Dry Tortugas National Park
Introduction
Dry Tortugas National Park is located in the the Gulf of Mexico. It was established on January 4, 1935. Dry Tortugas is one of the few national parks that is either partially on an island or entirely on one.
On the island is Fort Jefferson which is a 19th century military base that is the largest brick masonry structure in the Americas.
What It Has To Offer
Dry Tortuga is a great place to go if you love the water. The several small islands surrounding the area offer a great space for snorkeling and swimming. Unfortunately that is bulk of what you can do here, but you won't be complaining once you see the crystal clear water.
Dry Tortuga does offer campsites which is always great to hear. You can choose from a normal one tent site to larger group sites. There are fees, but they are reasonable when you remember where you are spending the night.
A great experience that the park has is the planes you can charter. You can take whole day tours of the area or a shorter half day tour of the Fort.
Fort Jefferson was used to protect a harbor for the United States. It was in construction for almost thirty years, but was still never fully finished. It was never fully armed and never attacked, but it stood as a symbol that the U.S. did not want to be messed with.
During the Civil War the fort was used to harbor warships to try and block southern shipping. During this time it was also used as a prison for Union Deserters.
Fort Jefferson was finally abandoned by the army in 1874.
Rating
I think Dry Tortuga is a super unique National Park and a great area just in general. Maybe one of the best National Parks if you enjoy the ocean given the fact it is surrounded by it.
* Ratings are all opinionated and categories may change as more blogs are posted
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