Charlotte Harbor and The Gulf Islands 

Florida’s Gulf coast is still a bit wild. White pelicans, alligators, dolphins and panthers call this place home. So do beachcombers, naturalists, artists, chefs, and water lovers.

If you’re seeking memorable encounters, Charlotte Harbor and The Gulf Islands should be your next great escape.

Bring your own bucket

“Here are your keys to Heaven,” smiles D.J. Cutler, Hospitality director at Palm Island Resort.

We’ve just taken the ferry onto Palm Island, and Cutler checks us into our pastel villa. One key opens the front door to our sunny suite; the other operates the spiffy golf cart we’ll be driving around Palm Island. No cars, no traffic. Just ocean, sky, bliss. How long can we stay?

We park our golf cart and settle in. Our spacious living room is inviting, with white wicker furniture arranged on a serene pink carpet. Colorful bird prints decorate the walls, and bowls of shells adorn every table. I love the kitchen-I’ll be able to brew fresh coffee every morning and enjoy my cereal on the airy screened porch. There is a TV, but CNN can’t compete with flowering mangroves, grassy dunes, and emerald waves sparkling along pearly sand. Goodbye jeans, hello bikini!

Kicking up the sugary sand, we take a stroll. Piles of shells line the shore in both directions. Warren and I plop onto our sandbox, sifting for buried treasure. I fall in love with a perfect gold whelk; Warren photographs two palm sized orange scallops. Soon our pockets are bulging — our long travel day forgotten.

I recall Anne Morrow Lindberg’s thoughts in “A Gift from the Sea: “Rollers on the beach, wind in the pines, the slow flapping of herons across sand dunes, drown out the hectic rhythms of city and suburb. One falls under their spell….”

On this stunning beach, we are definitely under a spell. Then, magic.“Whoooooosh.” I look up from my pile of shells. “Whoooosh.” Six glistening dolphins undulate out of the translucent Gulf. I stand and whistle hello. Come up and see me sometime, I think.

Not sure if they respond to my whistle or my hopeful gaze, but six beauties swim close to shore. Six wild dolphins and one delighted human give each other the eye. Blink blink. I swear they are smiling. Me too.

I look to see if Warren notices our dolphin welcome. He’s too busy photographing shell portraits.

“Whooooosh,” they’re off. Taking magic to some other lucky human.

Home on the ranch

Everyday, Marilyn Williams drives her rustic swamp buggy through pine flatwoods and vast fields on the Crescent B Ranch. A guide for Babcock Wilderness Adventures, her tour is an educational and entertaining way to see Florida wildlife in their native habitat.

“Keep your fingers inside the swamp buggy,” she cautions. “Watch for alligators, wild pigs, and sand hill cranes. The Rockefeller and Firestones once hunted turkey and deer out here: now we are Florida’s seventh largest wildlife management area, with 79,000 protected areas. Cameras ready?”

The swamp buggy lurches forward and off we go. Our first encounter is a 10-foot alligator sunning next to a pond. As his massive jaws open wide, everyone stampedes to the right side of the buggy to snap his awesome grin.

“Wild pig on your left,” Williams calls out. We stampede to the left side to photograph a large hog charging at us out of the woods. Following close behind are three little pigs…. trying to stop Mom to get their lunch.  Williams drives past a serene green pasture, where two dozen Florida cracker cattle doze in the sun. Sand hill cranes tiptoe like delicate ballerinas, anhingas perch on branches drying their wings.

All the creatures have found their perfect place in the Florida sun. And we get great wildlife shots without having to leave the open air swamp buggy.

“Are you all ready for a surprise?” Williams asks, parking the swamp buggy next to a long winding boardwalk. She leads us on a silent walk among 150-year-old cypress trees, vaulting out of the swamp into a sapphire sky.

“Say hello to our Florida panthers,” she whispers, pointing into a large fenced yard. “If they lived in the wild, these cats would roam 100 miles during their lifetime. But hunting and habitat loss has made them endangered, one of the rarest mammals on Earth. Today less then 50 are left in the wild.”

Two honey colored panthers gaze at us with liquid gold eyes.Thank God these magnificent creatures live here in peace. Yawning, stretching lithe limbs they cozy into each other for a nap.

Civilization feels very far away.

Little Black Nature Book

“Charlotte Harbor is Florida’s second largest estuarine system,” explains naturalist Chet Lewis.

“This pollution free body of water is a nursery for juvenile fishes and invertebrates. Sea grass meadows, oyster bars, mud flats, and mangrove roots provide food and protection for the marine life here. People love it too.”

Plenty of gleaming yachts attest to that statement. Seagulls and pelicans soar over happy fishermen casting for sea trout, redfish and snook on a perfect Charlotte Harbor day. Mr. Lewis is a walking encyclopedia of facts. He’s created a handwritten Little Black Nature Book, which he allows me to peruse. I turn the handwritten pages, organized from A to Z.

A is for alligator: did you know they can run 35 miles per hour?

R is for raccoon: they have 48 teeth and bear two litters every year. W is for wild hogs, brought to Florida in 1538 by Fernando Desoto. They can eat their way up to 200 pounds.

Just as I’m turning back to D for Dolphin, our captain announces, “Bottlenose dolphins! Starboard side!”

Hanging over the edge, I whistle. Are they the same six dolphins who welcomed me yesterday at Palm Island Resort?

Miracles can happen.

Slicing through the translucent green water, they swim effortlessly alongside our speeding boat. Six wild dolphins and one delighted human give each other the eye. Blink blink. They smile, I smile. Then “Whoooooosh,” they’re out of sight.

Taking magic to some other lucky human.

If You Go

Charlotte Harbor and The Gulf Islands are located 50 miles south of Sarasota, on Florida’s southwest Gulf coast. Nine coastal communities and four barrier islands offer sugary white beaches, birding, kayaking, canoeing, fishing, and boating, as well as art galleries, restaurants, shopping, golf, and accommodations ranging from comfortable to luxurious.

We loved our stay at Palm Island Resort, a family friendly resort with 160 beachfront villas, swimming pools, a restaurant, children’s programs, and nature walks. Location: 7092 Placida Road, Cape Haze, Florida 33946.

Contact: 866-838-1653,  www.palmisland.com.

Outstanding area restaurants:

•Palmetto Grill serves cedar planked salmon, pecan crusted trout, and roasted five spice duck: (8501 Placida Road, Cape Haze, 941-697-6465, www.PalmettoGrillFL.com).

•The Fishery features fresh seafood, salads and lovely water views. Unusual Florida art/collectibles are next door at The Margaret Albritton Gallery. 13000 Fishery Road, Placida. 941-697-2451.

• The Turtle Club serves jumbo lump blue crab, pan seared grouper and features an extensive global wine list. 139 West Marion Avenue, Punta Gorda. 941-637-9477.

Don’t miss a Swamp Buggy Eco-Tour with Babcock Wilderness Adventures, 8000 State Road, Punta Gorda. 800-500-5583, (www.babcockwilderness.com).

We cruised Charlotte Harbor with King Fisher Fleet,  www.KingFisherFleet.com.

We flew to Sarasota Florida on AirTran, which offers low fares and specials online, friendly flight attendants, roomy seats and on time connections. Contact:www.airtran.com; 800-247-8726.

Information on Charlotte Harbor and The Gulf Islands, 800-652-6090 or www.CharlotteHarborTravel.com.

© 2008 Sharon Spence Lieb and Warren Lieb

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