J.N. "Ding" Darling National Wildlife Refuge — Attraction in Sanibel

We visited on a early Sunday morning in late Dec 2024. We had a mixture of different feelings when we left, some good and some bad. The drive over here to Sanibel Island from Ft. Myers was very interesting as Hurricane Milton had hit the area just a couple months prior and you could certain see all the cleanup still happening and the damage it left behind.

We started our visit by doing the Wildlife Drive. The visitor center wasn't open yet so we though doing the drive would be a good way to spend our time. The drive itself does have a cost associated with it. This is where we ran into our first issue. We were so excited to start this drive that we handed over our CC to pay the fee and then realized that we had our America the Beautiful National Park Pass which is reciprocated at National Wildlife Refuges. After we mentioned this and asked for a refund, the attendant made an off the cuff sarcastic comment about us not being able to pay our mortgage now and said there wasn't anything he could do. We felt the comment was unnecessary. We later asked the rangers at the visitor center and they said only the manager could do refunds and they wouldn't be in until Monday. In the end we let it go but that whole interaction left a bad taste in our mouth.

The drive itself was very nice. The road is wide enough that if you pull over, someone else can go around you. It is a one way drive. We noticed there were a ton of fisherman out. We drove slowly and only stopped to get out at the observation tower. It was drizzling but the view was amazing from the observation tower. There is a ramp for wheelchair/stroller access. There were also benches all along the water to sit on. We happened to arrive when there was a giant group of pelicans on one of the sand bars. We later heard from a volunteer that he had never ever seen that many pelicans out there before and that was certainly not the norm. I'm glad I took a number of photos. We got to the end and drove back down to the visitor center.

This was one of the largest National Wildlife Refuge Visitor Centers we'd visited. Top 3 and we've visited close to 50. Everything was so clean and new looking. My favorite part was probably the bathroom area. You have to see it in person to really appreciate it. It's 3D murals coming off the walls. The design extends into the bathrooms as well.

Inside includes amazing exhibits, hands on area, and a theater in the back. There is a merch store and an info desk. They offer daily programing. At the info desk they also have the Blue Goose National Wildlife Refuge Cancellation Stamps. They have 5 here: Island Bay, Matlacha Pass, Caloosahatchee, Pine Island and J.N. Ding Darling stamps. (see photos).

The 2nd interaction which left us a bit bitter was in the merch shop. We really liked this salad bowl set but there was a large crack in the enamel of the pattern we liked. We asked if they would give us a discount for the damage but the staff lady looked at it and said she believed that the 6 inch hairline crack was inherent and part of the design... I kind of rolled my eyes but my wife really liked it so we paid full price for it anyways.

We had some more time so we decided to hike the the Indigo Trail to the Observation Tower. The trail from the Visitor Center to the wildlife drive is closed due to storm damage. So you have to walk down the drive itself and then turn left. We got to the intersection with the payment booth and the same guy from earlier stops us and says "Hey, you have to pay." I mentioned "don't you remember us from earlier? You couldn't give us a refund?" He said Oh, okay and let us continue.

My interactions with these 2 specific individuals really put me off this Wildlife Refuge but I can't reduce the number of stars for my review because the refuge and facilities themselves were so clean and beautiful. I'm going to leave this review with a "your mileage may vary" depending on who you end up interacting with. I'm not sure I'd visit again but I would recommend this place if you're driving through the area or in Ft....

Ding Darling Refuge on Sanibel Island is a unique and special place and one of our nation's protected lands. Birding here is incredible at different times of the year. White Pelicans use this haven as a Migration location in late fall and early winter. Roseate Spoonbills are here, but not always visible. An occasional gator may rest on the side of the road on wildlife Drive. It's a great place to drive through and awesome you can stop whenever you want for photography or just enjoying the moment. Florida Mangroves surround Darling. This is one of three National locations named after the political cartoonist, J.N. Ding Darling in our country. Only one concern I can say and that is that there is too much fishing line left hanging from mangroves, in trees, in the water and birds get tied up in the line. Some die. Fishing is allowed, but they are not careful. I personally witnessed wound up Pelican dead too late to rescue, although I called it in. Just a few days ago at low tide early morning while I was alone photographing, a fisherman came. No issues at first until he cast his line and it got tangled in a mangrove and snipped off. There is was - dangling. One of my pet pieves and concerns. I approached the man and asked how he planned to retrieve the line so no wildlife would be harmed. He snickered and shrugged his shouders and said, "There's nothing I can do bout it!!!" It really was upsetting at the attitude and it's here with them. They are not here to bird watch. I mentioned that yes he does have a responsibility to resolve it and if he cannot reach the line, he needs to report to Ding so someone will go out in a Kayak and remove it.

I love this place. But not enough is being done to crack down on this. THis is a safe place for wildlife and too many birds are getting tangled up, injured, die and a new program needs to be put in place. There are lots of places to fish. I understand wanting to 'introduce' wildlife to all. However, from witnessing this on dozens of times here, they don't care enough and will leave snapped lines, hooks and other harmful debris behind. Pelicans with hooks in their bills is also a problem. My hope is that fishing will be banned here for this reason: it is proven to not be safe for birds and too many fisher-people are not responsible. Just a fact.

Otherwise, this is a marvelous place that I love and frequent. But please do more to fix this and protect the wildlife Ding is designed to...

While visitors to Sanibel are drawn by the island’s natural beauty, they may not be aware that approximately one-third of Sanibel is a federally protected wildlife refuge.

For many years, J.N. “Ding” Darling had a winter home on Captiva Island Through the efforts of his island neighbors and the J.N. “Ding” Darling Foundation, a refuge was created on Sanibel Island from land donated by concerned citizens and land acquired by the federal government. Administered by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, this Sanibel refuge has protected habitat for wildlife since 1945. It was renamed in Jay Norwood Darling’s honor and officially dedicated to him in 1967.

Today, the refuge is comprised of more than 7,000 acres and has been hailed as one of the top birding spots in the nation. It is also home to several endangered and threatened species, including American alligators, American crocodiles, wood storks, West Indian manatees and Atlantic loggerhead sea turtles.

We loved taking the Tram Tour. It's a great way to learn about the Wildlife Refuge.

The experienced naturalists help you spot wildlife most visitors would never see and our guide was both entertaining and knowledgeable.

Just go to the parking lot and purchase our tickets. Then drive to the tour parking area (a bit down the road) and hop on the tram that travels along Wildlife Drive through the J.N. “Ding’ Darling National Wildlife Refuge.

Search for roseate spoonbills, herons, egrets, ibis, alligators and much more while learning about the refuge’s ecology and history!

Taking the Refuge Tram Tour also benefits wildlife. Reducing the number of cars along Wildlife Drive helps to protect the animals from polluting exhaust fumes and noisy automobile engines.

Plus, by leaving the driving to them, you’ll have your hands free to capture those amazing photos or to peer through binoculars and gaze at...