A glimpse of old Florida

Cayo Costa State Park is like a little piece of heaven.   Cayo Costa translates to “key by the coast”, and the locals pronounce it Kay-yah Coss-tah.  The park is located on the Gulf coast, due west of Ft. Meyers and directly north of Captiva and Sanibel Islands.  If you like, you can visit the Park’s website or these YouTube selections.

Frankly, it’s not the perfect destination for everyone.  The park offers a few “primitive” cabins and campsites, primitive being  the operative word…there is no electricity (except at the ranger station), so you can forget about air conditioning!

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Not exactly The Waldorf.  The park is accessible only by boat or ferry, so you can’t just zip out to a store if you forget something.  You have to bring everything you might need:  food, drinking water, ice, plenty of bug repellent, cocktails…and even shade.

For those who don’t mind roughing it, Cayo, in my opinion, is some of the best atmosphere Florida has to offer, the quickly-disappearing  “real” Florida, the way it used to be.  Our last trip was in July of 2009, and boy is it hot in July!   But there is always a breeze along its nine-miles of secluded beach.   

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The island and its surroundings are home to all manner of birds and sea life, including families of dolphins, who feed in the shallows near the lagoons and just off the beach.

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When you’re ready to get back to civilization and a well deserved hot shower, you can pack up, catch the tram to the dock and make a stop at Cabbage Key.  This little spot is a private island that has sweet cottages and a small inn with all the amenities:

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I’ll leave you with a shot of our favorite Cayo Costa activity…..

Note to self:  get back to Cayo soon!