Sea Shell City, Cheboygan

Really cool shop to visit if you're in the area. This place is huge, and has an equally huge variety of relatively cheap trinkets like keychains, clothing, picture frames, and other things you might find in a tourist shop. Most people will find something interesting and affordable to purchase. Of course, there are seemingly endless aisles of any and all types of shells you can imagine, including ones that are decorated, dyed, and cut into cross-sections. You can get quite a few of these for a bargain. What really makes this place unique is that you can pay to open an oyster of your choice, then you get to keep the pearl you find inside! My grandmother had fun doing this, then having the 2 pearls she found fashioned into a pair of earrings. There are also some ENORMOUS pieces of shipping equipment, pieces of coral, and other neat artifacts from the sea that most people can't afford, but are eye-catching and fun to inspect. The worst part of my visit BY FAR was the incredibly high temperature in the store. I don't know if they have air conditioning or not; if they do it doesn't work or wasn't running. The few ceiling fans they did have were barely moving, preventing any meaningful air circulation and leaving an almost entirely stagnant, humid atmosphere that was even hotter than the extreme heat outside. The employees were always present, friendly, and helpful, so in all I'd recommend this shop to anyone. However, keep in mind that (at the time of this writing) it's unbearably hot inside.

My husband and I LOVE stopping to this amazing store every year for our Anniversary. So many cool things to buy. Each section has a theme. And they have a big table full of gift wrapped surprise boxes for all ages.