Fort de Soto Park
We’re going into our 3rd full year in Florida, but have explored very little of it, really. Summers are simply too hot here to be outside, and the sun is BURNING! You can’t be outside for more than a few minutes and not get burned — seriously, sunscreen, especially here, should be your second skin to survive (and I so hate the feeling of anything on my skin…). Oh, and let’s not forget about the humidity.
And then you have the winters… well, it would only make sense that since winters are pretty much ideal weather in Florida, you’d get the daylight to enjoy it, right? Nope! Instead, we’re still dealing with the antiquated Daylight Saving Time!
Hence, in winter, you have to contend with having daylight, because, I for one, wouldn’t want to be caught in the dark in Florida’s wilderness. So, anyway…
Once the weather cooled here, we’ve been out exploring every chance we got. That meant that for the last few months, every weekend we’ve been visiting one place or another. Though, since we are trying to be careful with the pandemic, we visit places fairly close to us so we can return home at the end of the day.
And surprisingly, we’ve found a lot of attractions close enough, even if, in some cases, that involved a few hours of driving.
On one of those weekends, we visited Fort de Soto Park in Saint Petersburg (located at the very tip of the peninsula), a truly impressive place with miles and miles of white sand, and more. It didn’t take long for it to become my favorite beach park we’ve visited so far in Florida!
This park feels massive and offers a historic fort, camping ground, picnic areas/shelters, restrooms, concession/snack bar, a gift shop, two piers, biking, and hiking trails, a museum, historical artifacts, and ruins, a designated dog park, and of course, miles and miles of beach. The park is accessible by toll road (we paid $1), and the park entrance fee is $5 (for parking), though if you enter on foot (that would take some effort) or by bike, it’s free.
The very tip of the park seems to be a location preferred by paragliders — with the Sunshine Skyway Bridge in the background, this makes for quite the beautiful scene. If you want a moment of relaxation, pause there and watch the paragliders being carried by the wind. And then go explore the rest of the park… seriously, it’s so worth it!
There’s not much else to say about the park other than recommending that you secure an entire day to explore, and enjoy it.
Quick facts:
1) It can get very windy, so be aware of that and secure your belongings.
2) There is plenty of parking throughout the park.
3) As usual, be aware of your surroundings when it comes to wild creatures.
4) The park is roaming with ospreys, and other birds — have your camera ready as you’ll have plenty of photo opportunities.
5) In typical Florida fashion, you might experience several weather patterns during the same day (these photos were all taken in one day), so plan accordingly. Other than the picnic areas, there aren’t many other covered spaces there, in case of a rainstorm.
Note: I intentionally reduce the resolution of my photos for copyright reasons, as well as site loading. Please bear with me while I figure out a better solution. I do minimal editing otherwise, to preserve the natural colors as much as possible.
Outfit details: Jumpsuit, old, similar here and here; bag, here and here; scarf, old; shoes here — limited sizes left.
xo,
Em
