The Bailey-Matthews National Shell Museum & Aquarium has unveiled the opening of Phase 1 of its new Great Hall of Shells. The Great Hall of Shells has been the Museum’s permanent exhibit space for shells since the Museum first opened in 1995. Following significant damage from Hurricane Ian in 2022, the Museum embarked on a full re-design and re-installation of its shell exhibits and the Great Hall.
Exhibits opening May 24 feature extraordinary shells from all over the world that are highlights selected from the Museum’s collection of nearly 600,000 shells. Themes of these exhibits include global biodiversity, shapes and colors, and time and evolution, and special focuses on groups including cones, cowries, volutes, murexes, scallops, and carrier shells. The shells are exhibited for maximum visual appeal with custom cabinetry, lighting, and mounts that present the specimens individually as gems and treasures of nature.
“Our goal is to convey to visitors the stunning beauty and diversity of shells, and important roles that the mollusks that make them play in biodiversity, natural history, and our environment,” said Dr. José H. Leal, the Museum’s Science Director and Curator who organized the new exhibits. “We are thrilled with the result and can’t wait for visitors to enjoy these exhibits.’’
Phase 2 exhibits for the new Great Hall of Shells are under construction and will open later this summer. They include exhibits of Southwest Florida shells, world record-sized shells, land snails, fossils, shells in human creativity and culture, the Calusa, and conservation and environmental issues as they relate to mollusks. Once Phase 2 exhibits are installed, the Museum’s rebuilding from Hurricane Ian will be complete.
‘’We want the Great Hall of Shells to endure as among the finest and most extensive public exhibitions of shells in the world,’’ said Executive Director Sam Ankerson. ‘’Sanibel and Southwest Florida is the rightful home for an exhibit like this, and we welcome everyone to come experience this big first step in that direction.’’
The Museum is open from 10am to 5pm daily. Plan your visit at ShellMuseum.org.