Cayo Costa, South Seas Plantation, and Cabbage Key are only reachable by water. Gasperilla Island, Punta Gorda, Port Charlotte can all be reached by land. I am sure they will allow you to park a car there, but don't know if they charge.
What makes this place outstanding? Unlike some state and national parks, you can stay here as long as you like. There are lots of coves to explore, fishing and swimming is great. Of course, I would only swim in the lagoon area. There is a cove past the govt docks where the manatees stay and I have seen a very LARGE croc/gator (I can't tell the difference), but I did take pictures of it!! The manatees are great. Last year there were several new babies and the parents are very protective. But we have been in the cove numerous times and the manatees have come up to the dinghy and allowed us to pet them. (Our grandsons had a blast doing that!). You can dinghy over to Cabbage Key for eats. They serve all 3 meals and the price isn't too bad. Plus there are cottages on this island as well. There is a place called Lovers Lane, you need to go in at high tide with the dinghy to look around. You can also take this path to the other side of the island. If you like sea shells, this is the place to go. Venice Beach is the place to find sharks teeth, but it is a few hours north by big boat. Cabbage Key has the best Cheeseburgers and margaritas (also known as Cheeseburger in Paradise). Useppa (sp) Island is across from Cabbage Key and you can anchor there, too. There is also Ding Darling Island, don't get too close as the li'l black flies will eat you up. Gasperilla Marina, Miller's Marina, now Boca Grande Marina have allowed us to use there go carts on occasion for free sometimes for a small fee to go touring around the island. Sometimes there are people at the marina that will offer you a ride to town to go shop for groceries. We had people offer us there cars, so we can shop. Place names like Punta Gorda, Boca Grande, and Pelican Bay are often hard to find on nautical charts. What is the lat/lon of the primary location you are describing? Sorry no charts here. Just look for Charlotte Harbor north of Ft. Myers and it is easy to find. What is the draft limitation (the shallowest depth encountered) from sea to this point? I have seen boats with 6 ft drafts go inside. It is best to do so at high tide. There are areas past the government docks that are 10 ft and deeper. The shallows I have seen 3 ft, we have a shallow draft and we have bumped coming in a low low tide. But if you hug the beach line you will do fine. The only time I bumped was my first attempt at coming out at low tide. No big deal it is sandy and easy to float off. Where does one go ashore? Lat/lon? Sorry I don't have any charts here, (I live in Texas, boat lives in FL). But if you look on the charts for Charlotte Harbor, Gasperilla and South Seas Plantation, you should be able to find it. The island is north of Ft. Myers about 30 miles via highway. Is it safe to leave one's dingy there? A charge? You can stay in the lagoon area for as long as you want to stay. If you go ashore there is a "donation" of $5 (I think) per person, because it is a national park (Cayo Costa). You can take your dinghy ashore and no one will bother it. We usually go ashore and spend the day on the island walking around. The ocean is on the other side of the island. They also have a train you can ride to the other side of the island, camping is allowed for a fee and they have cottages, too. Is there car parking? Is it safe to leave one's car there? No car parking. You can only reach these areas by boat. What stores and other facilities are within walking distance or nearby? No stores on Pelican, Cayo Costa, but South Seas Plantation has a small store on there property. Or if you want to come into any other the marinas you can get to a store. If you come to our marina and we are there we volunteer to take you to shop. Is there harrassment from the locals? No, we have been there numerous times and have never been hassled by anyone. If you want to find a quiet place to spend a couple of weeks without hassles, Pelican Bay is the place to go. If you want more things to do, just travel down (or up) the ICW and there are LOTS of places to see and things to do. As many times as we have been to all of these areas we have NEVER been approached by anyone other than people who wanted to be friends (other boaters). The only time I have seen Marine Patrol was when hurricane Dennis was making his way thru and they came in to fuel up and then they were pretty cool (and cute!) lol. I hope this helps, if you need anything else, just ask. We are planning a trip down in the next few weeks ... its teak time again!! Accepting all volunteers for FREE lessons is varnishing teak! :-) -Anita (Not quite full-time cruisers, but working on it!) _Why Knot IP 37-33_ (http://hometown.aol.com/__121b_vBzMy6ChWt8p7pNzRzPJTzAXJXASh5Ur) You can't direct the wind, but you can adjust your sails ... _Ipphotos.com/_ (http://www.islandpacketphotos.com/view_user_ads.asp?User_ID=279&Ad_ID=808) <--> New Photos 7/23/08 **************Play online games for FREE at Games.com! All of your favorites, no registration required and great graphics – check it out! (http://pr.atwola.com/promoclk/100000075x1211202682x1200689022/aol?redir= http://www.games.com?ncid=emlcntusgame00000001)
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