We spent our Memorial Day at the beach. After going to a less than stellar local beach last year for 4th of July, we decided to go all out for Memorial Day, which prompted a trip to St. Petersburg, Fl to visit Fort Desoto. After all, if you’re going to go to the beach, wouldn’t you want to go to one of North America’s BEST beaches? (Yup, Dr. Beach, aka Dr. Steven Leatherman, named Fort Desoto one of the best in 2005.)

It had been YEARS since I had been to Fort Desoto, so I was excited to take my kids for their first trip. The first thing you need to know is that it’s not just a beach, it’s part of the Pinellas County Parks System, and it is the largest park in the system. It’s over 1100 acres and 5 interconnected barried islands, and the park has been open since the 1960’s. The fort had it’s heyday long ago though, when it was actually used as a fort.

Prior to the Civil War, Robert E. Lee recommended that the area that would become Fort Desoto (it’s technically a “key”, not an island) be fortified. Union troops were stationed at the fort during the war, and later on, the fort became a quarantine station. Later on, Pinellas County purchased the key and built a toll road to allow visitors to get there via car. The batteries of the fort are on the National Register of Historic Places.

Not only is it a historic site, and a beach, but you can picnic, fish, canoe, hike, and camp, or launch your boat from the 800 foot long boat launch with its 11 floating docks. There’s even a pet playground! All of this with 7 miles of beach, shelling, and beautiful surf and sand. You can enjoy the Gulf of Mexico and views outward from the North Beach, or enjoy the St. Petersburg skyline from the East Beach. It’s worth the trip!