Welcome to the Shell Museum!

The Museum Mission:

To educate about shells and mollusks, the shell-makers, through exhibits, educational programs, library services and publications;
To further awareness of nature and the natural environment;
To promote collection-based research on shells and mollusks with emphasis on Southwest Florida and the Gulf of Mexico.

Featured Events

Museum Field Trip 2013: Chub Cay

05/29/13 - 06/04/13

At Fort Lauderdale to Chub Cay

Join a group of shell enthusiasts for a once-in-a-lifetime experience! Shell guides Dr. Gary Schmelz and Anne Joffe lead a small distinguished group of shelling enthusiasts on a trip to Chub Cay in the Bahamas. For more detailed information about the trip, please use the Registration Link below.

Click for more details

Open Daily from
10 AM to 5 PM

Closed on New Year Day,
Easter Sunday, Fourth of July,
Thanksgiving Day, & Christmas Day

3075 Sanibel-Captiva Road
Sanibel, Florida 33957 USA

Phone: (239) 395-2233
Toll-free: (888) 679-6450
Fax: (239) 395-6706

News

5/21/13 - Announcing Winners of the 2013 Mollusk Picture Contest , The judge has spoken and the results are in. Please check out the winners and their beautiful artwork!.

5/10/13 - Free Admission to Mothers on Mothers Day , Celebrate your Mothers Day with shells! The Museum will be offering free admission to mothers on Mothers Day, this Sunday, May 12, 2013! .

4/4/13 - In Memoriam: Hal Pilcher , Museum Honors Shell Enthusiast and Founding Volunteer.

4/3/13 - The 2013 R. Tucker Abbott Visiting Curatorship , Museum Invites Applicants .

4/3/13 - Call for Volunteers , Need for Collection Volunteers as Summer Approaches.

4/1/13 - The World Is Your Oyster , Museum’s 2013 Oyster-lympics Preparations Underway.

4/1/13 - Museum Shelling Trip to Chub Cay , Join a group of nature and shelling enthusiasts for this year’s trip to Chub Cay, Bahamas, sponsored by The Bailey-Matthews Shell Museum. .

Shell photos courtesy of Henry Domke