The 2024 Sanibel Shell Show is coming up fast and it should be a “shelly weekend” to remember! More than 300 amazing Artistic and Scientific exhibits will be competing for prizes on Friday and Saturday, March 8th and 9th from 9am – 4pm at the Marriott Sanibel Harbour Resort in Fort Myers. They total more than 15,000 square feet of displays!
Hosted by the Sanibel-Captiva Shell Club, many vendors will be selling shell-oriented items, a marine biologist will be on hand with live mollusks, and two well-known shell experts, Dr. Jose Leal and Kevan Sunderland, will help you identify your shells. There will also be a live auction on Saturday, and scavenger hunts for kids throughout both days.
Attendees should take note that although it is high season, getting to the Shell Show shouldn’t be a problem, because you won’t need to pay a toll and then try to get over the Causeway. Instead, once you are on McGregor Blvd, by the Outlet Mall, stay in the right-hand lane to exit at Punta Rassa Road, the last exit before the Causeway. Exit as if you are going to the Bimini Bait Shack restaurant and continue to the Marriott. There will be free parking available for attendees on the Marriott property. Also keep in mind that traffic will be less midday after 10 or 11am, rather than first thing in the morning. Show hours, (9am – 4pm daily), should enable everyone to visit the show without getting caught in traffic trying to go to Sanibel.
Proceeds from the Sanibel Shell Show support the Sanibel-Captiva Shell Club’s Grants Program. A $5 cash donation is requested, and your donations enable the Club to give grants towards education and research in the fields of conchology and malacology, as well as for conservation and water quality projects, primarily in Southwest Florida. To date, the Sanibel-Captiva Shell Club has donated more than $400,000 to grant recipients!
