Life is like a train track … full of possibilities!
Model railroad enthusiasts will not only agree with this sentiment, but will probably be among the first in line as Shell Point reopens its popular Gulf Coast Model Railroad this month.
Shaped as the State of Florida, the 43-foot-by-41-foot Gulf Coast Model Railroad is set in the 1950s and 1960s, offering guests a unique perspective of notable sites throughout the state. The model railroad display features several running trains and hundreds of recognizable miniature geographic landmarks, such as Tallahassee’s old Capitol Building, Pensacola freight yards, the Gainesville Gator Bowl, Walt Disney World, Kennedy Space Center with an orbiting space shuttle, the Everglades, and the Sanibel Lighthouse, among others.
The model railroad began in 1973, as a hobby for retirees at Shell Point. Today, volunteers and residents continue to maintain the railroad for thousands of visitors.
Free tours are available from 1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. every Monday, Wednesday and Friday until April 2019. The model railroad is located at the Creativity Center on The Island at Shell Point, 15101 Shell Point Boulevard in Fort Myers, close to the Sanibel Causeway.
