Margaret Laycock spent 15 hours turning 500 seashells into two bridal bouquets for her daughter, Katie Laycock ...

We biked, we kayaked, we strolled the beach. We searched for shells, peeled shrimp and consumed copious amounts of ice cream.

From the Southwest Florida airport in Fort Myers, a one-hour drive via the causeway over Pine Island Sound and through the length of Sanibel Island brought us to the sprawling South Seas Island ...

Slowly, but surely, Sanibel is putting the pieces back together. In this case, the pieces are the island's globally popular beaches, which have been damaged in various ways by hurricanes.

U.S. News Insider Tip: Take a short walk off the beach to roam the historic Chapel by the Sea and its cemetery. Here, visitors often leave seashells ... Sanibel and its quirky little sister island ...

Situated on the west end of the island ... shelling, gorgeous sunsets and expansive sands that let visitors find their own spots with ease. Several also enjoyed riding their bikes to the beach ...