On our way back to Sanibel from a day in Naples, we couldn’t resist stopping to see sunset at Little Hickory Beach in Bonita Beach.
Oooooh I’m so glad we did! Not only did we see a gorgeous sunset, but we spotted a shell or two.
Then another!
The further I walked the more I saw!
That’s when I met locals Michael (North Ft Myers) and Cheri (Lehigh) who were collecting some of these gorgeous shells.
Then Michael plucked this awesome ALPHABET CONE out of his shell bag!
Wait! The sun was going down too quickly! We wanted to shell some more after seeing that CONE! Hmmmmm… but low tide would be in the morning. Ha! Yes, you guessed it. Clark and I went back at low tide and found a treasure trove of shells. Weeeee! But I’m so sorry! I’ll have to show you those tomorrow since there is so much to do to get ready for Thanksgiving holiday. FYI- If you are in the area and not having much luck finding shells, it’s only a 40 minute drive from Sanibel (if you don’t get caught up in the traffic on Ft Myers Beach). There’s a gazillion FIGHTING CONCHS! For more info on Little Hickory, check out my other posts HERE.
These are some of the most beautiful photos I’ve ever seen! Thank you for sharing them…it’s one of the reasons I love to blog! Happy Thanksgiving!
Hi Pam,
Little Hickory is my favorite place for shelling! Every single time we have gone there we have always left with hundreds of shells! And, at a good low tide – we have always had great luck finding sand dollars, too. I have also found 3 huge horse conchs there, fully intact, along with many other huge ones that were not quite intact. This is definitely the place to go for shelling with the guarantee of always finding tons of shells!
OOooooo, gorgeous photos, and sounds like cool shells too. Can’t wait to see what you found Pam!
Beautiful pictures Pam .. thanks for sharing ! And Happy Thanksgiving to you & Clark .
These pictures are really beautiful, and incredible. I live in Texas (about an hour or two away from Galveston Island, actually) and never see sunsets like this, though on lucky mornings we can see beautiful orange-red sunrises! Unfortunately, I’m not as big of a sheller as I would like to be. Galveston doesn’t have many shells, and when you find them, they’re usually all the same, are small, and are partially (if not completely) crushed :\
I know this is extremely off topic (well, kind of) but I would really like to live near Sanibel Island whilst in college. I’m only a junior in high school, but I’m looking for a community college, possibly out of state, near the ocean- hopefully one with shells. I don’t believe Sanibel or Captiva have community colleges, but is there somewhere near these areas, and where I can find affordable apartments?
Thanks! :]
Smart girl you are!! Wish I had done that! I will never regret my fun times in college, but one near a beach would have made it so much better! Good luck finding one!
Villa, check out Edison State College or Gulf Coast University. There are also a multitude of other schools in the Lee & Collier County areas.
Vikka…we’ve been vacationing on Sanibel for 20 yrs and finally bought a place here (I say “here” becuase we are here for Thanksgiving!) where we visit often from MI, so my four kids are quite familiar with the area. When a junior in high school, my daughter started looking at colleges in the Ft Myers area and is now a freshman at Florida Gulf Coast University. It is a fantastic university and she is very happy there. Check them out at fgcu.edu. There is also Edison State College. Good Luck!
ALWAYS cool to see the sunset or sunrise. Though I like sunset better-what a way to end the day! Oooh, another shelling spot/destination to check out! ;-)
Happy Thanksgiving y’all!
Beautiful sunset! My favorite ending to a wonderful day you captured beautifully!!
Ive read your past blogs of little hickory and have wanted to swing by there since your posts about it. When we come in January for the shellabaloo we are spending Monday at little hickory before its time for check in at Sanibel Inn and start Shellabaloo! We hope to have some great shells upon our arrival of Shellabaloo!!!
Im excited to see all those treasures at little hickory that you have blogged about!!!
Thank you soooo much Pam for sharing such beauty!! Happy Thanksgiving to you and Clark.
Lordy! I love that place. I find more abc cones there than any place else. The sundown should not be a problem to the owner of the 230 lumens Nightstick flashlight :D Early morning low tide is the best out there.
Really..early morning tide??? Hummm..wonder if hubby would be up for an early morning road trip one morning we are there. Tide is suppose to be really low too..like –0.7 &–0.9 to. –1.0!!!
Hummm….hubby not so keen gettin up that early and actually functioning..lol..maybe cause its the shellabaloo someone will want to go with me? Thats an idea…you have given me something to think about! Lol…thanx!!!
Wow those are awesome shots Pam! Guess I will have to mark Little Hickory as another beach to visit when I am back here. Sadly leaving tomorrow to head back to Canada but I will be back in March. Thanks for some great shelling tips. I found a lot of gorgeous conchs and so many other shells out at Gulfside Park on the weekend. My treasure from this trip will be the Colorful Moon shell I found.
Why have I never been to Little Hickory Beach before?!? We’ve always just driven through Bonita Springs on our way to points elsewhere, not realizing such a gem is close by. Could you please give me directions (from 75) for future reference? Muchas gracias!
Wow Pam – amazing shots!!! Love them!! Will have to remember that for my next trip. Glad you guys went back and cant wait to see your finds. But for now I am going to stare into these gorgeous shots!!
Hey Pam…I am looking at google maps..assuming you take Estero blvd all the way through ft myer beach and it curves, crosses a bridge it looks like and then road becomes hickory blvd…once your at the begining of hickory blvd and estero how far down is hickory beach about? Ive read its #10..does this mean mile marker 10 meaning 10 miles? Not sure if this is a question for you or Clark.
Thanx for the locational help!
You can’t miss it. As soon as you go over the bridge, take your first right. There are 2 parking lots with a big sign.
Traci, are you going to go there??
Yeah Kim..the monday that Shellabaloo starts, 1/7. We will be in Tampa and hotel check in isnt until 3pm and shellabaloo starts. So I figure we’d leave Tampa at like 7am..get to Hickory bout 10am..hang out and shell for a few hours and head to Sanibel bout 12: 30ish…go to gramma dots for lunch by about 1: 30ish and go check in by 3pm!
Thats what Im planning anyway! :)
@Pam…thanx…it helps to know when my turn would be!!
Beautiful photos Pam! Happy Thanksgiving – hugs from Kim.
Love, love, love the pictures of the sunset and the shells. They are just gorgeous!
Now I have a new beach to checkout when I return to Florida in February.
Thanks for sharing.
What gorgeous pictures! I keep changing my screen saver picture every time I see an especially nice photo. I chose the 2nd one . I’ll also have to see if I can get to Little Hickory beech. Hope everyone has a Happy Thanksgiving.
Pat
Thanks for the tip…not much happening shell wise on the island the last 5days…
BEAUTIFUL pictures Pam!! Thanks for sharing!! Happy Thanksgiving to you and Clark from Hampton Roads Virginia!!
Happy Thanksgiving! Thank you again for such wonderful pictures!
Pam,
LOVE the sunset picture. What camera do you use? Your pictures are always great.
Happy Thanksgiving to all
Such a lovely sunset and what pretty shells. Wish I lived near a beach like that.