Sanibel Island Hippo Gardens 1963 Tank Top

Sanibel Island, Florida is located along the Gulf of Mexico, just a short drive from Fort Myers. While this tropical paradise justly famed for its sunsets, lighthouse, resorts, and sea shelling (it is known as the 'Seashell Capital of the World'), for about 30 years, there was another, slightly more unique attraction -The Sanibel Island Hippo Gardens. What started as a private estate with a couple of pet hippos in the '50s, ended up being somewhat of a roadside attraction with a dozen hippopotamus in the '60s. As the story goes, when the owners passed away, they left their estate to their only son, who eventually began operating somewhat of a private zoo amidst the property's extensive tropical gardens.