Boca Grande FL

[gary payne]

<p>Going to vacation with the family in Boca Grande Fl in June. We will be adjacent to Gasparilla State Park. I've searched the web and find a great light house, abandoned church, great beach scenes and shore birds. I would appreciate some insight from locals or those familiar with the area into other photo ops in the area. Thanks for your help.</p>

[luis_g]

<p>Gary, the park is fun for a family outing, and a local landmark. There's some older architecture you may find interesting on the island. You'll be between Sarasota and Ft. Myers. In the former, you have the Ringling Museum, the Ringling House (C'ad Zan) and gardens. There's Myakka State Forest, with great trails to hike, and be sure to rent a canoe and paddle through the lake there, which is chock-full of gators. People do it every day. It's like a tarrifying ride at the fair, thrilling, but less dangerous than it looks. Take in Selby Gardens (a rich guy's gardens). The wife and daughters, if any, will love it. Spanish Point is also a great thing to walk through, and an idea of what the area was like for the early settlers. In downtown Sarasota there are many great restaurants. Also in Sarasota, there's a little place, not fancy, where middle class familes and Sarasota millionaires rub shoulders (some times the parking lot is full of truly exotic cars) called the Hob Nob that I like for breakfast (Warning: The cuisine is good, but nothing special for a foodie).</p>

<p>Bring sunblock, good hats for everyone, hiking shoes, good mosquito repellent, and technical clothing for 90+ degree and high humidity days. It will rain often, specially in the afternoons. Make time to watch the sunsets. Have a wonderful vacay with your family. Check out Soeren Englebrecht's trip photos, which he has posted several times.</p>

<p>You'll be in the middle of some fabulous fishing, and should take advantage of it. I have no idea what your photographic interests are, but there are many other places to explore in the area, some of which I haven't been to yet. If you like birds, the trip to Sanibel to the Ding Darling preserve is worth it, and if you look at the map, there are many other parks inland which also have very good reputations.</p>

<p>Check out Koreshan State Park, the site of an earlier, benign, religious cult that was so strict on abstinence that they died out. They left behind an interesting settlement.</p>

<p>There's kayak tours on Big Pine Island that go through beautiful, pristine habitats.</p>

[tom_harvey3]

<p>One of my favorite places to have seafood and watch a sunset over the gulf is on Anna Maria Island near Sarasota. Best Rum Runner I know of, and an excellent grouper sandwich as well. Plenty of beach space. 100 Spring Ave., Anna Maria Island FL.</p>

[gary payne]

<p>Hey Luis and Tom, thanks very much.</p>

[Ed_Ingold]

<p>Boca Grande is every bit as nice as Sanibel Island, and you can actually park near the beaches. Sanibel seems to resent intruders, unless they leave their money. The Ding Darling preserve on Sanibel is worth visiting, and you can park at the visitors center (to walk or bicycle), or alongside the road. There is a toll booth on the causeway, but it's much cheaper than the one to Sanibel.</p>

<p>The beaches at Sarasota are very nice too, and in nearby Venice. Myakka State Park costs $5 per carload, and is like a trip to Jurassic Park (sans T-Rex). There's a fishing pier in the park, with alligators that leap up and steal your catch.</p>