Seashells are an exciting find during a trip to Sanibel Island. However, they didn’t just come into being on their own, they had a little help from the creatures that once called them home. Learn about some of the animals that help to make the shells and specimen we all love to hunt and search for! Mollusks Mollusks make up [...]
Although pirates Jose Gaspar and Black Caesar once roamed the blue-green waters of Southwest Florida pillaging and hiding their booty, not all of Sanibel Island’s treasure is buried. Here’s a list of “island treasures” ready and waiting for you to discover on your Sundial Beach Resort & Spa vacation. Mermaids are Real! European sailors told tales of the mythical half [...]
What do you get for one of the most important people in your life? Why not skip the mall and make mom something instead? Gather up your favorite shells from your last family vacation and put them to great use, making something special for Mother’s Day. We’ve pulled together a few of our favorite crafts to help get you inspired! [...]
Shelling is one of those activities that has almost no age limit and can be enjoyed by everyone in the family. We’ve had some particularly good shelling this winter and wanted to share our favorite finds. If you’re looking to learn more about shelling and what you can find on our beaches, sign up for a Discover Shelling class with [...]
Sundial is proud to be the location of Sanibel Sea School’s satellite campus. In fact, we have live tanks on site that are used to house found specimens and a classroom to help teach our guests more about the local ecology. We asked Kalli Unthank of Sanibel Sea School to show us around the tanks and the classroom and share [...]
Next month, Sanibel Island will play host to the 82nd Annual Sanibel Island Shell Festival. The Shell Festival is a three day educational, entertaining and fundraising event where all proceeds go to support marine education and conservation organizations in the area as well as scholarship funds to the University of South Florida and Florida Gulf Coast University Departments of Marine [...]
Winter is one of the best times of year to shell on Sanibel Island. According to our resident experts at Sanibel Sea School: The winter months often bring strong weather fronts and, with them, great opportunities for shelling. When fronts arrive, there are usually strong winds that stir things up and create rough seas. The resulting waves wash many gastropods and [...]
Christmas is right around the corner and we’re here to help! For your last minute stocking stuffers, holiday hostess gifts, teacher appreciation presents and everyone else on your list that needs a little something special, we’ve compiled our favorite shell crafts of the year! So break out your Sanibel shell collection and plug in your glue gun, it’s time to [...]
One of the best parts about taking a beach vacation is getting to bring a piece of that trip home with you in the form of a shell. It is no secret, Sanibel Island is one of the best places in the world to go shelling and even us locals haven’t gotten tired of it! In honor of this year’s [...]
Anyone who has visited Sanibel knows this to be true: there are a lot of shells! But what do you do with all the shells you’ve collected once you get home? How about crafting them into fun and festive holiday décor and gifts to share with your family and friends? We’ve collected a few ideas that we hope you will [...]