Shelling on the Captiva and Sanibel Island Beaches

The Captiva and Sanibel Island beaches are a favorite place for people to go shelling while on a getaway to Florida. If you’ve never been shelling, we highly recommend taking the time to comb over the white sandy beaches near our Kingfisher Vacations homes. You’ll leave our Captiva and Sanibel rentals with an abundance of beautifully unique shells to display at home! Wake up early in the day when the tide is low for the best seashell finds near the shore.

The Bailey Matthews National Shell Museum

Before exploring the Sanibel Island beaches, check out the Bailey Matthews National Shell Museum to gain a full perspective on the beauty of shelling. Don’t be fooled by the smaller size of the museum as most people tend to spend a could hours exploring all the museum has to offer! Walk by displays of shells, noticing unique shapes, colors and learn about how a shell is formed in nature. The shells in the museum come from all over the world so you will see no two shells that are identical! The Sanibel Island beaches are famous for their mollusks, so you’ll gain education about them along the way as you may later spot them on the beach!

Gain an Education About Shelling

The museum is a great place to explore with kids, with a spouse, or alone as there are many things to keep you occupied during your visit. Your small ones will light up when they attend the interactive tank talks in the basement of the museum featuring live sea creatures! The tank talks are a great first stop as it will give perspective to the importance of shells to the Florida oceans before moving along through the museum. Be sure to check out the Mollusks in Action movie as you gain an education on how they eat, move, and survive on the Captiva and Sanibel Island beaches!

The Arts and Crafts of the Exhibit

Your kids will be fascinated by the arts and crafts section in the Bailey Matthews National Shell Museum, creating their own creatures made entirely of shells! The kids will also be able to run through a scavenger hunt for the opportunity to win a cool shell prize. While your kids are creating in the craft area, take time to browse through the museum as you will notice local pieces of award-winning folk artwork on display that are made of shells. Expand your museum experience by joining a one-hour beach walk with one of the experts in the morning during your Sanibel Island vacations— we promise you won’t regret it!

Lovely Sanibel and Captiva Island Florida Rentals

You’ll be captivated by your new found love of shelling the Captiva and Sanibel Island beaches with your loved ones during your stay at Kingfisher Vacations. Our Sanibel and Captiva Island rentals provide an air-conditioned home with a wide range of amenities to choose from, such as a pool or hot tub on site, or have direct bay views from a private balcony! Our staff is excited to help you plan your stay during your annual Florida vacations, so give us a call at 1-239-472-2100.