Sometimes even the locals living in Florida need to get away from their day in- day out life. For many, the thought of hitting a 'tourist destination' is the last thing on their mind. Crowds, traffic, chain restaurants ... that's not the get away they long for. When locals want to leave it all behind, they head for the true treasures of the Sunshine State, places like Little Gasparilla Island.

What You'll find on Little Gasparilla Island

Little Gasparilla is a barrier island located in Southwest Florida. This thin strip of land lies just north of Gasparilla Isand, home to the town of Boca Grande, famous as a favorite fishing spot of a former U.S. president. While Boca Grande is accessible by car over a narrow bridge, travel to Little Gasparilla requires use of a private boat or ferry.

On this skinny spit of land, you won't find any tourist traps. Traffic is truly non-existent as there are no roads and therefore, no cars. A narrow path barely wide enough for a golf cart and ironically named Grand Avenue, snakes from one end of the island to other. More often than not, the only one using this 'thoroughfare' is you. The southern end of the the trail ends a good walk away from the end of the island itself and as you hit the beach and continue south, you'll find Gasparilla Pass. At the north end of Grand Avenue lies a cluster of private homes and beyond that, a thin strip of beach and mangrove swamp by which Little Gasparilla is connected to Don Pedro Island. It's possible to walk from one island to the next, depending on the tides.

There's only one restaurant in this quiet, tropical paradise, and it's connected to a small general store. A beautiful though tiny nondenominational white chapel sits in the center of the community and locals often refer to it when giving directions to their homes.....

Source:   Florida Living Magazine