Sanibel Island named 'top shelling beach'

Sanibel Island has been named as one of the "Top Shelling Beaches" in the July 2008 issue of Travel + Leisure magazine.

The highly regarded travel magazine, with a circulation of 950,000, praises Southwest Florida's Sanibel Island as being the "shellers' Mecca" and acknowledges it as among the top beaches to "find the best unburied treasures in the U.S."

According to Travel + Leisure Editor Nancy Novogrod, traveling to new destinations in the U.S. is the popular trend for the summer.

"Staying closer to home is no fallback plan," Novogrod says, "especially when you consider how many entertaining new experiences there are to be had."

The Beaches of Fort Myers & Sanibel yields some 400 species of multi-colored seashells, from the commonplace scallop and clam to the exotic tulips, olives, fragile paper fig shells and the rarest of them all, the brown speckled junonia. The destination is internationally known for its sunny skies, gulf breezes and world class shelling. Beach goers can look for shells strewn across the beach or hidden just beneath the surface of the sand where the surf breaks, or by wading and snorkeling along the surf line.

For more details on Sanibel Island's award-winning shelling and unspoiled natural environment, or for information on planning a vacation to The Beaches of Fort Myers and Sanibel, visit www.Fort- MyersSanibel.com