Searching for seashells is one of the most popular pastimes along Florida’s coastlines, and with over 800 miles of sandy shoreline to explore, there is lot of opportunity out there to find these little natural treasures. You can find seashells at any beach in Florida, but some beaches standout and are known for being some of the best shelling beaches in Florida.
The best time to go shelling is usually when the tide is low and the shells are more visible on the shore, so it’s a good idea to check the tide schedule first for the best times to go hunting. And remember, that while it’s legal to collect shells on Florida’s beaches, it is illegal to take living creatures, such as starfish or sand dollars.
Siesta Beach – Sarasota, FL
Siesta Beach is known for its crystal-clear water and famous powdery white sand. The brilliant white sand here has the texture of powdered sugar, and is even considered to be the finest white sand in the world. On the hottest days, it’s even cool to walk on because it reflects so much light and heat, but don’t forget your sunglasses. This sand is bright!
This is a beach worth visiting just to experience the sand, but it’s also a great place for shelling. You can find a huge variety of shells washed up on shore at Siesta Beach, including scallops, conchs, and lots of sand dollars. So while the sand here is the main attraction, Siesta Beach is still among the best shelling beaches in Florida. Sunday’s are an especially fun time to visit Siesta Beach for the huge drum circle that happens right on the beach every Sunday just before sunset. Just bring along any percussion instrument and join the fun, all are welcome!
Sanibel Island
With over 250 different types of shells found here in huge abundance, Sanibel Island has been the called the “The Seashell Capital of the World“. The island’s beaches, such as Bowman’s Beach and Lighthouse Beach, are known for their huge number of shells on the beach and attract shell collectors from all over the world.
Sanibel Island is a world famous shelling destination because of the way it sticks out from the mainland into the Gulf of Mexico. While most barrier island run parallel to the coast, Sanibel Island juts out perpendicular to the mainland making it a giant net that just stops all the shells that are tumbling along in the current. This makes it so that seashells pile up here in huge numbers, making Sanibel Island arguably the best shelling beach in Florida if not the world. This is a place where you’ll probably want to wear water shoes or flip-flops, because these beaches are so full of shells, they can even be a little painful to walk on barefoot!
Shelling here at Sanibel Island is so popular, that locals have even come up with a nickname for the bent-at-the-waist pose they see so many people here doing, the Sanibel Stoop!
Note: Sanibel Island was severely impacted by Hurricane Ian in September of 2022 and currently on the long road to recovery. Please check the local situation before visiting here since many of the homes, business, and accommodations have been damaged or destroyed.
Captiva Island
Captiva Island is Sanibel’s next door island neighbor and almost just as famous among shell collectors. The best shelling beaches on Captiva Island are Blind Pass Beach and Turner Beach which are known for their huge variety of shells, including sand dollars, starfish, and scallops. You can easily visit both islands here while on your gulf coast Florida shelling adventures.
Note: Sanibel Island was hit directly at landfall by Hurricane Ian in September of 2022, and is currently on the long road to recovery. Please check the local situation before visiting here since many of the homes, business, and accommodations have been damaged or destroyed.
Shell Island – Panama City Beach, FL
The name of this place alone should be a little hint that this one of the best shelling beaches in Florida. Shell Island is a 7-mile barrier island off of Panama City Beach that is only accessible by boat. Because it takes some extra effort and a boat to get here, Shell Island will always be far less crowded than neighboring Panama City Beach, and that means you’ll have a lot more shells all to yourself!
These little barrier island beaches are often some of the best Florida beaches for seashells just because there’s far fewer people here scooping up the best ones for themselves!
St. George Island
St. George Island is located on the Gulf of Mexico along the Florida Panhandle near Apalachicola. The island’s beaches, such as East End Beach and St. George Island State Park, are popular spots for shelling. St. George Island is one of the best Florida beaches for shelling because it’s a long, thin barrier island out in the gulf that acts as a natural barrier for all the shells that are carried along by the surf, and this part of the Gulf produces a lot of seafood. Apalachicola is considered the Oyster Capital of the World!
Keewaydin Island – Naples, FL
Keewaydin Island is a barrier island located in the Gulf of Mexico just south of Naples. This is another place that’s fairly remote, and tricky to get to, but that only means you’ll have more of the beach, and more shells all to yourself! Keewaydin Island is a nice little escape in southwest Florida, but you can only get here by boat. North Beach and South Beach on Keewaydin Island are generally considered the best shelling spots here where you can find just about any type of shell that the Gulf of Mexico has to offer.
Fernandina Beach – Amelia Island, FL
Fernandina Beach on Amelia Island is in northeastern Florida, near Jacksonville, and is known for as being one of the best Florida beaches for shelling on the Atlantic side of the state. This beautiful and quaint beach town is great for finding shells, but a big bonus is here are the fossilized sharks teeth! Fernandina Beach is second only to Venice Beach on the gulf side when it comes shark tooth hunting!
Peters Point Beachfront Park and Fort Clinch State Park, are the most popular spots for shelling and shark tooth hunting, but you might want to bring along a sand sifter if you’re after those teeth.
Anastasia State Park – St. Augustine, FL
Anastasia State Park in St. Augustine is one of only two Atlantic coast beaches on our list, and it’s a great beach to visit as part of any trip to St. Augustine. The park’s beaches, such as Anastasia Beach and Salt Run Beach, are popular spots for shelling where you can find conchs, whelks, cockles, and lots of coquina shells.
Coquina shells are so abundant in this part of Florida that the famous fort in St. Augustine, Castillo de San Marcos, is actually built out of bricks that were made from dried and pressed coquina shells! Anastasia State Park is arguably the best shelling beach on the east coast of Florida.
St. Joseph Peninsula State Park – Port St. Joe, FL
Another beautiful and peaceful beach along the panhandle, St. Joseph Peninsula State Park is is one of the best Florida beaches for shelling and one of the best Florida beaches for watching the sunset. It’s the only beach on the panhandle that sticks out at north/south orientation, making this a very unique place to visit. It creates one of those great natural barriers that catches shells, and gives you a viewpoint for a world-class Florida sunset. St. Joseph Peninsula State Park is also a great place to escape the chaos on Panama City Beach when Spring Break brings big crowds that way.
For shelling St. Joseph Bay and Gulf Beach, are popular spots for shelling at this wonderful state park.
Honeymoon Island State Park – Dunedin, FL
Honeymoon Island State Park is located on the Gulf of Mexico, near Clearwater, and is one of our favorite beaches in the entire state! The way it juts out into the water at an angle makes it one of the best shelling beaches in Florida, but it’s also one of the best for escaping the crowds in an otherwise very busy and touristy part of the state. If you’re over here near Clearwater, and looking for a place where you can hopefully get some peace at a quiet, undeveloped beach, Honeymoon Island is worth a look.
The most popular spots for shelling at Honeymoon Island are Oasis Beach, and North Beach. The wonderful Caladesi Island State Park is also right next door, but is only reachable by boat. It’s a completely undeveloped barrier island just across the pass, but you can catch the ferry here at Honeymoon Island to get out there.
See also: Five reasons to visit Honeymoon Island State Park