Dry Tortugas National Park, Florida
Dry Tortugas National Park is a national park in the USA about 70 miles west of Key West in the Gulf of Mexico. The park consists of seven of the westernmost keys and is at the western end of the Florida reef. Fort Jefferson, a massive but unfinished coastal fortress, the largest masonry structure in the Americas, composed of over 16 million bricks is on Garden Key and is part of the national park.
Fort Jefferson served for a time as a remote prison facility. One of its most famous inmates was Dr. Samuel Mudd, who set the leg of John Wilkes Booth following the assassination of President Lincoln. Mudd was incarcerated on the Dry Tortugas for four years, from 1865 to 1869.
Dry Tortugas is unique in its combination of a largely undisturbed tropical ecosystem with significant historic artifacts. The park is accessible only by seaplane or ferry and averages 60,000 visitors each year. The park is best enjoyed as a day trip through Yankee Freedom, the only official ferry service to the park. The ferry leaves at 8 in the morning and gets you into the park by 10. You have 5 hours till 3 to explore the park. Activities include snorkeling, picnicking, birdwatching, camping, scuba diving, saltwater fishing and kayaking. Breakfast and lunch are served in the ferry. There are no facilities within the park and only day use is permitted.
A trip to the Tortugas should be included in any trip the Florida Keys.
Read MoreFort Jefferson served for a time as a remote prison facility. One of its most famous inmates was Dr. Samuel Mudd, who set the leg of John Wilkes Booth following the assassination of President Lincoln. Mudd was incarcerated on the Dry Tortugas for four years, from 1865 to 1869.
Dry Tortugas is unique in its combination of a largely undisturbed tropical ecosystem with significant historic artifacts. The park is accessible only by seaplane or ferry and averages 60,000 visitors each year. The park is best enjoyed as a day trip through Yankee Freedom, the only official ferry service to the park. The ferry leaves at 8 in the morning and gets you into the park by 10. You have 5 hours till 3 to explore the park. Activities include snorkeling, picnicking, birdwatching, camping, scuba diving, saltwater fishing and kayaking. Breakfast and lunch are served in the ferry. There are no facilities within the park and only day use is permitted.
A trip to the Tortugas should be included in any trip the Florida Keys.
