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Captiva Island’s Famous Bubble Room Emporium Reopens

Author Gina Birch

In advance of the one year anniversary of Hurricane Ian, Captiva Island’s famous Bubble Room Emporium reopens. It’s the second of the two iconic restaurant properties to come back online following the devastating storm that struck on September 28th, 2022. The Bubble Room is a fixture on Captiva. It’s a sprawling yet cozy den full of nostalgia, with photos from Hollywood’s so-called Golden Age. Each nook and cranny is full of antiques, old juke boxes, bubble lights, and shadow box tables teaming with vintage trinkets.

Boops By The Bubble Room was able to reopen back in March. Boops is a dessert shop and vintage soda fountain in the parking lot of the main restaurant on Captiva. It originally opened its doors on March 26, 2021 in the building that formerly housed the restaurant’s emporium. Besides desserts, they are serving a limited menu of sandwiches and other popular savory items from the Bubble Room menu.

Prior to Boop’s reopening, and even for a short time after, the restaurant teamed up with Broadway Palm Dinner Theater in Fort Myers to offer a popup kitchen of sorts. They only offered their famous desserts to-go. It was a great way for locals to get their sweet tooth fix while supporting the business until it could reopen.

The restaurant’s emporium is across the street from Boops. It has always been full of souvenirs and trinkets that are unique to The Bubble Room. Besides traditional shirts, mugs and cups, here you’ll also find strands of those fun, twinkling bubble lights. In addition, pick up art work, Bubble Room dessert playing cards and lots more.

Captiva Island’s Famous Bubble Room Emporium Reopens

The restaurant itself is still undergoing renovations. However, two out of three buildings back in operation is not bad. Captiva Island’s famous Bubble Room Emporium reopens showing yet another positive sign of hurricane recovery for the islands and for Southwest Florida in general. Happy shopping.

Returning To Sanibel Island

Returning to Sanibel Island has been nearly impossible since Hurricane Ian destroyed the Sanibel Causeway on September 28th. It was the only way to get on and off the island, other than by boat. Yesterday, for the first time since the storm, hundreds of bucket trucks were able to slowly drive across. Their important mission is to begin repairing lines and restoring power. The bridge is still not safe for regular traffic but workers have miraculously made it passable enough to continue restoration efforts.

Just look at this site.  Bucket trucks lined up almost as far as the eye can see. It seems impossible that just weeks after being washed away in several places, that the causeway is actually passable. Right now the road is only open to emergency workers. Civilians are not allowed on the island, via the causeway, until October 21st.

Until yesterday, the only way workers were able to reach the island was via helicopter, boats and barges. However, this temporary bridge fix will  expedite clean up and repair efforts in a major way.

Passes to return to Sanibel Island

Residents and business owners need passes to return to the island. That or a driver’s license with your Sanibel or Captiva address on it. If you don’t have one, the reentry passes are being issued at The Crown Plaza Hotel in Fort Myers. It’s located behind The Bell Tower Shops. This is where city officials have set up a temporary, satellite city hall of sorts.

Here are some pictures of the Sanibel Causeway after Ian hit. It makes returning to Sanibel Island after only two weeks seem like an incredible feat. It is, but it is happening thanks to an incredible amount of work and fortitude. Thank you to all of the linemen and construction crews who have run to our aid. We are truly grateful.

**For more hurricane recovery information, including how you can help, click here.

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Author Gina Birch
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