TAMPA, Fla. — Ever been back-scratched by an alligator foot on a stick after you make hard-core eye contact with Zoltar, the animatronic fortune-telling machine?
Welcome to the Shell Factory and Nature Park in North Fort Myers.
Pam Cronin is the owner.
“So, we have somewhere between 1 and 2 million shells,” she said, walking down the conch aisle. (Yeah, a whole aisle — it’s nuts if you love shells. Pace yourself.)
Cronin took over the iconic Florida road stop 26 years ago.
“But we also have all kinds of things like alligator foot back scratchers,” Cronin said. “We have turned it into an eclectic mish-mash from a property that was in bankruptcy and foreclosure when we purchased it.”
It opened in the late 1930s and at the time was called the biggest gift shop in the country.
“We’ve had just about everything you could possibly want from the state of Florida,” Cronin said.
From the Sunshine State — and a nice chunk of the wider world.
You can pick a Japanese oyster out of a huge ceramic shell filled with ice — and see a little sea memento pop out.
The oysters are x-rayed, so each one has a pearl. You can’t lose.
And then there is a coral room.
“We are very fortunate because we have such a large collection of coral,” Cronin said. “It’s very restrictive, which we think is a wonderful thing.”
Cronin supports conservation and rescue.
So it only makes sense Cronin’s addition to the shell factory grounds is a place for animal rescues.
One of the people devoted to animal care is Jason Paszkiewicz.
He showed us a few moments of animal care, with lemurs and sloths.
It’s a perfect place for Pasziewicz — who was already rescuing exotic birds and dreaming of a career helping animals, like sloths dream of fresh veggies.
“It’s just — I love it. It’s not like your boring nine-to-five desk job,” Pasziewicz said. “It’s always changing. Everything’s always different.”
Cronin is working to continue repairs to the park required by damage from Hurricane Ian.
“It is absolutely a labor of love. That’s what you call something that’s not hugely profitable,” Cronin said. “Taking care of the animals is really important. We love that.”
Welcoming new life to Old Florida.
“We give them homes for life, and that’s the very important part,” Cronin said.