HERE A SHELL THERE A SHEL
ON AN ISLAND KNOWN AROUND THE WORLD FOR ITS VARIETY OF SHELLS, COME EXPLORE INSIDE THE ONLY MUSEUM IN AMERICA DEDICATED TO THE WORLD OF MOLLUSKS. By John Sprecher | Photography by Milissa Sprecher
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The term “one of a kind” is bandied about so often today, hyperbole has made it almost meaningless. But not so when it comes to Sanibel’s Bailey Matthews
USA Today declares the joy of shelling (and the Sanibel stoop) among Florida’s top 10 attractions. “If you’re looking for shells, Sanibel Island is absolutely where you come,” says Dorrie Hipschman, the museum’s Executive Director for the past three years. “And if you need to know anything about those shells, we’re the go-to people in Southwest Florida.” Rewind almost most 30 years ago, and Sanibel community leaders should be credited for recognizing the natural resource (and tourism draw) of shelling — when members of the Sanibel Captiva Shell Club began to explore the idea of a museum dedicated to their passion. As funding was raised and a strategic plan defined, the
National Shell Museum — for tucked away a bit inconspicuously on Sanibel-Captiva Road is where you’ll find the one and only natural history museum in the United States dedicated exclusively to our bounty of beach friends. And quite a bounty it is. Thanks to the east-west geographic curvature of the island, Sanibel’s coastline is almost a natural shovel that collects more than 300 types of species. No wonder that Travel & Leisure Magazine ranks Sanibel as the top shelling destination in North America, and
COASTE | ATTRACTIONS
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