pay-Per-View movies right in your room. You’ll find a variety of titles including new releases.
Bailey-Matthews National Shell Museum
With live tank talks at 11:30 am and 3:30 pm, and activities like a shell scavenger hunt, arts & crafts and Shell Bingo, this is a must-do, rain or shine. Don’t miss the life-size giant squid model (like you could miss that). Open every day.
J.N. Ding Darling Education Center
This is a family favorite. Many exhibits are hands-on (create an animal rubbing, press buttons and make things light up, touch bones, solve a mystery, and much more). Best of all, it’s FREE. Open every day at 9 am.
Discover Wildlife Drive
For $5 per vehicle, explore a 4-mile winding road through the J.N. Ding Darling Refuge. (For $12 cash, buy a yearly pass.) You may see alligators, spoonbills, and manatees…from the comfort of your car. Closed on Fridays. Download the Ding Darling app for educational fun.
Be Puzzled
Here are 1,000 reasons to stay inside. There’s a rather infamous jigsaw puzzle of “Sanibel & Captiva Islands” that you can purchase in the Pelican’s Roost Boutique located in the blue building near the Marina at ‘Tween Waters Island Resort & Spa
Read a Book at the Public Library
Captiva has a public library around the corner from ‘Tween Waters Island Resort & Spa, but the one on Sanibel has a large children’s area complete with a rowboat (the S.L. Readmore). There is something for every age, including toddler time and craft day.
We hope your Captiva vacation is filled with sunshine and seashells, but if the skies open up and shower you with ‘liquid sunshine’, we hope you’ll enjoy some of our favorite rainy day island activities.
