After 86 years of serving the community as a family-friendly entertainment destination, the Shell Factory & Nature Park announced plans to close. The park’s final days of operation will be the weekends of Sept. 20-22 and Sept. 27-29 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., after which all operations will close to the public. During this time, the Nature Park and Gift Shop will be open, and the park’s on-site restaurants, the Southern Grill and Tommy’s Outdoor Cafe will serve a limited menu while supplies last. The Fun Park will be closed, effective immediately.

Established in North Fort Myers in 1938, the 18-acre, Old Florida roadside attraction entertained multiple generations with amusement-style rides, arcade games, miniature golf, 50,000 square feet of gift shops, a 4.5-acre nature park with more than 400 animals, birds, reptiles and fish. Despite efforts to find a buyer to take over the park’s expansive operations, longtime owner Pam Cronin, who preserved the property and its traditions for the past 27 years, made the decision to close the Shell Factory and sell the property.