The Bailey-Matthews National Shell Museum on Sanibel Island is the only museum in the United States that is solely devoted to shells and the mollusks that make them.

Ours is a natural history museum that exhibits beautiful shells from around the globe. Our world-renowned malacologist and Marine Biologists are joined by highly educated volunteers to offer a wealth of knowledge, surprising facts, and rare insights into the lesser-known complexities of shells. Yes, there's science (and a lot of it!) and we also cover many cultural, historical and culinary facets of shells.

Still, our greatest asset is an innate sense of curiosity and wonder about shells. We have a lot of fun here at the Museum; we thankfully never stop learning and sometimes even get a little goofy about new discoveries - whether brought to our attention by a guest, gleaned from our own research, or found within the larger scientific world. Come see us; you'll be glad you did!