Sanibel and Captiva Islands Family Restaurants

The Blue Giraffe is a favorite breakfast joint on Sanibel. After dining, kids can go out front and burn some energy on the playground. They also serve tasty salads, sandwiches and chowder at lunch.

This is, arguably, the most family-friendly restaurant in the region, featuring cartoons running on the television, a magician coming up to your table during dinner hours, an all-you-can-eat breakfast buffet and a kid-friendly menu that features pasta, sandwiches and yummy sweet potato chips.

If the kids like to eat early, head to McT's between 5 and 6 p.m. for the early-bird dinner specials. As the name implies, stick to the shrimp, and you won't be disappointed. You can get it any which way, from steamed to fried to topped with a coconut sauce. There are also pasta dishes for picky eaters.

It's hard not to be entertained while dining at Captiva Island's Bubble Room. Hundreds of toy trains, antique jukeboxes, puppets and movie stills easily distract children while mom and dad sit down to a quiet dinner of seafood gumbo or gulf shrimp.

This is the place to go for fresh fish, be it grilled or blackened. Fishermen drop off their wares daily to the fish market out front, so you can see that grouper swimming before you cut into it. They also serve great steaks for meat lovers.