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The Best North Carolina Beaches for Shells

Shelling is the art and hobby of finding and collecting seashells. Searching for additions to a shell collection or starting a new one involves time and patience. North Carolina beaches can provide an ideal backdrop for shells since the Atlantic Ocean deposits shells along the Eastern seaboard. The best beaches for shells are located up and down the coast of North Carolina.

Cape Lookout National Seashore
- Cape Lookout National Seashore spans 56 miles in the Outer Banks and is located on Harkers Island. The only way to access the beach is to arrive by ferry or private boat. There are no paved roads on the island so visitors will need to walk or use a four wheel drive vehicle. Shell collecting is popular at the beach since the area is undisturbed in comparison to easily accessible areas. The beach has a limit on removing shells from the area and a maximum of two gallons of shells may be removed per day per person. The park also requests all visitors to carefully check shells and to not remove those containing animals and to only collect completely empty shells.
  
  Cape Lookout National Seashore
  
  131 Charles Street
  
  Harkers Island, NC 28531
  
  252-728-2250
  
  nps.gov
Hammocks Beach State Park
- Hammocks Beach State Park is located on Bear Island and can only be reached by private boat or ferry. The area is undeveloped, with the exception of the park facilities that include a centrally located bath house in the center of the island. Shell collecting is popular at the park and the area is also known for being home to many nesting loggerhead turtles. When shelling at the beach, visitors are asked to be aware of turtles and to not disturb them while collecting sea shells. Park rules state that while shelling is allowed, collectors are prohibited from taking driftwood or vegetation from the beach.
  
  Hammocks Beach State Park
  
  1572 Hammocks Beach Road
  
  Swansboro, NC 28584
  
  910-326-4881
  
  ncparks.gov
Fort Fisher State Recreation Area
- Fort Fisher State Recreation Area is the beach area that is situated on Pleasure Island and lies between the Cape Fear River and the Atlantic Ocean. The combination of both bodies of water provides for unique shelling opportunities at the park. Shell collectors can find an assortment of shells such as North Carolina's state shell, the Scotch Bonnet, along with a host of other shells including conch, auger and even an occasional sand dollar.
  
  Fort Fisher State Recreation Area
  
  1000 Loggerhead Rd
  
  Kure Beach, NC 28449
  
  910-458-5798
  
  nps.gov

Sea Shell Collecting