Marco Island: Wildlife Boat Tour & Private Shelling Beach

4.98

(1039 reviews)

What’s the experience like?

I didn’t expect to feel so quiet out there, honestly. We left Goodland Boat Park (which is easy enough to find — there’s sunscreen for sale if you forget yours, like I did) and slipped into the Ten Thousand Islands on this wildlife sightseeing and shelling tour. The water was that greenish-blue you only get in Florida, and our captain — I think his name was Mike? — started pointing out these tiny mangrove islands. He had this way of talking about the birds like they were old friends. At one point he slowed down so we could watch a dolphin surface right next to us. It was close enough that I could hear its breath over the hum of the engine, which made me laugh for some reason.

The boat was shaded (thank god), and we had cold water from the cooler while Mike told us how far these islands actually stretch — it’s wild, you can’t see where they end. After maybe half an hour weaving through the channels, we pulled up to this empty stretch of sand. Not sure what I expected from “shelling,” but there were these spiral shells and little sand dollars everywhere. The air smelled salty-sweet, almost grassy from the mangroves, and my kid spent ages filling her shell bag (included) with things I’m still finding in our luggage weeks later.

There’s something about watching your kid run barefoot on a beach you can only reach by boat — it sticks with you longer than you’d think. Mike showed us how to spot live shells (we put those back), and he seemed genuinely happy when my daughter found a big conch. We didn’t rush; nobody cared about time out there. So yeah, if you’re looking for a day trip from Marco Island or want something mellow but actually interesting for all ages, this is it.