10 Best Florida Beaches for Shelling – Hunting for Natural Treasures
There are plenty of ways to have fun in the sun in the Sunshine State. One of the most popular pastimes in Florida is beachcombing – walking along the beach looking for fun objects of interest. The most abundant treasures found on the beach? Seashells! Beachcombing is a fantastic hobby for people of all ages. With 825 miles of sandy beaches, Florida has some of the best spots for hunting the hundreds of shell varieties found on the shorelines. If you’re looking to plan your next shelling trip, we know exactly where you should go!
Here are our picks for the best Florida beaches for shelling and beachcombing on both the Atlantic and Gulf coasts.
Best Florida Beaches for Shelling – Atlantic Coast
While Florida’s east coast isn’t necessarily known for its shelling and beachcombing, you can still find some great spots to spend your day. Most shelling hotspots are located along the Northernmost or Southern part of the state, so plan accordingly if you want to hit more than one on your next excursion!
Amelia Island
One of the best beaches for shelling in North Florida, Amelia Beach, is about 30 miles north of Jacksonville. Unlike the city, you’ll find a lot of pristine natural beauty in the area. Because it’s a state park (and under strict regulations), you can expect beautiful beaches and gorgeous scenery. Two of the most popular beaches – Fernandina Beach and Fort Clinch State Park – will guarantee you a good haul, especially in the winter months. You’ll find whelks, clams, sand dollars, periwinkles, and olives on the shore. It’s also a very popular spot to find fossilized shark teeth!
Jupiter Island
Without a doubt, this is one of the best places on the east coast of Florida for shelling. Jupiter Island is a narrow strip of land in South Florida near Jonathon Dickinson State Park and the city of Jupiter. It’s north of West Palm Beach along the Atlantic Coast.
You can find around 200 different types of shells on Jupiter Island, including sand dollars, bittersweets, lion’s paws, and coquinas. There’s a lot of variety in shells – and shark teeth if you collect those, too!
Little Talbot Island Park
Located just south of Amelia Island, Little Talbot Island State Park is another hot spot for shelling and beachcombing. Check out the state park during low tide for your best options, as you’ll have over 5 miles of beachfront to enjoy. If you venture north of the boardwalks, you’ll find a much less populated area to explore. That means more shells for you! When it comes to shells, Little Talbot has about 50 different types. You’ll likely find sand dollars, snake eye moon snails, olives, and whelks.
The island has some camping spots, but it is typically best for a day visit. You can enjoy the untouched wilderness in this unique ecosystem of dune-covered woodlands and white-sand beaches.
Flagler Beach
Located just north of Daytona in the historic city of St. Augustine, Flagler Beach, the best Florida beach for shells near Orlando, is a great hidden gem on the east coast for shelling. It’s a quiet, relaxing beach for those who don’t like competing with other beachcombers. The orange sands are unique on their own, but you’ll find some good luck here, depending on the tides and time of the year. The most abundant kinds of shells here are whelks, scallops, cockles, and coquina. You’ll also have pretty good luck finding shark teeth, too!
The nearby Varn Park is an additional hunting ground if you’re in the area! It’s less crowded, so you may have better luck when it comes to a great find or two.
Best Florida Beaches for Shelling – Gulf Coast
When it comes to shell collecting in Florida, nothing really beats the abundance and variety you’ll find on the west coast. The Gulf of Mexico is known for its white-sand beaches and pristine shells that often tumble ashore. If you want to try your luck at collecting shells, these beaches for shelling are where you should look!
Sanibel Island
Also known as “The Shell Capital of the World,” Sanibel Island is the best place to find shells on the Florida coast. Thousands of people travel here yearly just to wander the shoreline and collect the 250 types of shells along the 15 miles of beaches. You’ll find whelks, conchs, sand dollars, clams, and plenty more on an average day here. We recommend starting at Turner Beach and working your way around the island. There are also several shelling tours you can book if you’d prefer to go with a guide!
The island is located west of Fort Myers in Southern Florida, just north of Naples. Because it’s such a well-known spot, you might find it a bit more crowded than many of the other places on our list. However, the shells are plentiful, and you’ll be surrounded by many like-minded hobbyists. If you enjoy unique shells, you should also check out the Bailey-Matthews Shell Museum while you’re there!
If you want even more opportunities for shell collection, combine your trip with the nearby Captiva Island (connected by a bridge) for a great day of shelling and beachcombing.
Caladesi Island
Caladesi Island is near Dunedin, Florida, close to Clearwater Beach. It’s also connected to Honeymoon Island by ferry (which is one of the few ways to get to the island). While the nearby Honeymoon Beach is a more popular shelling spot, it’s also more crowded. Since you can only access Caladesi Island by boat, it’s more secluded, and beachcombers might have better luck with those rare finds. It’s also a State park, so its protected status means the beaches will be largely untouched.
On Caladesi Island, you might find some of the rarer shells like the scotch bonnet, olive, and sand dollars as well as whelks and conches. There are three miles of beach and another 3-mile long nature trail to explore while you’re there. Caladesi Island also has a marina with a concession stand in case you need a snack or a cold drink on your visit.
Marco Island
Marco Island is one of the Ten Thousand Islands, a wildlife refuge in Southwestern Florida near Naples. Honestly, there are plenty of shelling locations in the area as the tiny islands are perfect for it! The most popular spots, however, are on Marco Island. It’s one of the bigger spots of land in the group and also the easiest to navigate without taking a tour. It’s also one of the most developed, so you’ll have plenty of other things to do once you’ve exhausted your search.
If you’re shelling on your own, you’ll want to explore two beaches in particular: Tigertail Beach and South Beach. Both are prime locations to find shells, though Tigertail is typically more popular (and busy) compared to South Beach. You’ll have the best luck finding the ever-popular Junonia shells here. However, you’ll also be able to collect an abundance of whelks, murex shells, starfish, moon snail shells, Florida spiny jewel boxes, lightning whelk shells, and many others. If you’re fortunate, you might even run across some horseshoe crab shells!
Shell Island (near Panama City Beach)
Panama City Beach is already a popular destination spot for tourists in the Florida Panhandle. However, if you’re looking for a more secluded beach where you can spend time hunting along the shoreline for some really fun shells, you should check out Shell Island. You may have to get your feet wet – literally – by wading into the surf a few feet for the best selection. This spot has been a very popular place over the years.
You can easily grab a shuttle from Panama City Beach to Shell Island, which is the easiest way to get there. There you’ll find 7 miles of untouched land where you can spot whelks, moon snails, tulips, Junonia shells, conchs, and slipper shells. Just keep in mind that you’ll need to pack everything you need for a day in the sun, as there’s very little else on the island!
Venice Beach
In Southwest Florida, you’ll be hard-pressed to find a better shelling beach than Venice Beach. In the heart of Sarasota County, Venice is best known for fishing and farming – and, of course, one of the best beaches for shelling! Venice Beach is a “blue wave” beach, meaning it’s one of the cleanest beaches in the state. You’ll find some really cool varieties here, including arks, coquina, starfish, turkey wings, kitten paws, and augers. Venice Beach is also one of the best places in Florida for finding shark teeth – it’s even been named the “Shark Tooth Capital of the World!”
If you are staying in the area, you should also check out Caspersen Beach for another crop of shells. The diverse habitats of freshwater and saltwater marshes, mangroves, and tidal flats offer a lot of variety in what you’ll find.
Barefoot Beach Preserve
One of the best spots in Naples, Florida, for shelling, Barefoot Beach Preserve is 342 acres of natural land, one of the last undeveloped barrier islands on Florida’s Southwest coast. In addition to shelling, you can kayak or check out the boardwalks. At Barefoot Beach Preserve, beachcombers can find shark’s eyes, worm shells, corals, alphabet cones, kitten and lion paws, skoot, and shark teeth in abundance. It’s much less crowded than the nearby Sanibel Island. If you go early in the morning, you’ll likely have the beach to yourself!
Despite the name, you should definitely wear shoes to Barefoot Beach, as the shells littering the beach can make the sand a little more sharp than comfortable. The area is also home to many sea turtle species and the gopher tortoise, so keep your eyes out for the shell-adorned local wildlife!
Are you a seasoned beachcomber or just a casual collector? Let us know your favorite Florida beaches for finding shells in the comments below!
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