Lovers Key Beach — Attraction in Bonita Springs

We've visited FL for the last 4-ish years for our annual family vacay & this year, we decided to visit a new beach rather than the beaches we typically visit. My husband found "Lovers Key" so we decided to see what it was about & WOW!!! It did NOT disappoint!! You do need to take a trolley to the beach (or you can walk but it's a little bit of a trek). We took our usual beach gear which included a beach wagon with chairs, a rolling cooler, etc. & We were able to take these items on the trolley but once we arrived at the beach point, we found that they actually rent out chairs and umbrellas (so next time, we won't be taking the wagon/chairs-a lot less for us to lug around), the water was SO calm, not many people at all, the sand was much smoother than most beaches we've been to & while we didn't get to see a manatee, there were sight signs put out that they had been spotted that day! Or was also very quiet and we literally fell in love! We will definitely be visiting Lovers Key again next year!! When we were leaving and while waiting for the trolley, my youngest daughter and I were standing at a small little brush spot that had a small amount of water either left over from the tides or from the rain but either way, there were literally like 100 crabs there! At least 3 different species! A hermit crab species, all with the same oblong orange/black shell, a regular, possibly stone crab species, & fiddler crabs!! It was so cool! The only down-fall to this place is that once the daily FL storm begins rolling in, you need to get back to the trolley pickup line ASAP bc once lightning is spotted, the trolley closes (surely due to the amount of metal on the trolley) which means you will be left to walk back in the middle of a thunder, rain, & lightning storm. Which would really suck with children, a wagon with metal on it, chairs with metal, etc. (The lightning in Florida is something serious!) & another thing that really irritated me was that we were second in line for the trolley which starts at the orange cones, yet once the trolley arrived, everyone practically ran to grab seats and we were left to wait for the next trolley (Because of this, I'm leaving a 4 star). During the drive out, we also saw...

This beach was ok. You do have to take a tram out to the beach, and likely have to park in the second or third parking lot from where the tram is. We rented 2 chairs and an umbrella which was very convenient - you pay for the rental, then go pick a spot and they bring the items to you and install the umbrella. The lunch options are a hotdog or hamburger at the food truck. We both decided on hamburgers as the hotdogs looked questionable, but the hamburgers were terrible. We recommend bringing your own food. We paid more on a different day of our vacation to rent beach chairs and an umbrella behind the Lani Kai resort on Fort Myers beach. While more expensive, the sand was feather-soft on that beach, restrooms were nearby, food was better, and we enjoyed that beach...

One of our favorite places to go! There are so many things to do here for the day and miles of beach to stretch out on. If you come early enough, there is some great shelling to be had. Bathrooms at the main parking area, with a water fountain for filling bottles, and currently a shuttle to get you 1000’ from the beach instead of having to walk a 1/2 mile, which isn’t all that bad. They’re still recovering from the hurricane but coming back strong. We paid $8 to enter the three days we went or you could purchase a $60 annual pass. There were iguanas playing around just after the main parking area and Manatees spotted as well while we were visiting in April. Parking fills up pretty fast but there is an overflow parking area a short distance away. We will...