Southwest Florida is losing another landmark.

The Shell Factory & Nature Park says this will be its last weekend.

The attraction will permanently close and plans are that the site will be sold, a decision owner Pam Cronin said is “The most difficult I have ever made in my life…”

Count us among those who will miss the attraction with all of its Old Florida kitsch.

Where else in Lee County can you take a tot down a tropical garden path and encounter lifesize dinosaurs towering overhead?

Where else can you sit on a polar bear or giant ape for a photo op? Play a round of mini-golf, ride a zip line or a bumper boat? Visit hundreds of rescued animals and birds or shop at “the largest shell retail store in the world” for a souvenir or treasure.

Where else can you meet Pam in her happy place and share a memory of “when the kids were little,” or visit Tommy’s to tip a brew in memory of Tom, who had a vision, who had a dream, of not only keeping the decades-old attraction he bought in 1997 alive but revitalizing the 18-acre “toutist trap” campus to make it a family destination for those of us who live here?

In that, Pam and Tom succeeded.

But times do change and events like pandemics and a pair of devastating hurricanes in just five years bring challenges, impacts and financial decisions that yes, are hard and sometimes heartbreaking.

We thank the Cronins and all of their employees through the years for their hospitality.

We thank them for the memories.

They, too, will be missed.

Breeze editorial