The Shell Factory and Nature Park

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• Anynomous

  31 December 2017

  Much improved, the zoo is all rescue animals and they seem to be happy. Lots of animals. The park does show its age but it’s still good enough. Kids love it

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• Anynomous

  29 December 2017

  I'm conflicted with this place. On the one hand, the visit was fine enough and probably about the best they can do with the revenue they bring in. On the other hand, I'm unsure if this is the best place for many of these rescue animals due to the limitations the facility is working with (space, money, etc). Most animals seemed content but a few seemed lightly stressed. Since I'm not a trained animal care facility operator I'm hoping that this place is up to reasonable and modern standards.

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• Anynomous

  18 December 2017

  We were never there before. They have plenty of places to eat. They had live music. All kinds of fish and sea life hanging up. The staff was very friendly. My drink was very vood. I ordered the coconut shrimp. Very well done and great tasting. A little slow on the service but they were very crowded. I will go back.

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• Anynomous

  28 November 2017

  Nice experience with a large variety of animals from around the world. Nice staff, seem knowledgeable and very helpful. The shop has tons to look at and buy, great variety, and the ice cream shop was super delicious, with generous size scoops of ice cream, for a very reasonable price.

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• Anynomous

  03 November 2017

  Over $4 for a bottle of beer. (rip off for this area) Ripped chairs, very dirty. Everything rusty. Charm? No the owners obviously gave up or don't have a clue. Could be fun for kids ages 5 thru 10. They either invest some money and fix it up, or my guess is this will be their last season. Could be almost nice.

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• Anynomous

  14 October 2017

  Lots to see and do here. From a shell Museum to a Nature Park. They have a post office the store at the shell factory has everything from a year-round Christmas area to an ice cream shop and homemade fudge. There is a nice seafood restaurant that offers live entertainment daily. There even is a zipline.

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• Anynomous

  08 October 2017

  Had a blast here with the family and friends. Cool place to visit. Good nature park huge gift shop that was awesome to hangout in a walk around. The restaurant was good as well. Good food and prompt courteous service. A day well spent

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• Anynomous

  24 September 2017

  This place is pretty neat. There are tons of shops inside you can buy unique gifts and decorations for your home. The nature park in the back is like a mini zoo. There is even a petting zoo in the far back with goats and cows. Fun place to bring the family. I come here at least once a month or so.

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• Anynomous

  18 September 2017

  Hard to rate this place. Went a couple of days after hurricane Irma. Almost nothing open or working. Kids had fun feeding the turtles and the fish. To be honest the attractions are a little pricey. The gift shop is huge. Bought the girls a few dresses that were cute. But that is about it. There is a bar outside but did not sit down to see what they had.

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• Anynomous

  15 August 2017

  The nature park is the reason for my 5 star review, it was so unique and natural looking with a wooden trellis overhead throughout with vines and cool plants. The animals had big areas with lots of stuff to keep them busy and happy. There were so many different types like owls, zebras, parrots, huge lizards, + many more. Loved the bird enclosure where you can walk in and the birds are flying around and can even land on you which is awesome. Will definitely be back!

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• Anynomous

  03 July 2017

  The shell factory is usually great however today we had the most unpleasant experience with an employee. I was told her name is Kathy. She has short white hair and was working in the Pearl section. I had been looking for a bathroom to change my daughters diaper and had already been given directions to two that were unavailable (one was stopped up and one was being remodeled) so when I asked Kathy for directions to the bathroom I clarified a few times just to avoid walking around more with my daughter (she's heavy and the place is huge!). However, when I asked for clarification, this woman literally rolled her eyes at me and her tone became increasingly exasperated! She continued to roll her eyes and her tone became more and more rude. I couldn't believe it! I would still recommend visiting the shell factory but avoid all interaction with this person! And management, maybe a conversation with employees about respectful customer service is long overdue? It definitely left a sour taste in my mouth.

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• Anynomous

  30 June 2017

  We went here when they had a Groupon special and we had family in town, and it was really fun for a day trip. Our kids loved the animal preserve (especially feeding the turtles) and the mini golf was also fun, even though it was a little run down. You could easily spend most of a day here. We plan to go back when we have family on town again.

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• Anynomous

  16 June 2017

  Neat place! Lots to see and explore, and lots of fun for the kids. Make sure to check out the nature park there is a lot more to it than you think. Lots of cool things to see inside. Nice friendly staff

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• Anynomous

  09 June 2017

  It's a bright, playful, massive shopping center with unique offerings. The service is decent. Lots of shells. Lots of t-shirts. A cute Christmas section. Second rate fudge, but that's probably Mackinac Island talking. The factory has a nature center and an amusement park (the Soaring Eagle is of particular interest right now), as well as a some restaurants that specialize in fudge, ice cream, subs, fish, and generalized American faire.
  
  A rather historical tourist trap that offers interesting programs for people in the area (a camping program in the nature park at this point in time), it's worth a visit if you're in the area.

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• Anynomous

  01 June 2017

  Take your kids here, please and you must go several times as this place offers so much for family's. The store and museum is enough for one trip, although you could finish that visit with a ride on the zip line and then ice cream. I want to go back and take the nature walk. After my trip to the store and museum I sat outside in the shade and enjoyed a beer while listening to live entertainment. While relaxing I noticed a large sandwich board announcing a sleep - over for kids and parents with a night time nature walk and a star gazing talk. Fun, family, Florida.

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