You’re probably already planning fun things to do while booking your vacation rentals in Panama City Beach. Luckily, there is a lot to do, including going shelling around Panama City Beach. There are quite a few excellent spots where you can find shells, but you might not discover all of them on your first visit.
Luckily for you, we have the low-down on where to find the best seashells in Panama City Beach. We also have some creative ideas for you to try with the shells that you find.
How to Find the Best Shells on Panama City Beach
One of the best places in Panama City Beach to go shelling is the aptly named Shell Island. You can get there by taking the shuttle from Saint Andrew State Park that runs every half-hour. You can also opt to take a private charter to the island. This tranquil island is full of pelicans and dolphins swimming by as much as it is shells, so be sure to bring a camera! Shell Island can get a bit crowded at peak hours, but if you hit it at the right time, you can find a vast array of shells.
The Panama City beaches are also ripe with shells if you go at the right time. If you go early in the morning when tide is low, you can get a lot of shells. You might also want to check out Ten Thousand Islands, which is uninhabited and usually pretty quiet early in the morning. While there, check the wrack line, which is where debris comes in at high tide during the night. The higher up you go, the more sun-bleached shells you’ll find. The newer, shinier ones will be lower.
What kinds of shells can you find in Panama City?
You can find a wide array of shells here. You’ll find a variety of cockles, from the Atlantic Giant Cockle to the beautiful Velvet Egg Cockle. The Spiny Jewel Box is a unique shell that is great for crafting with, as is the Lightning Whelk. There are also a lot of conches, including the King’s Crown Conch, Florida Fighting Conch, and Immature Fighting Conch. The Baby’s Ear is a cool shell that looks great integrated into jewelry, and the ever-popular sand dollar can be found here.
Where to Go
Shelling in Panama City Beach is all about where you go and when you go there. You will need to get up and head out from your Panama City beach vacation rentals around sunrise. You might get lucky and find some shells right along the beachfront but going out to more remote locations like Shell Island and Ten Thousand Islands will have more ample opportunities to find unique, unbroken shells.
Creative Uses for Your Shells
You’ve got your shells and have taken them back to your Panama City Beach condo rental– but now what? Crafting with shells is one of the most family-friendly activities in Panama City.
An easy one for kiddos is using air-dry clay to press a shell into, paint, and wear as a pendant on a necklace. If you want to do something more intricate, try placing your shells into a seashell crown, perhaps with a dried sand star as the centerpiece.
Another crafty idea is to paint your shells, place some googly eyes on them, and turn them into fish! You can even place magnets on their backs and put them on the fridge. You could also attach colored strands of yarn to the bottom and make it into a jellyfish.
Book a Panama City Beach Condo Rental
While staying in one of the gorgeous Panama City Beach condo rentals here, spend some time combing the beach for shells. You will uncover an array of vividly colored and uniquely shaped shells. Each shell tells a story, and you can tell your vacation story by crafting with these stunning shells. Pick a good time to shell, collect the ones that ‘speak’ to you, then go get your crafting on!
