I discovered Pine Island, Cabbage Key, Cayo Costa and the Tropic Star quite by accident in the summer of 1993. That wonderful summer trip out to Cayo Costa made such a lasting impression on me that I've been back again and again. These islands are located near the mouth of Charlotte Harbor, not far from Cape Coral and Fort Myers.

On my most recent trip, I invited Steve and Summer from the VISIT FLORIDA video crew to come along and shoot some video so we can share the experience here on the web site.

There are a number of ways to get to Cabbage Key and Cayo Costa State Park (all involve a boat, since there are no cars on the islands). We chose the Tropic Star because it is unique, and because I love it so much.

The Tropic Star is a 59-passenger ferry boat that daily makes a leisurely trip across the calm and shallow Pine Island Sound to Cabbage Key and Cayo Costa. It is based at the Pineland Marina on Pine Island. The Tropic Star is the official concessionaire of Cayo Costa State Park and provides daily transportation to the park from Pine Island. Campers rely heavily on the Tropic Star to help ferry all their gear, bikes and kayaks out to the remote island park.

There are several cruises you can choose from. For our trip we took the full-day cruise. At 8:30 a.m., we boarded the Tropic Star with a boat full of campers who were taking advantage of the Memorial Day weekend to enjoy the park. During the 90-minute trip to Cayo Costa, Captain Tom and Captain Bruce kept us informed and entertained during part of the trip, and let us just relax and enjoy the scenery during the rest of the ride.

Once we arrived on Cayo Costa, the campers and their gear were unloaded. Then we headed for Cabbage Key, a private island with a restaurant and inn, a really cool water tower that you can climb for a great view, a gift shop, some nature trails and a few rental cottages and private homes. After a great lunch (boiled shrimp with a key lime pie chaser) we climbed the water tower, then chatted on camera with manager Ken Wells.

Then it was back to Cayo Costa where we got a VIP tour of this fabulous island with ranger Mary Olsen via four-wheel all-terrain vehicle. We zoomed up and down trails, checked out some great beaches and the camping area, and we really had a great time.

Steve and Summer decided to jump in the Gulf for a swim before catching the Tropic Star back to Pine Island. We barely made it back to the boat on time!

That's O.K., I can think of worse places to get stuck than on Cayo Costa.

Look for our video right here on VISITFLORIDA.com in a couple of weeks.

If you want to take the trip, visit the Tropic Star website for more information. Reservations are required.

Cabbage Key also has an informative website. Be sure to check it out to get a glimpse of what they offer.