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The Shell Factory

North Fort Myers, Lee County
ROADSIDE GIANT
7STRANGENESS
OUT OF TEN

WHAT IT IS

Acres of shells, coral, fudge, taxidermy, and an arcade, operating since 1938.

It started as a roadside shell stand and metastasised. There is a nature park, a bumper boat pond, a room of stuffed animals arranged in tableaux, a fudge counter, a shooting gallery, and a warehouse of seashells sorted by size and country of origin. Nothing about it has been curated in the modern sense. It is the last complete example of a Florida attraction genre that has otherwise vanished.

HOW IT SCORES

Rarity6/10
Is there anywhere else like it?
Backstory7/10
How did this come to be?
Disrepair7/10
What is holding it together?
Commitment9/10
How far do they take the bit?

NEARBY

Everglades Wonder Gardens27 mi · Bonita Springs Warm Mineral Springs35 mi · North Port Solomon's Castle49 mi · Ona

BEFORE YOU DRIVE

ENTRY FEE
Free entry
HOURS
Daily 10am–6pm
BEST TIME
Rainy afternoon. It is enormous and indoors.
HOW LONG
2 hours
PARKING
Enormous free lot
PAYMENT
Cards accepted
ACCESS
Flat, indoors, accessible
COORDINATES
26.7300° N, 81.8394° W

2787 N Tamiami Trail, North Fort Myers.

OPEN IN MAPS →
DETAILS COMPILED FROM PUBLISHED SOURCES. FEES CHANGE. CALL AHEAD.