Hold a large conch shell to your ear and hear the sea roll, string shells together for a beautiful necklace, or decorate your Christmas tree with painted or glittered sand dollars. Collecting nature's beach treasures has been a hobby for many locals, retirees and tourists in Florida for many years, leaving people asking which beaches have the best shells.
This island serves not only as one of the best shelling locations in Florida, but also nationwide and arguable worldwide. This island is off the coast of Ft. Myers and is connected by the Sanibel Causeway, the partial toll road which spans San Carlos Bay. Its location makes this island a prime spot for the tide's shell deposits from the Gulf of Mexico. The most productive time of day to search for shells is at low tide, when the waves have gone, leaving their daily deposit. Blind Pass generally accumulates the larger shells, while small ones may easily be found near the lighthouse area along Sanibel's eastern tip. Unless you have accommodations on the island, it would be best to check ahead for public parking locations as some island parking facilities may be reserved for private owners and their guests.
Accessible only by boat, this barrier island lies off the coast of Clearwater on the state's western shore bordering the Gulf. Whether you have access to a privately owned boat or you take one of the boat excursions from the mainland, you should be able to add to your shell collection by combing its beaches. Relatively secluded, a trip to this island will likely avoid crowds and may net you many sand dollars as well as conch shells that vary in both color and size.
This island is the largest of Florida's 10,000 islands being four miles wide by six miles long, and being located just south of Naples on the southwest coast of the state. Low tide on its beaches will reveal sand bars ripe with many different types of shells, some sand dollars and sometimes a starfish or two.
While the most famous beaches for shelling are located on the Gulf side, Big Talbot Island is on the state's east coast. Located near Jacksonville, the entire island is a state park. While it may not have the volume of larger shells that are contained on the Gulf beach islands, many of the smaller shells are of interest to shell enthusiasts who enjoy identifying the variety of marine species.
