Here’s Our Tale

Originally built in 1962, the Tarpon Tale Inn was opened in 1996 by Terry and Carlene Brennan.  Carlene was founder of the Sanibel Island Fishing Club, and a founding member of the Bonefish and Tarpon Trust, a conservation organization dedicated to the protection and enhancement of bonefish and tarpon populations.  In 1990 she co-wrote a booklet about tarpon fishing with local fishing guide Randy Wayne White (author of the popular Doc Ford suspense novels set on Sanibel) titled Tarpon Tales: Lost Stories and Research. The inn’s name is taken from this work.

Joe and Dawn Ramsey purchased the inn from the Brennan’s in 2001 and have been the innkeepers ever since. Florida natives, they moved to Sanibel from Maryland when they purchased the Tarpon Tale and live on the island with their two children. Roger and Phyllis Mueller purchased the inn in 2013 and are delighted that the Ramsey’s have continued as inn managers. Their passion for sharing their love of the island with the inn’s guests has made the Tarpon Tale a favorite destination for many of our visitors, who look forward to returning to the inn year after year.