Q: Hey, I'm renting a houseboat the end of July for 1 week. It's a little family outing with 9 of us. We are leaving out of Cape Coral. Our cruising area is Sanibel/Captiva up to Charlotte Harbor. We will have a small dingy as well. Any suggestions on things we shouldn't miss? Thanks for your help. -- Howie

A: Howie, that sounds like a great trip among the southwestern Florida barrier islands. There are a lot of natural areas in southwestern Florida that you may want to check out, especially a group of subtropical national wildlife refuges that are managed together because of their proximity to one another.

Cape Coral is on the Caloosahatchee River, which flows out of Lake Okeechobee. Named for the Calusa Indians who lived here until about the time of Spanish exploration, the river is part of the Okeechobee Waterway -- on which you can cross the state of Florida via the Caloosahatchee, Lake Okeechobee and the St. Lucie River, which flows into the Atlantic Ocean.

If you care to (or can) go upriver, you could pass by Caloosahatchee National Wildlife Refuge, which is a group of 3 mangrove islands. The best way to enjoy this refuge is to view birds and other wildlife from your boat.

The same is true of Matlacha Pass National Wildlife Refuge in San Carlos Bay (at the mouth of the river) and in Matlacha Pass (the channel between the mainland and the Pine Islands), as you head in the opposite direction, toward the Gulf of Mexico. This refuge consists of 23 mangrove islands, some of which are closed to public access because they are important nesting sites for birds like herons and egrets.

Continuing west in San Carlos Bay, you approach Sanibel Island. Here is the granddaddy of all the southwestern Florida refuges: J.N. "Ding" Darling National Wildlife Refuge. Dock your boat in a marina on the island and visit the 6,300-acre refuge, which takes up a good bit of the island. The new visitor center has museum-quality hands-on displays about the southwestern Florida environment. The 5-mile wildlife drive (which you can also walk or bike) is really something to see. And the refuge's tracts in other parts of Sanibel Island (the pond-laden Bailey Tract and the Gulf beach Perry Tract) will give you and your family another chance to stretch your legs and see the true southwestern Florida. You may be able to explore the shallower backwaters of Tarpon Bay in your dingy. Sanibel and Captiva islands are also fun places to shop and eat.

A bit farther north on the western coast of Pine Island, you'll find Pine Island National Wildlife Refuge. This refuge, like most of the others, is made of bird-friendly mangrove islands that are best experienced from your boat and a pair of binoculars.

Just west of Pine Island NWR, the island Cayo Costa is a real treat. Here, you actually have an incentive to get out of the boat and onto this near-undeveloped island for its pristine beauty and magnificent natural beach. The island is home to Cayo Costa State Park, where you can enjoy a shady spot or sun yourself on the beach.

North of Cayo Costa is Gasparilla Island, where Gasparilla Island State Park offers a working lighthouse and museum, and more of those great southwestern Florida Gulf beaches.

In the waters, look for Atlantic bottle-nosed dolphins -- even if all you see is their fins. And near shorelines, look for American crocodiles. You may even see manatees surface for air, as they are in the ocean when it's warm, like when you'll be there in July. (In cooler months, they come inland via rivers and canals.)

The southern tip of Gasparilla Island is across from Charlotte Harbor, which is created by the conveyances of Myakka River and Peace River. Both of these are worthy of a trip upriver in your dingy; Peace River is known for its fossils, and Myakka River lends its name to Florida's largest state park, located west of Sarasota where the river widens into a lake.

Be sure to check with the company that rents you the houseboat for other tips and pointers, especially those concerning your safety and the weather.

Now, why didn't I think of a houseboat vacation in a place like this?!

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