J-Bay Shell Museum

If your children love collecting shells from the beach as much as mine do then this is a lovely outing if you are visiting Jeffrey’s Bay. The Shell Museum is managed by the Humansdorp Museum Association and supported by Kouga Municipality. The museum houses a treasure trove of beautiful shells on display in large glass cabinets. A small gift shop sells shell memorabilia, and my daughter was thrilled to buy a box completely decorated in shells. These tiny shells are called micro shells and although fully grown they are tiny in size. The unique collection of micro shells on display was put together by Philip Steenkamp and Tana Kruger with the help of Alwyn Marais from Shell Collectors of South Africa.

History of the Shell Museum

These shell houses were made by the late Mr. Hattingh and even have small furniture and people inside the houses.

Our visit was not long but definitely memorable. I love seeing natural history being celebrated and preserved for future generations. ~ G.S