Visitors are allowed a chance to see live animals (and dead ones), eat in a dive, play mini golf, ride bumper boats, stock up on classic Florida souvenirs and see liquid fireworks all in a single stop.

Ft. Myers Shell Factory boasts a stock of over 5,000,000 shells. Yearly inventory has to be a bitch. The sea scraps are made into wind chimes, light up sculptures, religious items, curtains, jewelry and even clothing. If you think accessorizing is hard, try finding a pair of shoes to match a conch-covered evening dress.

The building looks like the inside of an airplane hanger neatly sectioned into merchandizing themes. Taxidermy animals gaze down from perches above the isles. African exhibits and more dead animals are scattered about the backscratchers and citrus perfumes. A glass blower is on site making garish flower and animal keepsakes.

Two adjoining buildings serve as a year-round Christmas store and video arcade. The holiday store has aviaries of live parakeets built into the wall. The arcade, which is also the children's birthday area, shares itself with a pool of live alligators. Great place to leave the kiddies while you do your shopping.

Next door to the shell hanger is the Octagon Animal Showcase. Don't let the politically correct name fool you. This is a roadside zoo. A man made waterfall connected to a warehouse near the front gate is self-proclaimed as "South West Florida's largest." The animals are in rotation from the Frisco Brothers Circus. In one cage a lobotomized baboon diligently digs a hole in the ground with a spoon. The birds seem cranky as they put their best beak forward to try and rip sunglasses off people's heads. It's easy to understand why all the signs on the cages illustrate a finger getting bit off.

Bumper boats and mini golf are added to the mix for good measure. There are also two seafood restaurants if all the action-tacked excitement leaves you hungry. While one building is adorned with the skeletal jaws of a shark, the other becomes a haunted house in October. The fiberglass bat outside seems to be a year round fixture.

Factory Tours

At night, a pond in front of the Shell Factory comes to life with the "Waltzing Waters®" show. Lasers, trippy spotlights and spritzing fountains are synchronized to classical music.

It just doesn't get any better than this!

Ft. Myers Shell Factory
US 41 & 41A North
Ft. Myers, FL

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