Shell Point Retirement Community’s popular Gulf Coast Model Railroad attraction is open for season! Free tours are open to the public from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. every Monday, Wednesday and Friday through April 2019.

Modeled in the shape of Florida, the 43'-by-41' Gulf Coast Model Railroad is set in the 1950s and 1960s, offering guests a unique perspective of notable sites throughout 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, Everglades, Sanibel Lighthouse, and even Shell Point Retirement Community.

Welcoming visitors since 1973, the Gulf Coast Model Railroad is operated and maintained by Shell Point resident volunteers, who serve as conductors on each complimentary tour “around the state” for more than 3,000 guests each year. Throughout the season, train operators, docents and greeters will be on-hand to share their passion for the railroad, leading guests along a brand-new guided walking tour.

The Gulf Coast Model Railroad is located at the Creativity Center on The Island at Shell Point, 15101 Shell Point Blvd. in Fort Myers. For more information, visit www.shellpoint.org/trainroom. To arrange a special tour for more than 10 people, contact Dottie Tronnes at 239-454-2290.