You *will* learn a lot about shells and will be able to identify what you find on the beach after visiting the museum.

Our family of four (Mom, Dad, and two elementary school age kids) visited the shell museum on a very hot afternoon. We started off with the 30 minute movie, which was made by a local resident for her grandchildren. It's of excellent quality, but it starts slowly with lots of "science" details and probably not the most interesting ones at that. Our children managed to sit still for about 15 minutes and then we slipped out to the gallery.

The gallery is small, but nice. A docent gave the kids a sheet of paper with pictures of various shells and told them that if they could find them all, they'd get a small prize, which turned out to be a shell. That's all they needed to hear and we were off! There are shells from all over the world and there are also a few displays about how shells have been used throughout history. I love museums and like to read everything in the displays, but our kids (and Hubby, too) were a bit impatient so I didn't get to browse as long as I would've liked to.

The gift shop is small and not especially child-proof. Probably best to skip it if you're worried about your child picking something up and accidentally breaking it.

There was only one drawback. The children's alcove includes a small display, about the size of a sandbox, that is filled with water and shells. However, it's a "Please Don't Touch" exhibit. Why put something so tempting within a child's reach?

Plan on spending about 30 to 45 minutes in the gallery, depending on your interest level.

The museum does not accept credit cards for the admission fee, by the way.

My boyfriend and I attended to shell museum during a recent trip to the island this May. The museum was about what you'd expect--not that exciting, but not a complete waste of time. Basically there is a decent sized exhibit hall with a lot of cases featuring different shells---shells from sanibel and also from around the world. There are also some small exhibits in here featuring how people used shells for tools, clothes, decorations, etc. It was neat to look at some of the shells but it only took about 45 minutes, and I'm not sure how much fun looking at shells in a glass case can really be.
I would recommend going to the museum after you've been shell hunting for afew days, it was nice to point out some of the shells that we had found.
The DVD was allright--it was interesting and about 30 minutes long, but again, how exciting can a shell video be. I drifted off a few times, but it wasn't horrible.
I wouldn't recommend going out of your way to view the museum. However, if it's raining or you've got time to kill, it's not a bad visit. $7 per person when I was there.

If you roll your eyes at the thought of a shell museum you'll be pleasantly surprised at this attraction. From the friendly knowledgable volunteers, to the shell displays and to top it off a superb DVD (amazing production quality and content) by a local, this place is worth seeing, even if it's not a rainy day.
On your way out there is an assortment of shells and each child can choose one for free as a a souvenir.
Includes a gift shop where they attractively package your purchase.

My husband and I really enjoyed this Museum. Loved seeing all the different kinds of shells and enjoyed the video very much.
Amazing valentines!