The best chance of finding a keeper in the U.S. is along Florida’s beaches.  But first, there are some things to know.  Shelling along Florida’s Gulf coast is a totally different experience from shelling along Florida’s Atlantic beaches.  The sand is different – grainier and darker on the Atlantic side; whiter and powderier on the Gulf side.  The water is different – bigger waves roll in all the way from Africa on the Atlantic side; smaller ones build over the shallower, bowl-shaped Gulf of Mexico on the Gulf side.

And, the shells are different.  Atlantic coast shells are larger, thicker, are more intense in color and have stronger markings, a result of their more turbulent journey.  Eastern Banded Tulips, Crown Conchs, Florida Fighting Conchs, bright orange Lion Paws are great finds.  Gulf coast shells are smaller, more delicate in texture, paler in color.  Spiky Murexes, square-patterned Scotch Bonnets, pastel-pale Coquinas, glistening Olives and patterned Calico Scallops (with luck with both halves still attached) are barely dipped in soft pinks, mauves, pale yellows, light tans.

Complicating the quest even further, every beach is different, each known for particular finds.  Dedicated shellers go on quests, knowing just where to look for specific species; novices find them by chance.  Those chances are greatly improved by reading Chuck and Debbie Robinson’s “The Art of Shelling.”

Any list of Florida Gulf coast shelling hot spots always begins with the most famous: Sanibel Beach off Ft. Myers.  Jutting out in a westerly direction (rather than the north/south lay of the rest of the Gulf coast barrier islands), the prevailing winds and currents push up against the island making it a giant shell catcher.  So many shells have washed up over the eons that the sand is made up of minute shell particles which crackle and crunch pleasantly underfoot. 

So plentiful are the Murex, Tulips, Angel Wings, Turkey Wings, Lettered Olives, Cowries, Whelks, Scallops, Sunray Venuses, and Spiny Jewel Boxes on Sanibel that along the hotel lined beaches everyone does the “Sanibel Stoop”- the bent-over-at-the-waist, head-down, eyes-glued-to-the-sand, shell-seeking position! 

Not quite as crowded is the beach along Blind Pass, separating Sanibel Island from Captiva Island, or the more secluded Bowman’s Beach off Sanibel-Captiva Road.  Likewise, at the east tip of the island Lighthouse Beach, the site of the historic, still functioning Sanibel Lighthouse picturesquely nestled among the sea oats, is another somewhat less-traveled shelling spot. 

Collecting live shells on Sanibel is prohibited.  As a matter of fact, it’s just good practice not to collect live shells anywhere.  If a shell appears to have an inhabitant, leave it be.  There are plenty of empty ones out there for the taking.  The same goes for the popular, easy to find sand dollar.  If they are tanish-green, with a sanpapery surface, leave them in the water to see another day.  Look for those that are bleached out white, they’re pretty, delicate, and no longer alive.  Handle them gently as they’re also brittle and crumble easily.

Traveling in Florida with kids?  A stop in Venice, under an hour from Ft. Myers is a must.   Kids will treasure the fossilized sharks’ teeth they find, and find them they will!  There are so many sharks’ teeth along Venice Beach that the sand is a smoky gray!  Look for them, too, just north of the Venice Fishing Pier, where the long narrow stretch of black sand is loaded with these pre-historic finds. Carpsen Beach, just south of the Venice Airport, is another great place to find both shells and sharks’ teeth.

In the Sarasota area, the expansive curve of Turtle Beach on Siesta Key yields Calicos, Coquinas, Kitten Paws, Slipper Shells, and Sand Dollars.  In St. Petersburg, just over the Skyway bridge spanning the mouth of Tampa Bay is Fort DeSoto State Park, historically interesting, with fort remnants to see,  trails to walk, coves to kayak, places to fish, and beaches to shell.

Just to the north of Fort DeSoto, Shell Island, an uninhabited boomerang shaped island, is  accessible only by boat, the Shell Key Shuttle, which makes round trips from the bay side of Pass-A-Grille 3 times a day.  While there are no creature comforts on the island, it’s a delightful shelling experience especially on weekdays, when pleasure boats filled with party people aren’t anchored just off the beach.

Caladesi Island State Park just off shore from Dunedin and Clearwater Beach was Dr. Beach’s  “Top Beach in America” pick for 2008, and with good reason.   With a few more amenities than Shell Island, it, too, is accessible only by ferry departing from nearby Honeymoon Island and from Clearwater Beach.  Feeling far removed from the hubub of one of Florida’s most populated areas, it’s a joy to walk the still-pristine beach lined with sea oats and crisscrossed with purple beach morning glories, watch the wading egrets and herons carefully pursuing their catch, swim in clear Gulf waters, and find plenty of shells.  

Although your finds along Florida’s Atlantic beaches won’t be as numerous, your keepers will be big, beautiful, deep water shells.  In Palm Beach, the flats off Peanut Island at low tide might yield a Florida Fighting Conch or a Banded Tulip, but you have to take a water taxi to get there.  Here, the grassy flats are a better place to look than along the sandy beach, but you must wear tennis shoes for any flats wading as broken glass and sharp objects could lie buried just beneath the surface.

The beach along A1A between Fort Pierce and Vero Beach is dotted with stairs that lead up and over the beach dunes.  While there are homes and high rises along this stretch, there are still some areas with public accessibility.  The beach stroll is delightful; the chance of finding a keeper high.  A bit further north, along the 21 mile stretch of beach at Canaveral National Seashore/Merritt Island Wildlife Refuge, you’re sure to find Prickly Cockles, Shark Eyes, Turkey and Angel Wings, Lightning Whelks and Calico Scallops in tidal pools and on flats just off the beach.  Wading shoes are a must. 

The beaches around St. Augustine are good shelling places too – Vilano Beach, St. Augustine Beach, Anastasia Island Beach.  Quaint and historic St. Augustine, America’s oldest city, is an added bonus.  Imagine, you can shell around Matanzas Inlet used by the Spaniards as a back door entrance to their settlement guarded by still-intact Castillo San Marcos, made of coquina shells, a favorite regional 16th century building material!

Practice the Sanibel Stoop! 

Bring along your patience and a strong back.

Slather on sunscreen, slap on a hat.  

Start looking for those keepers.

Like a siren’s song, they call to us.  By day, we are compelled to climb to the very top to gaze out to sea, hoping to see we know not what. In the pitch black of night the unique rhythmic cadence of their flashing beacon signaling out into the unknown is at once haunting and comforting.   

The oldest known lighthouse, the Pharos of Alexandria, one of the Seven Wonders of the World, was constructed by the ancient Greeks in the third century B.C. on the islet of Pharos marking the entrance to the major Medierranean port of Alexandria on the western tip of the Nile delta.  Rising 383-440 feet above the delta, it was one of the tallest man-made structures on earth for centuries.  Originally a daytime marker, the Romans later added fire and reflective mirrors for nighttime use.  As commerce and trade in Europe grew throughout the Middle Ages, lighthouses were built along the coasts of France and Italy.  During the competitive European maritime commerce of the 17th and 18th centuries, the number of lighthouses dotting the coastline of Europe increased dramatically.

The lifeblood of colonial America was dependent on maritime commerce.  As colonies grew, 11 lighthouses cropped up to safely guide vessels around dangerous rocks and shoals into the harbors of colonial towns.   

Boston Lighthouse

The first of these was a tower at the entrance to Boston Harbor on Little Brewster Island, built in 1716 and lit by tallow candles.  Accessible today by boat only, tours of this National Historic Landmark are offered June through October.  

Remarkably, the massive masonry stone light tower of the original 1764 Sandy Hook Light in New Jersey is still intact.  While an offshore light has lessened its importance, it still greets vessels entering New York’s busy harbor.      

Colonial lighthouses not ravished by nature were destroyed by the Civil War.  However, their role was so important that new ones were rebuilt on the same sites and many more added in the late 1800s.  To the delight of lighthouse lovers, many picturesque 19th century structures – some operational; others not - remain along America’s coastline and around the Great Lakes.  Made of brick, stone and masonry, distinctively painted in stark white, pitch-black, bright red, or painted in black and white stripes or diamonds, each holds a certain mystique.  We can only imagine what their eye has seen!

Florida’s extensive wrap-around coastline is dotted with historic lighthouses.  The oldest known structure in America, a Spanish watchtower in St. Augustine, appeared on a 1589 map belonging to Sir Francis Drake!  This precise location was so important for protection and navigation that subsequent towers were built on the same site by the English between 1763 and 1784, and the Americans after 1821, only to be washed away by coastal erosion.

St. Augustine Lighthouse

The current St. Augustine Lighthouse was built in 1876, about ¼ mile away from the original Spanish watchtower on more stable land, and is open to the public.  This distinctive black and white spiral banded lighthouse on Anastasia Island is said to be haunted, with good reason. The spirits of the keeper’s young daughters who perished there have been seen by some; the smell of cigar smoke from a keeper who fell to his death while painting the tower is detectable by others.   

While the history of the St. Augustine Lighthouse site is certainly older, the oldest existing lighthouse in Florida is the Cape Florida Lighthouse at the tip of upscale Key Biscayne in bustling Miami.  It, too, is open to the public. 

Cape Florida Lighthouse

Established in 1825, this little lighthouse, peacefully nestled among the sea oats on a sandy beach at Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Recreaton Area, has seen its share of violence and tragedy.  During the second Seminole War in 1836, it was under siege by the Indians who murdered the keeper’s family and left the assistant keeper for dead.  His account of his horrifying experience is told in the lighthouse museum.

Sombrero Key Light

Perched atop the submerged coral reefs paralleling the Florida Keys are a series of pile tower lighthouses, skeleton-like structures built in the late 1800s to keep mariners traveling the busy Gulf Stream shipping lanes from straying into the jagged reefs.

Prior to their existence, Spanish galleons traveling northward on the Gulf Stream, heavy with gold and jewels, where blown off course and torn apart by reefs, scattering their bounty along the path of destruction.  Some of their treasure, recovered buried under the sand by legendary Mel Fisher, is on display in the Mel Fisher Maritime Museum.  Similarly, later merchant schooners lost cargo and lives on the reef, leading to the lucrative salvage or wrecking industry in early Key West.

Since their construction, the skeletal arms of these lighthouses – Fowey, Carysfort, Alligator, Sombrero, American Shoal, Sand Key – have sustained ferocious hurricane winds, seen their keepers and their families perish, embraced Cuban and Haitian migrants trying to reach America, alerted against illegal drug boats speeding ashore for secret rendezvous, and mark some of the best snorkeling and recreational dive spots in the world.

Key West Lighthouse

 

The historic Key West Lighthouse is landlocked and open to the public.  The view of quaint Key West from the top is 360° wonderful!  The first lighthouse was built in 1825, only to be destroyed by the violent hurricane of 1848, which killed 14 people sheltering inside. The present tower was built in 1848, but over time the sea built up land around it, rendering it ineffective.

Garden Key Light atop Fort Jefferson

Seventy miles off Key West, perched on top of the brick walls of the remarkable Civil War-era Fort Jefferson is Garden Key Light.  The fascinating fort, appearing out of nowhere, a sliver of red brick appearing where blue sky meets turquoise sea, is a sight to behold on the day-long trip aboard the Yankee Freedom .  The isolated fort, 70 miles from land, is an engineering feat - visually incongruous, eerily isolated, extremely historic.   

Picturesque lighthouses dotting the outer banks of North Carolina belie the navigational challenges that lie offshore.  The lighthouses of Cape Hatteras, Cape Lookout, Cape Fear, Ocracoke Island, Bodie Island – all witnesses to the tragedies of this treacherous navigational hook of perilous shoals wicked currents, fierce winds, and dense, disorienting fog.  Besides the perils of nature encountered along this heavily traveled sea lane, mariners also contended with pirates, most nortorious among them, Blackbeard, who lurked among the coastal inlets, ready to pounce on passing merchant ships. 

During Civil War, the lighthouses of the Outer Banks were caught in a blockade/blockade-running tug of war between the Union and the Confederacy.  As recently as World War II, German U-boats prowled the Carolina coast in search a way to stage a submarine attack on the U.S.  In their efforts they sank so many merchant ships and Navy vessels the waters off the Outer Banks were known as Torpedo Junction. 

Cape Hatteras Lighthouse

Marking the easternmost tip of the elbow of the Outer Banks is one of the best known of U. S. lighthouses, Cape Hatteras Lighthouse.  Jutting out into the Altantic where the warmer Gulf Stream collides with the cold Labrador Current, the area is so treacherous it’s called the Graveyard of the Atlantic.

 One of the most interesting lighthouses, Tybee Island Lighthouse, sits at the mouth of the Savannah River, leading to the port of Savannah, the fourth busiest and fastest growing container port in the U.S.  Some form of a tower has sat on this very spot since 1736, guiding mariners safely into the Savannah River. 

Tybee Island Lighthouse

The present-day 1867 structure sits on the foundation of a brick tower built in 1773, which was built as on the site of the original wooden tower of 1736 , the third of the colonial lighthouses!

The venerable Old Charleston Lighthouse on Morris Island at the entrance to the port of Charleston is the eighth of the colonial lighthouses.  Ancient-looking, with the sea lapping at its edges, it was retired in 1962, but it’s a great photo op. 

America’s historic coastal guardians - Visit them, climb them, photograph them, paint them, collect miniatures as souvenirs.  Picturesque and charming, they command attention.

The Komodo Dragons saliva contains over 60 deadly bacteria. It is the largest lizard species on earth, growing up to 10 feet long and weighing up to 200 pounds. It is carnivorous and has been known to eat deer, pigs, water buffalo and people. The St. Augustine Alligator Farm Zoological Park in St. Augustine, Florida just opened a beautiful reptile exhibit for you to get up close and personal with these deadly lizards and see a 21 foot Python, too. Does it get any better?

Did I mention the King Cobra?

It’s no secret I’m a big fan of Zoos in general and Reptiles in particular. If it crawls, creeps, climbs, slithers or resembles a dinosaur, I’m there. The new Reptile Exhibit at the St. Augustine Alligator Farm Zoological Park is a wonderful addition to a great attraction and adds a lot to the Realm of the Saltwater Crocodile. The theme is pure Indonesian with interesting carvings, statues and music. It’s located just inside the Down Under area on the right just before the Saltwater Crocodiles where you come face to face with a feisty yet loveable, Komodo Dragon named “Krakatoa.”  He’s curious and darts his split tongue into the air trying to get a taste. Creepy.

Stepping inside your eyes adjust in time to see the 21 foot python curled up next to you on the right followed by the silvery Cobra. Next is an assortment of snakes and lizards that you could watch for hours. The musical soundtrack ebbs and flows to transport you to the steamy Indonesian jungles where many of these creatures are found. The Florida Museum of Natural History helped design the environments and they are first rate.

What a fun experience.

There are so many things to do and see at the St. Augustine Alligator Farm Zoological Park that when you’re in St. Augustine, Florida and need vacation ideas you have to stop and visit. Say hello to the new reptiles and enjoy the day. I’ll see you there.

Don’t miss the Bird Rookery when you’re there. Many of the fledgling birds are testing their wings now as the alligators gaze hungrily from below.

I knew going in that they had the advantage. I was out of my element. They were bigger, stronger and faster than me. Still, I slapped the water to call them closer. The dark, nine foot shadows darted past me and despite my best efforts, I hesitated. Suddenly, the beast broke the surface and rose up above my head. What now?

So I started to dance. Round in circles and side to side. Sunny the Dolphin danced with me almost laughing. I was clumsy he was not. Water was his medium. This gentle giant played with me and I was hooked.

Marineland just south of  St. Augustine, Florida is the World’s first Oceanarium built in 1938. It was designed to allow filming of sea creatures in a natural habitat. Time started to pass them by in recent years as new attractions to the south beckoned the tourists. Despite its amazing history, Marineland fell on hard times. It needed to reinvent the experience.

What has emerged is a research and conservation facility dedicated to dolphins and all marine life. Here the programs go from mild to wild. Stand on the edge, swim with the pod or become a trainer. Your choice. My daughter and I tried the Dolphin Discovery Program and after a brief educational talk we stood up to our waists in the dolphin pool and followed the trainer’s instructions. We petted, rubbed, kissed, danced, fed and splashed for 20 minutes with these amazing animals. It was thrilling. Now we want to go back and do more. The staff is outstanding here.

Marineland is a small, intimate facility on a beautiful stretch of beach. It’s not flashy or crowded. Be prepared to purchase photos of your experience and peruse the gift shop. Pack a picnic lunch and enjoy the grounds or head 5 minutes North past Summer Haven to the Matanzas Inlet for fun in the sun. This stretch of highway A1A is beautiful so take your time and bring what you need.

What a great way to relax and meet the oceans ambassadors. If you’re anywhere near St. Augustine, Florida and want a simple, historic, unique and exciting adventure this is your place. Turn off the cell phone, stare at the ocean and escape. 

More Photos Here.

His shiny black eye never blinked. I shifted my weight from one foot to the other waiting for an opening. Slowly… ever so slowly…his head creeped up and to the right. I held my breath. His algae-covered, yellowed teeth glistened with saliva. I wanted to move but didn’t dare. Just then, a white blur split the air above him as muscular jaws flew open then snapped down with a satisfying crunch, crunch, crunch. It was over. I began to breath again.

The St. Augustine Alligator Farm and Zoological Park in St. Augustine, Florida knows how to put on a good show. The main pit was surrounded by spectators tall and small when the two women began climbing in with the gators. Murmurs went through the crowd. “Are they nuts?”

Turns out they weren’t. They knew each and every alligator including their habits. “Watch that one he likes to chase us. Don’t turn your back to that one over there” A new staff member was being indoctrinated to the finer points of walking through teeth and tails. We learned about alligator behavior and saw an alligator feeding demonstration before exploring the rest of the park.

What I love about this place is the constant improvements to the grounds, shows and experiences. For just $50 you can enter the alligator compound, feed the beast and have your picture snapped under the watchful eyes of the amazing staff. $35 gets six of you into the Galapagos tortoise enclosure for a visit with these gentle giants. The grounds are beautiful, peaceful and refreshing.

Right now through May is prime bird rookery viewing in the swamp. Although some birds are here year round like the Roseate Spoonbills, many species like the Great Herons, Snowy Egrets, and Tri-colored Egrets all roost here seasonally to raise their chicks. It’s a symbiotic relationship. The gators protect the bird nests from predators and if occasionally a chick falls out… the gators get a meal. Each party seems happy with the arrangement.

Coming soon to the Park is a new snake exhibit and in anticipation of the opening they have acquired…get this…a twenty one foot, nine inch Python! It is one of the largest snakes in captivity and takes seven people to carry it. Can’t wait for the display.

The St. Augustine Alligator Farm Zoological Park is filled with exotic birds and mammals. Maximo, the giant saltwater crocodile and heir to the Gomek throne, is a treat. The Cape Griffon Vultures are creepy. The shows and programs are fun, informative and entertaining. Hats off to this wonderful attraction in              St. Augustine, Florida for continuing to raise the bar. More Photos Here.

Savannah, Georgia is a town I enjoy. History, architecture and creepiness combine with creative, eccentric folks living there for a singular experience. Of course, it rained non-stop.

I was doing a ride-along on our Ghosts and Gravestones in Savannah, which starts at the riverfront and goes to the Sorrel Weed House for the big finish. As always, I had a blast.

The ghost stories are well told and the atmosphere of the Sorrel Weed House is spooky. (Major kudos to Danica for the excellent design and art work of the Voodoo Room.) Everyone contributes so much here and SCAD is a great resource.

Both Savannah and St. Augustine have a natural creepiness similar to New Orleans in my opinion. Maybe it’s the spanish moss? Just seems to be a thickness, a heaviness that lingers over them and makes the shadows longer. One of my favorite things is to walk in these towns when they are quiet and dark. Listening, looking and remembering. See you in Savannah.

Halloween is just around the corner and one of my favorite Holidays. As a kid, it was the candy. Now, it’s the fantasy. I love seeing people dress up and become other characters. (You can tell a lot about people by the characters they choose). Pirates, Pop stars or witches the spectacle is endless.

The photo is from our Ghosts & Gravestones tour in Boston, MA. We also have them in Savannah, GA and St. Augustine, FL. All of them are different and each of them is a blast.

I’m involved with ghosts and storytelling year round but the height of the season is that day of days, October 31st. What are you doing this year? Countdown begins!

If you need some inspiration visit Bucky’s Boneyard or the Monster List of Halloween Projects.

The 442nd Birthday Celebration for St. Augustine, Florida went off beautifully thanks to the efforts of John Fraser, Michelle Reyna and the rest of the gang at the Fountain of Youth. (You can see a few more pics of the event at Flickr.) A good time was had by all and I participated in the Historic Timeline as British Merchant and notorious scalliwag, Jesse Fish, along with the two esteemed gentlemen in the photo. The arrival of Don Pedro Menendez at the Mission of Nombre de Dios was met with great fanfare and cannon firings. There was a “first thanksgiving foods” cooking contest, cutting of the cake at the Colonial Spanish Quarter and a “Jollification” at the end of the night. We ended up at the Taberna del Gallo listening to my favorite group, The Bilge Rats, singing sea shanty’s. There is no finer Shantyman then Brad Taylor-Hicks. All in all, a wonderful 442nd birthday celebration for the Nation’s Oldest City.

Are you kidding me? At least he wore a latex glove for protection…

This is my buddy Jim doing what he does best. Defying Death. He is so attuned to the hundreds of gators here that it’s eerie. I’ll pass on the hand feeding of 12 foot gators, thank you very much. I’m brave… but really.

The St. Augustine Alligator Farm and Zoological Park in St. Augustine, Florida is a sheer delight. One of the finest animal sites I have ever visited. They hold the rare distinction of exhibiting every known species of the 23 crocodilians in existence. They even have white albino alligators and the ferocious saltwater crocodile, Maximo weighing in at 1250 pounds and stretching to over 15 feet.

Of course, my favorite shows are the feedings but they also have fantastic birds including a great vulture display and a world famous rookery where you can take photographs of nesting birds only inches away. Giant Galapagos tortoises, monkeys and emus. The list goes on and on. I appreciate that they continuously upgrade and improve this already wonderful place. The St. Augustine Alligator Farm and Zoological Park is one of my favorite stops in St. Augustine. This is a can’t miss in Florida.

The Scenic Cruise aboard the Victory III in St. Augustine, Florida is a nice way to see the City from the water. The Usina Family has been providing this narrated service for four generations. During the trip around the Matanzas Bay you see the the Castillo de San Marcos, Mission of Nombre de Dios Cross, The Lighthouse and the Bridge of Lions restoration project in full swing. Snacks and drinks are available on board and the ship is stable and stays in the intercoastal waters for about 90 minutes. Make sure to talk to the Captain who is always one of the Usina Family. A nice tradition in the Oldest City.