Greetings from Boca Grande

The south end of the island.

You’ve never heard of Boca Grande? I’m not surprised.  Boca Grande is a tiny town located on Gasparilla Island in southwest Florida about two hours south of Tampa. During the first half of the Twentieth Century the island and town were a major port for shipping phosphate, however, today the island is home to a number of seasonal residents and is known for its Tarpon fishing tournaments.

My grandmother and I hanging out at the beach.

I first started coming to the island in the mid 1990’s when my grandparents bought a home at the Boca Grand Club. For Christmas breaks my family would usually split our time between Boca Grand and my other grand parents home in Fort Myers, which was just an hour south. I loved coming here so much that the rare years my parents decided to stay in Ottawa for the holidays was very distressing. Ottawa in my opinion was just far too cold, and didn’t at all allow me the chance to swim, play tennis or visit Disney World during my break. It was a hard life, I know. 

All the directions you need.

There is just something about the island that I love.  I mean what is there not to love about an island whose main mode of transportation is the golf cart and where they’ve banned stop lights, and billboard signs!  If you haven’t visited the island I would highly suggest that you put it on your list. There are wonderful restaurants, a magnificent inn and some truly great independent boutiques.