This place was packed on a holiday/vacation week. There was a huge line just to get in and find a space. Parking is now $5 an hour!! We remember coming here years back when parking was free. We wanted to stop by a Sanibel beach so my girlfriend who was visiting from Michigan could do some shelling. So my husband dropped us off while he circled around looking for a parking spot. We walked down the pathways and over the wood boardwalk over the water. It is quite a distance from the lot to the actual beach so if you have any disabilities or problems walking, this beach is not for you. Once on the actual sand, the beach is wide. Even as busy as it was, there is plenty of room to stretch out on a blanket, etc. Part of the beach is actually sandy, but most is crushed shells ... and some not crushed. You will see many people shelling as well as enjoying the water. We walked around a bit, then made the long walk back. It took almost an hour -- and my husband was still circling around trying to find a parking space. So, from one perspective, we saved $5 --although on the other hand, he didn't get to enjoy the gulf breezes... I'd come back again, perhaps, but definitely not "in season" . read more

The beach is deep. Meaning you have to walk a ways to get to the water. Which is good and bad. More people can spread out even when it's high tide, but man, luggin your beach gear is hard in the sand. I even had a cart with wheels, it was still a chore. The sand is like regular beach sand, it's not that nice sugar soft sand you can find at other beaches. There are bathrooms. And an outside shower to rinse your feet off. Some picnic tables and grills. It's $5.00 an hour to park. Being a "world famous" beach. I would have liked to have seen blue crystal clear water. Soft sand. Stepping on the seashells is like stepping on legos. Be sure to wear water shoes. For the cost to come over the bridge,$6.00 and $5.00 an hour to park. And the pain in the ass it is to drive a steady 35 mph. My God, I had to set cruise control because I just couldn't keep a steady 35 for the long period and straight away stretches. I've lived on island time for 3 years in Hawai'i, they don't even drive that slow. read more

Bowman's Beach - Shells everywhere - Beaches Near Me - Sanibel, Florida

This beach was horrible we were on a trip for a baseball tournament and went to the beach no signs for parking that will give it away. We leave the beach and come back to find a 150 dollar ticket for parking violation. That's laughable 150 dollars for a shit beach in sanibel. Never go here again bunch of assholes read more

This is an excellent beach on Sanibel, a great alternative to Blind Pass or Turner, where lots fill up quickly. There are always parking spots here. The beach is better for swimming since the aforementioned beaches can have a strong current. read more

Seriously a hidden gem! This beach is clean and very quiet. The views are spectacular. It's so quiet that it almost feels like a private beach. You will have to pay for parking ($5). Also make sure you bring proper sandals because this isn't the type of beach you want to walk barefoot in. Soooo many shells everywhere. On the other hand if you're a shell collector, you'll find some beautiful finds here. :) read more

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It costs $5, FIVE DOLLARS, to park per hour at Bowman's Beach. That seemed outrageous to me, but on the bright side there was plenty of parking. The park seems very nice and after about a 7 minute walk from the parking lot, you arrive at the beach. The beach was packed on Monday at 2pm when I arrived. There are tons of seashells here so if you're a collector, you will hit the jackpot. I'd say that the shoreline is about 98% shells and 2% sand, so walking on the beach can be a bit painful. Still, the water looks beautiful here. read more

Beautiful beach with gentle surf and endless shells to comb through. We visited Bowman's Beach twice on a three day stay in Fort Myers in April, both times over lunch. The beach is a short hike from a large and mostly shaded but fairly expensive parking lot. Near the lot was a good bathroom and beach house for changing into suits (and out of dirty diapers) and a playground full of little lizards to chase. The lot was almost full even on an 80ish days in April. Even so because the beach was so large we easily found a lot of space to setup close to the path from the lot, keeping the walk pretty easy. However it might be harder during the summer months unless you get there earlier then we did. We found the swimming was nice, but there was a bit of a breeze both days that made it hard for the kids to stay in for long periods, even though the surf was gentle. The water was very clear and nice for snorkeling. There is not a lot of wildlife to find, one boy did find a living giant conch! The kids were happy to pick over the shells and build things out of them. However we didn't find many intact shells like we had hoped. We were told that because of recent storms many of the intact shells were crushed which was unfortunate. Overall we mostly enjoyed ourselves and would like to go back when we get the chance. read more

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It's hard for me to comprehend a bad day at the beach, you'd have to have a pretty mundane life or be allergic to fun to have a truly bad day at the beach unless of course you get eaten by a shark or overcome by some other sea creature. I will admit every beach doesn't offer the same level of amenities and the quality of the sand and water can vary greatly from beach to beach but these are all things that most of us can deal with. This beach is a great beach mainly because man doesn't have much say in the any part of it except the access and the up keep from use but like most things we humans control there's room for improvement. I do like that it's somewhat secluded from the main road and the parking remains unpaved and rustic, I'm okay with the pay by the hour parking which encourages people to share a ride to save on parking fees or the fact that some simply avoid this beach because of the fees. The long walk to the fun is painful and only rivaled by the walk back to your car after spending hours in the sun. As you'd expect there are some brilliant considerations though nice bathrooms and showers, shaded picnic areas and benches, lots of signage and the beautiful trails offers access to different parts of the beach. Okay I have to admit with all the positives there are some poorly thought out things as well so just come prepared and these things won't feel as bad as they are. One Einstein moment the engineers missed was the location of the showers and foot rinse stations - okay so after spending hours on the beach and trekking hundreds of yards to get back to your vehicle you stop a little over half way to rinse off the sand from your body and feet only to walk through sand and shells for the second half of your journey, sure you're refreshed but the objective is to rid yourself of the sand and sweat prior to getting into your vehicle a gallon of fresh water and a few extra towels in your car will keep you sane. Secondly the walk to the water is ridiculous since the decision was made not to pave the parking why not locate it a little closer to the beach as much as I appreciate the long winding nature trails that wind through the palms and pines I came here for the beach and I want to get there quickly. If your a seasoned beach goer it's likely that you may already own a big wheel device to tote your beach gear and cooler if not spend the money you'll never regret this expenditure, after all a day at the beach should be fun and relaxing and free from pain enjoy... read more

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Very nice beach. This is not a resort style beach but a place wheee u need to bring everything with you. A short walk from parking area through the protected natural dunes area. A lot of shells to collect and the water was perfect. During this recent period of red tide, this beach does not seem to have been affected as of 30 July No dead fish and no smell. The parking is $5 per hour, but we'll worth the cost because the beach and facilities are clean compared to normal public beach standards. We will be back. Well done. read more

Woof, that $5 an hour parking! Besides that, this place is a wonderful beach to visit while in Sanibel! My bartender at lunch recommended it so I was confident it would be an ideal place to spend the afternoon. It was a bit crowded but otherwise, an awesome place to take in some rays and look for seashells! read more

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When we arrived at this beach's parking lot we were presented with a machine to pay for parking. A whopping $4 per hour--really? You then walk to the beach, and walk, and walk, and then walk some more. Along the way there are restrooms and change rooms. The beach is nice and secluded. The sand is not powder white like at Fort Myers Beach but it is nice and soft. The water level was very low when we went a couple of days ago (early Oct). In summary, the place is nice, but not worth the high parking fees and long walk to the beach. read more

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One of the reasons we traveled to Sanibel Island was to check out the beaches, as we've heard the shells here are amazing. As others have mentioned it is a bit of a walk from the parking lot to the beach. That's not really a big deal, we don't mind walking. After paying for parking ($4 an hour), we headed to the beach. Along the way you'll find bathrooms, a changing area, showers for afterwards and lots of trash and recycling bins. (Kudos on the recycling bins) So there's no reason for anyone to be dropping their trash anywhere along this nice area let alone the beach. When we got to the beach it was earlyish, around 9:30. There wasn't a ton of people there yet, but many people were out shelling. Hot Wife found several good finds along her walk. There's certainly no shortage of shells here. The water was warm and choppy, due to the wind, which was gusty at times. We stayed long enough to enjoy it, but it started to really fill up with people. When we left we went a different way back to the car and came across a Gopher Turtle! That was neat, and the alternate route was a nice walk under some shaded trees. (more trash and recycling bins along the way). As we got to the main merge it seemed like streams of people were coming in. We're not big fans of masses of people, so we left at the right time. After a quick shower, off we went. Nice beach, and incredibly popular it seems. read more

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Loved visiting this beach!! Normally I dislike going to the beach because it's usually crowded and noisy, but this beach made me want to come back! There's about a quarter mile walk from where you park to the beach. The park provides restrooms, changing area and showers to rinse off the sand. The beach was clean, uncrowded, and tons of space up and down the beach for you to pick your "perfect spot". Whenever I come back to Sanibel, I will be visiting this spot again!! read more

Bowman's Beach - Beaches Near Me - Sanibel, Florida

Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful. Parking area is a breath of fresh air after trying to find parking in and around Turner Beach. The walk from the parking area to the beach is gorgeous and shady. Shells to keep you busy all day. Our favorite beach here! read more

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Beautiful beach with tons of shells! It was a 1/4 mile walk from the parking lot. The surf was a bit rough for small children and it was hard to get in and out of the water because it dropped off pretty significantly. Shells were a bit rough underfoot while swimming too. We went near low tide so maybe it's distant when the water is higher. Worth a visit for sure! read more

Bowman's Beach - Shells - Beaches Near Me - Sanibel, Florida

Love Bowman's Beach! It offers so much more than your average beach. Soft, sandy shores with rolling tides. Turquoise waters. Loads of tropical flora. Canoe and Kayak launch. Clean, large restrooms. Large rinse station. Beautiful trails and a World Fitness Trail. Abundant wildlife--we even saw a large alligator! Bird and sea turtle nesting areas (of course, roped off and protected. Several covered shelters for when you need a break. Wheelchair accessible. Fire pits for picnic spots. Perfect views of gorgeous sunsets!! I could go on and on. Just fabulous! Here are a few things to know when visiting... large parking area is $5/hr and highly monitored; distance from parking to beach is long but worth it; no concessions offered so you must bring your own chair, umbrellas, food, water and toys; no lifeguards! However, don't let any of these keep you away because it is so worth the trouble. Great family place! Shelling abundant. Large enough beach to spread out. Relatively quiet atmosphere for perfect relaxation. Check out the photos for more details! read more

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Bowman's Beach conjures up such fond memories for me. One visit was all it took for me to fall in love with this picturesque and serene gulf coast beach. At the end of a splendid day, I captured the most dramatic sunset ever. I truly hope to return one day. Until then, I'll have the memories. read more

Bowman's Beach - Bowman's Beach, Sanibel Island, FL - Beaches Near Me - Sanibel, Florida

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This was one of our favorite beaches when we came to the area. It wasn't very busy and we got the perfect spot every day. Parking is always going to be expensive anywhere in the fort Myers area. This beach was more secluded that some of the others. Next time we come back to fort Myers we will definitely come back to this beach. read more

This was a beautiful natural beach that offered parking showers bathroom playgrounds changing rooms And SEASHELLS!!!!!! read more

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A well curated beach, complete with a well organized and accessible bathrooms, changing rooms, and showers to clear out the sand for both head and feet. The parking lot is sizeable with lots of shade options, and I even found a fully functional pop machine! The beach itself is the very best I've ever been to for sea shells on the mainland, so bring sandals! Bowman's Beach is now at the top of my list for this part of Florida, so you should definitely check i tout. read more

Bowman's Beach - Bowman's Beach for Sea Shells! - Beaches Near Me - Sanibel, Florida

I'm on this constant adventure to try new beaches, and especially ones that my Lee County Parks parking pass works at! After a family breakfast at the Island Cow, I checked the county website, and realized that Bowman's Beach was somewhere that I could park for free! We ventured up to Bowman's Beach and had no trouble parking on a slightly overcast Friday afternoon in October. It was a nice treat to not have to pay for parking since it was $4/hr. I'd recommend not bringing a ton of items to the beach, since it is a bit of walk to the beach from the parking area. We eat had a backpack chair and towel - so no difficulty in our group. There were nice bathrooms, pavilions, changing areas, water fountains, and a park for kids! Bowman's Beach was absolutely perfect for a relaxing day at the beach! No restaurants or hustle, but bring a book, and you'll find this place to be a little slice of heaven (with bathrooms)! read more

My first time in Florida and I came here, it was beautiful. The Emerald color salty Water, fine white sand, beautiful sea shells etc. There was a few changing areas which was very convenient cause I usually don't like changing in the restrooms. The restrooms could use more cleaning. Overall it was a beautiful area/Beach, I would definitely recommend. read more

Bowman's Beach - Beaches Near Me - Sanibel, Florida

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We arrived at the beach around 5:45pm and there wasn't anyone else around. It was like a dream come true! There was a bit of a storm rolling in so I'm not sure if that had anything to do with it or if this beach is naturally less crowded. There's a bit of a walk to the beach but it's gorgeous! You get to walk over a sturdy wooden bridge that goes over a river/inlet thing before you get to the ocean. There were huge piles of shells all over the beach! It was incredible. I've been to quite a few beaches in the Gulf Coast and I've never seen this many shells before. Super clean, bathrooms, kids play area, shaded picnic tables, a drink vending machine, changing stalls, and showers. Awesome beach!! read more

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Nice shelling beach...Bit of a walk from the Parking Lot... But worth it!...We were there on a Monday afternoon after visiting the J.N.Ding Darling National Wildlife refuge. Nice temperature, low humidity. It is a shelling beach and it is $5 an hour to park here. So be prepared to estimate how many hours you need on the beach! It is a bit of a walk from the parking lot. Have some bags with you if you are interested in collecting shells. Apparently the types and volume of shells you can expect depends upon the tides and some times of the year when lots and lots of shells are washed ashore. We collected some shells but nothing spectacular on the day we were there. Nevertheless nice beach and nice visit. Be careful about traffic on the way back. There is only one road in and out of Sanibel island and Captiva island combined. It gets backed up for miles. So don't plan on catching a flight on time if you are heading out of Sanibel Island! Go over to Fort Myers and do something else before the flight. read more

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We liked this beach a lot. We didn't have to pay for parking because we have a handicap placard.( saved us a lot of money). The beach was clean, the water was awesome( we visited at the end of May). The shells were good, although we found better ones in Marco Island. When we were leaving the beach, we saw a sea turtle chomping on some leaves( right off the path). Very cool. read more

Bowman's Beach - Beaches Near Me - Sanibel, Florida

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This is a beautiful beach. Our family didn't mind the walk and it gave us an opportunity to take in the scenery and our surroundings. The sand is soft, but I'd wear shoes walking there and be cautious of where you step. Shells and other debris can easily be hiding. Public restrooms were clean and stocked, so that was good. We liked that size of this beach. It was large and everyone seemed decently spaced out. The shelling is wonderful and we spent several hours walking up and down and looking. We found some nice shells. We didn't go in the water because we weren't prepared to swim, but it wasn't that bad up to our knees. A little murky and brisk at first, but it was December. I'd love to come back again. read more

Bowman's Beach - Beaches Near Me - Sanibel, Florida

Water was not clear at all. Lots of seaweed and murky water. Shells were not great. I had high hopes for Sanibel Island views, shelling, clear water, and this beach but left disappointed. The few beaches I've been to elsewhere in Florida before were much better. read more

Good beach with a lot of open space. My friends and I came here on our last day, and we would definitely recommend!

We chose Sanibel for our vacay destination even though the island is still in recovery mode. I especially love Bowman's beach and so happy it was open for visitors. We anticipated paying for parking but the pay by phone was new to us. We arrived early and observed a lot of people walking on by the pay station. We didn't see anyone paying. Was the pay system operational? No one was doing it. Husband took a photo of the QR code and we proceeded to the beach, wondering what to do. Approached a couple on the beach and inquired about the parking. She said "we come here all the time and never pay to park". So we didn't either. And we got nailed with a $150 citation on our windshield. Found out the couple we approached had a veterans license plate and a handicap sticker. Very expensive lesson learned. Better bring your phone and credit card to Sanibel beaches. No cash option. read more

Beautiful. No shade but beautiful and great swimming. Great people, too. Thank you to whoever found our car keys and left them in our car read more

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There are very few beaches anymore that still feel remote and nearly untouched by development. Bowman's Beach on Sanibel Island, fortunately, is one of them. There is no development whatsoever on this beach. No high rises, hotels, or restaurants blotting out the horizon. Just a long, lovely stretch of powdery, white sand, emerald sea grape and golden sea oat, and aqua ocean. The shelling here is excellent, with abundant specimens to be had -- olive, cockles, conch -- particularly if you come at low tide. Typically, there are few other visitors, too, especially when compared to Fort Myers Beach and environs. This makes for a more private and quiet experience. Park in the pay lot (bring along some cash for the machines), cross the bridge spanning the ribbon of water separating lot from beach, and stake out a spot to spread your towel. There is *no* shade on Bowman's Beach, so SPF up, don your hat, and bring an umbrella for some respite from the blazing Florida sun. As there's no commercial presence on Bowman's, you'll also want to bring plenty of water and snacks. There are picnic tables and grills near the parking lot if you're that industrious. And your pooch is welcome here, too. Almost paradise -- we're knocking on heaven's door. Almost paradise -- how *could* we ask for more? read more

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I love the beach. I love the ocean. What I love even more is when you hop on a catamaran or Jet Ski and scoot off to a secluded white sand beach with very few people, no buildings, clear water, and nice sand. Bowman's delivers on all that - without the trek. Sure, I've been to Fort Myers beach a bunch of times. Lots of people, lots of people, lots of noise, lots of people, drinking, shopping, restaurants, souvenirs...meh. It's hard to find a place to lay down and actually relax without people running all over you, yelling and screaming and overall just being super annoying. Bowman's is the true beach escape. The parking lot is fairly limited, so if it's full - its full. Wait for a space or move on. $2 an hour, cash or cards - easily worth it. Walk for a few minutes down the path and grab a spot. I was amazed at the lack of noise in general, even the waves seemed to be somewhat muted. It is RARE I am able to fall asleep for a few hours without headphones, but today was a grand exception to that - and I wasn't the only one. It seems that this is the place to go to lie down, relax, wade in the ocean, and overall just chill out. My advice? Bring some towels, a blanket, and a cooler with some food for the day. Eat, drink, and be chill. read more

We go to Bowman's Beach often, especially off season to rake for shells. There is a treasure trove of shells here at any given time. Such a relaxing way to spend the day. Just walk in about a foot or two into the water and rake away. Bowman's Beach is very clean and well maintained. Definitely more of a local's beach than a tourist spot. \ Great spot for a beach picnic or to catch the sunset. We've often seen pelicans and egrets walking along the beach here. read more

My bf and I decided to go on a weekend getaway to Sanibel. While there, of course I had to try to find some cool shells since Sanibel is known for its shell beaches. Despite the rain, wind AND me sick with a cold, we ventured to some of the beaches on Captiva and Sanibel in search of some shells. Having read a few sites and seen some pictures on the internet, I was totally convinced that the whole Sanibel Island is made up of sea shells. This is not the case at all! After barely seeing any shells at several beaches on both Captiva and Sanibel, we were about to give up when we drove across the access road to Bowman's Beach. What the heck, we told ourselves, so we did a U-turn and took the short route. The parking is plentiful here. There are restrooms and rinse stations. The path from parking to the beach takes about 5 min, crossing a bridge over a narrow waterway. There's a kayak launching dock nearby for those lucky enough to own kayaks. The excitement built as I got closer to the beach. Despite the light rain and wind, there were more people on the beach than I had thought, and some were even in the rather turbulent water. They must be from other countries. As I emerged from the walking path I realized that 1) this beach isn't anything like the ones I'm used to in the Tampa Bay area (i.e. Clearwater Beach, Siesta Key, Anna Maria Beach) and 2) the beach isn't made of whole shells like in the pictures I had seen of Sanibel. The beach here is short (from the dune to the water's edge) and the sand is rough due to a high concentration of tiny broken shells. As we got closer to the water we began to see shells. Even though only about a foot wide band at the water's edge is covered by shells, it seems, however, that this layer of shells does stretch as far as the eye can see. Unfortunately, they all seem broken and similar looking, but if you're diligent, you most definitely could find some cool ones. The wind and rain picked up, but we managed to stay for half an hour looking for shells and taking pictures. (Notice in my pictures the beach looks like it's covered with shells, but keep in mind it's just the angle of the picture.) Despite being a little disappointed that the beach isn't nicer and doesn't have as many shells as I had thought, Bowman's Beach so far is the best chance you have for shelling. (Wonder how many times I typed the word "shells". read more

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Today was our first visit to Bowman's beach. It was a good distance from the parking lot ($5/hr) to the beach. On the way we passed a coke machine ($1.50) ice cold. Best value of the day! Bathrooms/changing area was well kept and clean. Outdoor showers to rinse off was wonderful. Beach was clean and water was beautiful. It was busy on the beach but spacious enough we were not on top of anyone. Water was deeper than other beaches and was clear and wonderful. read more

What an amazing surprise! This is a beautiful beach! Get there early for great parking spots. Breathe a little while standing on the bridge - lots of manatee sightings! read more

Bowman's Beach - Beaches Near Me - Sanibel, Florida

Beautiful beach but OMG is it a hike up there from the designated parking area. Small parking area, mind you. It'll cost you $2/hour to park here. Restrooms and changing facilities are available, as well as outdoor rinsing stations and a shower to wash off your salty, grimy self. Bathrooms leave something to be desired, ladiesroom was overflowing with things you'd rather not witness when opening up the stall door. When you *finally* get to the beach the walk was, of course, totally worth it. I have to say that as far as shelling goes we were slightly disappointed with the quality of shells. I would imagine if you come nice and early and hike up far away from the general public you could find some awesome ones! read more

Bowman's Beach - Beaches Near Me - Sanibel, Florida

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Don't mistake this place for Po'Man's Beach. At $4.00 an hour it's the most expensive.beach parking I've ever seen. We chose this spot for the excellent snorkeling reviews it received. Well, I've seen clearer water in a storm. I did like the long white sandy coastline, clean beaches and free showers. Excellent beach for shelling. Everyone here seemed to be having a good time. read more

Bowman's Beach - Bowman Beach, Sanibal Island, FL - Beaches Near Me - Sanibel, Florida

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Best.Beach.Ever. Definitely one of the best beaches I have ever been to... no buildings, not crowded, seashells everywhere, calm waters and miles of beach to just walk or to do the "Sanibel Stoop" if that's your thing! When you arrive, there is a designated parking area (small) that will cost you $2/hour to park (the machine takes cash and credit). The parking lot is a serious hike to beach...but its truly worth it once your feet hit that sand and your eyes set sight on the ocean! There are restrooms and changing facilities, as well as outdoor rinsing stations. I also noticed a jungle gym for the kiddies, picnic tables and some hiking trails. Lots to do if you find yourself antsy with just sitting on the beach. read more

Bowman's Beach - Lovely afternoon on the beach - Beaches Near Me - Sanibel, Florida

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An ok experience. The walk from parking lot to the beach was very long, specially with kids and items at tow. The beach had shells, which made it difficult to access beach without stepping on them and hurting your feet. The showers to remove sand was about a block or two before the parking lot, making you walk through sand to get to your car, totally defeated the purpose. Beach sand was nice, and for someone who doesnt go to the beach often, this works just fine, I on the other hand, live in south beach, my standard are a bit high when it comes to beaches. While on the drive there, I saw some people in small beaches along side of the road. I think thats a better idea. No parking to pay, no huge walk, I would have enjoyed that more. read more

Bowman's Beach - Beaches Near Me - Sanibel, Florida