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Great Hall of Shells
Phase 1 of our new Great Hall of Shells opened on Saturday, May 24, 2025.
The Great Hall of Shells has been the Museum's permanent exhibit space for shells since the Museum first opened in 1995. Following significant damage from Hurricane Ian in 2022, the Museum embarked on a full re-design and re-installation of its shell exhibits and the Great Hall.
Phase 1 exhibits feature extraordinary shells from all over the world that are highlights selected from the Museum’s collection of nearly 600,000 shells. Themes of these exhibits include global biodiversity, shapes and colors, and time and evolution, and special focuses on groups including cones, cowries, volutes, murexes, scallops, and carrier shells. The shells are exhibited for maximum visual appeal with custom cabinetry, lighting, and mounts that present the specimens individually as gems and treasures of nature.
Phase 2 exhibits for the new Great Hall of Shells are under construction and will open later this summer. They include exhibits of Southwest Florida shells, world record-sized shells, land snails, fossils, shells in human creativity and culture, the Calusa, and conservation and environmental issues as they relate to mollusks. Once Phase 2 exhibits are installed, the Museum’s rebuilding from Hurricane Ian will be complete.
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