Cape Romano Dome House
Calusa Spirit
Backwater Adventure
The Alphabet Cone (top) is a beauty on the outside, but inside the snail can be a bit feisty as it uses its tooth as a venomous harpoon to sting its prey. The rare Junonia shell (bottom) is a desired discovery for any serious sheller.
These aquatic excursions are one of the most popular ways to navigate the River of Grass. The Everglades Day Safari (ecosafari.com) is an all-day adventure that covers land and water. Begin with a 1.6-mile nature walk at Big Cypress National Preserve, then take a boat cruise around the Ten Thousand Islands. Stop for lunch at a local seafood restaurant before embarking on a wildlife drive in the backroads. For the grand finale, you’ll hop onto an airboat and ride through the Western Everglades for the last hour of this amazing tour. Captain Mitch House of Captain Mitch’s Airboat Tours (captainmitchs .com) has been in the airboat tourism industry for more than 60 years. His tour takes you through acres of private swampland while a guide entertains and educates with stories and anecdotes that date back generations. For 56
These three area businesses deliver unique ways to try this educational, family-friendly activity. TRADITIONAL: Sand Dollar Shelling (sanddollarshelling.com) begins tours with a boat ride to a secluded island, hopefully passing by dolphins at play. Once on dry land, you’ll be on the lookout for rare species, especially the Junonia. Ask captain Jim Edgar about this coveted find, or any other shell for that matter, and he’ll gladly share his comprehensive knowledge. He offers three tours a day, three hours each, for a maximum of six participants. LAID-BACK: Time to relax in style and take part in a wildlife and shelling tour on the Calusa Spirit, a 45-foot catamaran operated by Marco Island Water Sports (marcoislandwatersports.com). An onboard naturalist helms the cruise, which travels across the Gulf of Mexico and through the Ten Thousand Islands. During a leisurely stop on Cape Romano, you’ll be able to stuff your bags with exotic shells. ADVENTURESOME: For a truly interactive sightseeing and shelling experience, try out a two-person CraigCat boat courtesy of Backwater Adventure Marco Island (backwateradventure.com). A guide will lead the way in a separate vessel, steering you in and out of narrow channels along the Ten Thousand Islands, home to manatees, dolphins, shore birds, and other sea life. Midway through the trip, you’ll visit a private island for shelling and swimming.
a more personalized experience, try Speedy’s Airboat Tours (speedysair boattours.com). Speedy’s boats are smaller (maximum of six passengers) and therefore able to sneak into narrow pathways, meaning you can tour the Everglades like a true native.
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