Dry Tortugas National Park

Discover the Dry Tortugas, voted "One of the top 10 things to do in the Florida Keys" 2 years in a row by Islands Magazine.

Ponce de Leon discovered the Dry Tortugas in 1513 when he caught over 100 sea turtles there. Subsequently the islands were referred to as the "Tortugas" (turtles). During the 1600s and 1700s the area around these islands was used by pirates as a base for attacking merchant shipping in the Gulf.

Surrounded by coral reefs and teeming with wildlife, the Dry Tortugas National Park is world renowned as a favorite destination for snorkeling, kayaking, camping, birding and deep sea fishing. Legends of pirates and sunken gold abound at Fort Jefferson, America's largest 19th century coastal fort.

* Take a day trip complete with breakfast and lunch aboard our high-speed, state-of-the-art catamaran.

America's largest 19th Century Coastal Fort

Built in the wake of the War of 1812 to provide defense for our southern coast, Fort Jefferson is a six-sided building constructed of 16 million handmade red bricks.

In 1825 a lighthouse was built on Garden Key to provide warning to sailors about the dangers of reefs and shoals surrounding the Dry Tortugas.


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