Shell Factory now features antique carousel
The Shell Factory & Nature Park has spent the last year forging ahead.
Last week it also dipped back into the past.
On Monday Dec. 23, the iconic attraction opened its antique carousel to the public and will offer this attraction seven days a week.
The park was given the carousel as a gift by a local donor who wishes to remain anonymous. The donor is a longtime visitor to the Shell Factory and is grateful the family-fun destination could accept the donation and keep the carousel close to home.
Built in the 1920s, the full-size carousel was produced by the C.W. Parker Company. Encompassing a 36-foot diameter, the ride boasts two chariots and 20 painted horses and “travels” at three miles per hour.
For the young and old alike, the three-and-a-half-minute ride is accompanied by calliope music and gives riders the experience of taking a stroll down memory lane. The cost to ride the carousel is $1 per person.
Shell Factory & Nature Park employees helped restore and repair the carousel prior to assembling it on the property. Much of the time spent painting, sanding and retrofitting was on a volunteer basis.
The hope was to have it open in time for the Winter Celebration last weekend, but weather and finishing touches set that back a bit.
The carousel is part of a long list of new things happening at the Shell Factory.
The North Fort Myers attraction has recently opened its Player’s Circle Theater and will soon open Tommy’s Tiki Bar next to Capt. n Fishbones, which will soon be rebranded The Southern Grill.
The Shell Factory and Nature Park is at 16554 Cleveland Ave. (U.S. 41).