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DEBBI CHRISSINGER Destinations Unlimited Vacations
“ SHE SELLS SEA SHELLS BY THE SEA SHORE ”
Why ? Because just about everyone loves beautiful seashells but don ’ t know where to look .
TOP 5 PLACES TO GO SHELLING FOR YOUR VACATION .
1 . Sanibel Island Florida Just a little over a two-hour flight from Hobby and a quick 28 mile road trip from Ft . Myers Southwest Florida Intl . Airport .
Sanibel is known as the Sea Shell Capital of the World . This barrier island is shaped like a curve , so seashells are funneled onto its white sandy beaches , making it one of the premier spots for collectors . The island runs from east to west and attracts many shells that wash up on its shores such as scallops , conchs , tulips , and coquinas .
Low-key development , abundant wildlife and great restaurants make the island a wonderful all-around getaway . While there check out the Bailey-Matthews Shell Museum to see some of the most beautiful shells ever collected here . 2 . Ocracoke Island , North Carolina
South tip of this 16-mile-long Outer Banks island is home to over 400 bird species and other wildlife . It ’ s also a beachcomber ’ s paradise , where queen helmet conchs , Scotch bonnets , clams ( the big ones are called quahogs ), olives , periwinkles , moon snail shells and sundials are found . Look for three kinds of whelks here : lightning , knobbed and channeled whelks . Some visitors have found giant whelks that measure up to 16 ”. 3 . Bandon , Oregon
West Coast beaches don ’ t provide great bounties of shells , partly because the mighty Pacific Ocean waves tend to chew up most specimens . Bandon defies this stereotype having lots of great shell collecting opportunities .
The beaches near harbor some wonderful finds , especially in protected areas such as the mouth of the Coquille River . As consolation prizes , winter storms also toss up Japanese glass fishing floats and such semiprecious stones as agate and jasper . 4 . Galveston , TX
Some people might be surprised to see a Texas city on a list of top shelling destinations , but the west end of Galveston Island is a great place to look for sea
treasures . The Gulf loves to decorate its coast with shells . In fact , the U . S . EPA Web site proclaims , “ Gulf beaches are considered the best shelling beaches in North America .”
Galveston usually offers prime pickings . When cold fronts roll in from the north , experienced shellers bundle up and hit the west end beaches . The wind pushes the water away from shore , exposing lots of fresh sand for prospecting .
Stroll Galveston ’ s Sea Shell Beach Pocket Park during the winter , or after a storm , when the waves deposit murex , marsh snail shells , shark ’ s eyes , zebra periwinkles , Hay ’ s Rock shells , lightning whelks , or moon snail , as well as , different kinds of clams and scallops . 5 . Tunnels Beach , Kauai , Hawaii
Several beaches on the north shore of Hawaii ’ s “ Garden Isle ” yield nice shell harvests , especially in the area around Haena , near the end of the road that doesn ’ t quite circle Kauai . We ’ re singling out Tunnels Beach for nostalgic reasons . Legend has it that the puka shell-necklace craze began here in the 1960s .
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