During our short trip to Tampa, I wanted to walk along an area of beach that extends as much as possible into the open water of the Gulf of Mexico. Fort de Soto Park caught my eye. The park is really large and consists of 5 Keys (connected islands). Fort De Soto Park is named for the Fort de Soto Military Fort (built 1895-1900) that was on site there. 
We arrived, parked, and noticed kayak rentals. I would’ve loved to go out into the open water but we were strapped for time. We drove to the area of the Fort Museum and parked there. Visitors can take a self-guided tour of the restored fort with mortars mounted as they would have been in the 1900’s. There are information boards explaining what everything is in the fort. We walked around the fort and read some of the information. 
We then headed out to the beach area near the gift shop. There was a stand offering both regular bikes and Surreys for rent.  We strolled along the beach with its beautiful white sand and viewed the 1000-foot gulf pier. It was extremely windy during our February visit so we didn’t stay for long but we definitely enjoyed the beautiful park.

Posted: July 7, 2024