More Preserves on Pine Island

Great news for Southwest Floridians and particularly Islanders on Pine Island & Matlacha!

We now have more preserved land thanks to Lee County and Calusa Land Trust.

A purchase was recently approved by Lee County to preserve 275 acres of Island ecological gold (land that cannot be developed upon).  Two parcels, one just west of Alden Pines Country Club in Bokeelia.....

.....and the other is north of Maria Drive in St James City near Pine Island Commercial Marina.

When you consider Lee County's Conservation 20/20 program and the island's own local Calusa Land Trust preservation organization, Pine Island/Matlacha now have 869 acres of contiguous preserved land.

These lands ultimately help protect drinking water, enhance water quality, and preserve a wildlife habitat.

Here's two ways you can take part or support these types of efforts yourself, either by going to Calusa Land Trust work parties once a month on the island or by purchasing the "The Nature Lover's Guide to Pine Island" available at Island Conclave Fine Art Gallery, 5101 Pine Island Rd, Bokeelia, FL or on CLT's website.

-written by Jennifer Russell, roving virtual reporter for Pine Island & Matlacha, courtesy of Things to DO on Pine Island

Sandy Hook, a must visit on Pine Island, FL

The life and times of Sandy Hook Fish and Rib House, now Yucatan Waterfront Bar & Grill. 

Interesting how time flies, especially when you've been around the Pine Island area for a while and watched how it has grown.

40 years!  Not many restaurants in Southwest Florida can claim a great track record of entertaining and making patrons happy, but Sandy Hook Fish and Rib House can.

Let's first go back to 1978 when Sandy Hook opened as the Sandy Hook Crab House.  A retired dentist, responsible for the name of Sandy Hook, personally carved the Totem poles out front and painted most of the art on the walls.  Sandy Hook was known as a supper club back then and the then owner, Jean Kuznar, would play piano and sing to her restaurant patrons as they gobbled down their Pine Island fresh catch.

The Hook has many other interesting tidbits behind its doors including real ship portholes, a compass on the end of an Eddie gun, antique paintings, brass antique cash register at the entrance and an ole crank phone sitting in a corner that if cranked still works, amongst many other curiosities inside and out.

The Kuznar's decided to sell the restaurant in 1981 to two gentlemen who owned it for just under a decade.  During this same decade,  Rich and Bev Lauber who owned Mariner's Inn in North Fort Myers frequented Sandy Hook and fell in love with the place, eventually buying a home in Saint James City, then finally settled into Matlacha.  They told the gentlemen if they ever decided to sell, that they'd like to be first in line.

In 1989, the Lauber's dream of owning Sandy Hook came true as they were approached by the gentlemen for the sale and now this is where the Hook blossomed along with a young girl, Nicole who at the time was a hard working teen.

Ms Nicole's first images of Sandy Hook were "BROWN", everything "brown" and she really didn't take a liking to the color, so her first impression was: "I don't care to go back".

Further to this family story, her parents said she would be going back, because they just bought the place and that she'd be working there starting Tuesday in which she begrudgingly agreed because she respected her parents and would do almost anything for them.

The first night working at Sandy Hook, Nicole came home and told her parents that she never wanted to go back to Mariner's Inn and wanted to stay at Sandy Hook and work.  She loved Sandy Hook- the view, the people and the feeling of the Pine Island community.

Needless to say, Nicole had an impact at a very young age.  Rich and Bev painted the walls white and got rid of the brown. This is when they discovered amazing art by the original owner of The Hook which you couldn't see with the brown background. Nicole's father painstakingly painted around them and touched them up many times to keep them in good condition throughout the years that followed.

Nicole went off on her own for a little while attending college and working for a restaurant supply company, but eventually asked her parents if she could return and run the restaurant, being she felt the restaurant and the island was really in her blood.

Nicole took over management of the restaurant in 1997 while Mom did books and Dad did maintenance and over saw the kitchen.

To this day, this amazing family has kept a staff with some working for the family for 35 years and others 20 years. Nicole says, "staff treat the business like it's part of a family.  They are our backbone."

She continues, "We've celebrated many first dates, marriage proposals, weddings, anniversaries, birthdays and celebrations with our customers and I feel so unbelievably fortunate to be a part of it all.  Blowing the ships horn is a highlight for patrons when these things happen, they actually can't wait for it."

Now, the Hook has been recently sold but will still continue to operate "as is" for now.

If you'd like to enjoy watching the Ospreys (seahawks) and Pelicans eat their fresh catches over a beautiful view of the water in an old Florida setting, this is the place!

Sandy Hook Fish and Rib House is a must when on Pine Island for dinner.  Hours are Tuesday thru Saturday 4pm to 9pm and Sunday they open early 12noon to 8pm.  They are the very last stop in Matlacha and the very first stop before you make your journey onto the big island, Pine Island at 4875 Pine Island Rd, Matalcha, Florida.

-⚓written by Jennifer Russell, resident of Pine Island for 19 years and key contributor to "Things to DO on Pine Island"!

Pine Island, Florida

Did you know there are (2) Pine Islands in the State of Florida?

Many don't know this, but there is a Pine Island located in Hernando County and then there's another Pine Island in Lee County, which is the largest island in the state of Florida.  Both islands are on the West Coast, the Gulf of Mexico side, where the water is warmer.

Pine Island, FL (Lee County)

Pine Island, FL (Hernando County)

For the sake of this article, we'll be exposing the larger island of the two, Pine Island in Lee County, Florida which is further South than the other.

First, a small geography lesson. Pine Island itself is 18 miles long and 2 miles wide and nestled within a group of smaller islands that surround it - truly a water lover's paradise.

The mainland of Cape Coral/Ft Myers is the Metro area of Southwest Florida in which Pine Island belongs and Matlacha, on West Island is the gateway to Pine Island which is accessible by bridges.



There are 3 small villages on Pine Island that are fairly different from one another.  "Bokeelia", at its north end on the Charlotte Harbor side is lush and includes most of the island's agriculture.



"Pineland", facing West to Pine Island Sound has great historical significance with the Calusa Indians, archaeology and the historic, Tarpon Lodge. 






Finally, there's the most populated "Saint James City" on the South end of the island with more than a few restaurants, shops, a spa, marina and more recreational activities.






Not to confuse readers, but there is one other community. It doesn't have its own zip code.  It's technically Bokeelia, but the locals call it "The Center" which is around the 4 way stop at the "center" of the island and it has more shops, restaurants, the island's only grocery store, a museum, community pool and park.

Although Pine Island is laid back, there are plenty of things to do.  Fishing is huge, but so are a host of other activities including kayaking, paddle boarding, boating, hiking, biking, birding, golfing, tiki pub crawling with live entertainment,  and excursions to the very near outer islands that feature some of the best beaches in the US.











If you have your own boat, you won't get bored as there really is so much to explore.  If you don't have your own boat, no worries as the island does have taxi/ferry service to the outer Island's of which the most recognized is Tropic Star Cruises.

Calusa Heritage Trail

Preserves, parks, trails and nature walks on the island are plentiful. One of the reasons for this is that islanders really care about preserving the character of what coastal areas looked like in the old days.  The island has no real beaches which helps in keeping development down and there are active organizations that continually buy land to preserve for future generations, so the island stays naturally pristine and looking like olde Florida for years to come.


Housing on Pine Island is low key, meaning there are no high rises at all.  Condos on Pine island are only 2 stories tall and a lot of the single family homes are eclectic being major developers or one size fits all builders have not trounced on the island's character as of yet for the most part.

active listing on Pine Island in Bokeelia

All said, Island life is not Florida life and Florida life is not Island life.  For those choosing the island lifestyle, there's a bit of heaven in that choice, but there's also much responsibility in keeping the attitude positive and the island as pristine as it can be.

-written by Jennifer Russell, Pine Island Resident of 19 years and key contributor to "Things to DO on Pine Island".

Jewelry Designer makes waves at an Island Gallery

THING TO DO:  Visit island jewelry artist Lisa Holloway at Island Visions Gallery & Gifts. 

Island Jewelry Designer and Artist, Lisa Holloway brings a unique style to Island Visions Gallery & Gifts in the heart of Matlacha, which is an extremely colorful gateway of galleries, fish markets and retail shops on your way to Pine Island, Florida’s largest island.  

Often times, jewelry may hit a chord with a certain type of person, but Holloway’s style seems to appeal to everyone from Hippie to Yuppie. 

Her background of jewelry creation stems from a crafty, self-taught discipline. “I've been known to hand-make everyone's Christmas gifts year after year - sewing, candle and soap making, scrapbooking and now jewelry,” says Holloway.

When she first moved to Florida in 2010, she was lucky enough to begin working at an art gallery, "Island Visions", and she was drawn to a beautiful pair of earrings made by Cavin Richie, a sculptor and jewelry designer out of Colorado.  Being a recent college graduate, she couldn’t afford them, but she was so inspired by Richie’s creation, she took on 3 jobs and one of those jobs was making jewelry. 

 

She began to realize she could sell her works as she was gaining quite a bit of interest in her pieces.  Once that happened, she jumped right in.  “It's been my passion ever since,” Holloway smiled.

She had never taken a class and had been told her wire wrapping technique is actually "backwards" which makes her pieces more unique.

Holloway admits, “Before I made jewelry I wore big chunky, fake jewelry - but now I find that the smallest details are what truly makes each of my creations special.” 

She doesn’t use any plastic/acrylic beads.  Everything is the real deal, including gemstones, glass, crystal and base metals. “I love the base metals - copper, antique brass and gunmetal, are my primary metals. There is something so earthy and natural about those metals, even if you're adding them to bright beads. Mixing metals is, in my opinion, under appreciated,” Holloway explains.

Lisa Holloway

When selling her wares, she has gotten a big kick out of certain purchases,"Like my first piece that went overseas to Finland, or the woman that purchased one of my pieces for her wedding. That was an amazing compliment. And those who come back year after year for new designs I've come up with." 

You can find the very talented Lisa Holloway and her delightful creations at Island Visions Gallery and Gifts at 4643 Pine Island Road in Matlacha, Florida.  Below is the building you are looking for and parking is conveniently located across the street, on the side street.

-Written by Jennifer Russell, "Things to DO on Pine Island" contributor

Calusa Heritage Trail - Great Attraction on Pine Island

Thing to DO:  Brush up on your history and take nature walk on Pine Island!

The historic Calusa Heritage Trail, a Randell Research Center operation is a "must see" on Pine Island for history buffs and nature lovers.

The trail is just under a mile path which leads you to observation platforms overlooking vistas and Pineland's coastline from 30-foot high Calusa Indian mounds.  It's quite scenic and has shady areas,  grass covered meadows with native flora interspersed.  These days it is extremely rare to see Florida in its very natural state and this is one of the last remaining places you can take a peak into the past. 

observation platform view

The museum on site boasts a theater to help educate you on the Calusa Indians, who were a fierce, war-like indian tribe that dominated South Florida's coastline for a time in history.  The museum also has a gift shop for rare souvenirs to take home.

Outside the Museum

You can self walk this trail as there are trail placards to help guide you on what you are seeing as you meander through.  There are also observation platforms that allow for the best views of the landscape.

educational placard at one of your stops on the trail

Expect easy parking, restrooms and a picnic area at this site for a great outing on Pine Island. Hours are 10am to 4pm Monday thru Saturday.  Find the Calusa Heritage Trail & Museum at 13810 Waterfront Drive, Pineland, Pine Island 33945.

Look for this sign and park here

Written by Jennifer Russell, key contributot for "Things to DO on Pine Island".