North Captiva: Where the Wild Things Roam

By The Backseat View

Leave behind the hectic world and escape to the unspoiled, magical oasis of OLD FLORIDA. In the ultimate North Captiva travel guide we will explore all the island has to offer.

Golf carts are your only transportation to explore the sandy roads and the 5 miles of pristine beaches. The only traffic jams are the turtles crossing the road.

There are only homes for rent on the island, so the beach is never crowded. Spend your week on bicycles, kayaks, or boats, searching for dolphins and manatees. Biking in the sand was more challenging than I expected. We enjoyed hiking and exploring in the 350-acre state wildlife preserve.

Wild things roam this island.

There’s a sense of adventure in the air, from climbing trees on the deserted beach to wandering off the beaten hiking trails.

Time moves more slowly here than anywhere else I have visited.

I spent more time in my pajamas than in clothes, and brunch on the porch started the day. I love vacation itineraries that say to read on the beach, catch a fish, or take a walk. Spending a July day on an empty beach is my idea of heaven.

North Captiva is a peaceful fishing and boating paradise on the bluest water. Boating trips are the best way to explore neighboring Sanibel, Captiva, and Cabbage Key islands.

After the memories are made, the day ends with celebrating the best beach sunsets of your life.

If a remote island to read and fish calls to you, then let’s open the North Captiva Travel guide.

Escaping to North Captiva takes a plan.

Due to planning, North Captiva receives fewer visitors than her neighbor Sanibel. I chose to visit North Captiva because of the secluded beaches filled with shells, no cars are allowed, and it’s a fishing paradise.

Let’s Plan an escape!

1. Arrive by Ferry

• For around $100, the Pine Island Taxi can meet you at Ft. Myer’s airport and drive you to the Pineland Marina ferry dock. The taxi will stop at Publix for boat-pack preordered groceries.

• Booking the North Captiva Island Ferry or Island Girl Ferry needs to be planned in advance and costs an average of $30 per person.

• The 20 minute North Captiva Ferry runs every two hours.
• The Pineland Marina lets you leave your car for the week for $10/day.
• If you are arriving by personal boat, have that boat slip reserved at the Island Club North Captiva marina or with the homeowner in advance.
• There is an airport strip for landing private planes on North Captiva.

2. Bring LOTS of FOOD.

• There are no grocery stores on the island. This is the most important tip!

• A tiny market with EXTREMELY limited supplies is available for emergency ketchup, a diaper, or a pack of Ramons.
• My grocery list was triple-checked with extra meals and more cookies, ice cream, key lime pie, and mac & cheese than we ever planned to eat.
• I packed enough food for two weeks for our one-week trip.

• Fresh Pick Grocery Services will deliver your groceries for 25% of the total bill, and the convenience is worth it.

• Publix will allow you to order groceries online, and they will BOAT PACK the groceries in coolers and paper bags. You can pick the groceries up and carry them onto the ferry. If I were on that ferry, my groceries would have extra stickers on the packages, and I would watch my food. There will be ten families with similar supplies on that ferry. It’s easy to lose your groceries.
• After arriving on the island, you get your golf cart and make several trips to your home with luggage and groceries.

• We launched our boat at the Pineland Marina, and our groceries were packed in coolers and plastic totes.

• Remember the detergent, dish soap, sunscreen, box of big zip-lock bags, and OFF.
• Some houses have cooler water jugs, but we brought two cases of water anyway.

3. Pack Light for clothes

• There are only four restaurants in casual settings.
• The homes have washers and dryers.
• Pack a lightweight sweatshirt for bugs and cool nights.
• A pair of boat shoes and flip-flops were all I needed for the week.
• I packed beach and fishing attire with a couple of sundresses.
• Everyone got a carry-on for clothes, but the boys packed more footballs, cards, and board games than clothes.

• Winter and fall have 70-80-degree daily temperatures and 60 degrees at night. Summer has the high 80s with the 70s at night.

4. The Island Club

• Most houses on the island belong to The Island Club or the Safety Harbor Club.
• The Island Club is family-friendly and offers a fun and relaxed environment. The Island Club pool area was filled with every kid and teenager on the island, and it was a pool party.
• Mangos restaurant, boat docks, and the small shops are at the Island Club.
• The Safety Harbor Club is a retirement-type community.
• Both clubs have swimming pools and tennis courts.

6. Boat time

• Rent a boat, book a day trip, or go on a fishing charter with Boats and Fun, located near the boat docks for time on the water.

Best Day Trip

• Take a private water taxi with Boats and Fun ($400 for four people) or ride the ferry to Cabbage Key for lunch.
• The ferry schedule makes a loop from the Pineland marina to North Captiva, then to Cabbage Key, and then back to the marina.
• Cabbage Key is an Old Florida experience with a Caribbean attitude. From the dollar bills hanging from the ceiling to the island views, it’s one of my favorite places in the world for lunch.
• If you have a boat, you can visit Captiva and have lunch at the Bubble Room. As of 2024, the restaurant is still closed due to the hurricane.

• Kayak around the mangroves and the island.
• The manatees and dolphins are all around the docks and mangroves.
• The docks around the island are fishing paradise.

7. Lodging

• Beachfront homes are the best.
• If your bank account suggests a home a few rows from the beach, it’s fine.
• The beach is huge and never crowded.
• Shelling is excellent at all the beach locations.

• The Island Club at North Captiva rents homes and can help you plan your trip.

• We rented an oceanfront home on VRBO. After searching every home for a month, I fell in love with Sea Breeze. The front yard is your beach, and it’s located next to the state preserve for miles of empty coastline. The ocean views are from every window in the house, which has three porches. The property manager is on the island and so helpful with any glitches. Being a remote island, ensure the house you book has good reviews on correcting problems. This home has a boat dock, a golf cart, a hot tub, and an Island Club membership. The three-bedroom house is the best place we have ever stayed and runs $650/night.

8. Restaurants

MANGO’S

• Mango’s is located at the Island Club by the boat docks.
• Breakfast, lunch, and dinner are served daily.
• It’s the most popular restaurant with outdoor dining and fish tacos.

The Boathouse

• The Boathouse is located by the boat docks and Mango’s.
• It’s a little fancier and requires dinner reservations.
• The key lime pie is fantastic.

Over the Water

• Located in the Safety Harbor Club
• Over the Water has great water views.
• We truly enjoyed our meal and interaction with the staff.
• Reservations only (239-472-4762) made in advance.
• We called at the beginning of the week requesting reservations. A few days later, we got a call to come to dinner.
• The restaurant is tiny (3-4 families at a time)and very casual.
• It offers fantastic $30 meals.

Barnacles or Mainstays

• I love the tiki huts for a casual lunch or dinner with water views. They also have ice cream upstairs.
• Barnacles is still closed as of 2024 because of hurricane damage.

Last Thoughts

Come, and explore the Wild side of Florida on North Captiva. Whether you fish or read your days away, make time to applaud the sunset every night. The hassle of packing groceries is forgotten when you step on the beach. Plan to spend at least one day boating around South Florida. Thank you for reading my North Captiva Travel Guide.