Garden Key
Key West, FL
Garden Key is the heart of Dry Tortugas National Park, seventy miles west of Key West and reachable only by ferry, seaplane, or private boat. Fort Jefferson, a nineteenth century brick fortress that never saw real combat, wraps around almost the entire island, and two swimming beaches sit just outside its walls in water clear enough to see the moat wall's coral growing underneath.
Nowhere else in Florida gets you a real fort and water this clear in the same afternoon, though the cost and the day-long commitment to get there keep it from being a casual trip for anyone.
How we score beachesBook the ferry weeks ahead in high season, it only runs once a day each way and seats fill up fast. The south swim beach tends to be calmer than the north one, worth the extra couple minutes' walk around the fort if the wind is up.
There's no driving here at all. The ferry from Key West runs a little over 200 dollars round trip and includes the park entrance fee, breakfast, and lunch, while a seaplane costs considerably more for a shorter day. Camping on the island adds a separate nightly fee collected by rangers.
The dock leads onto flat paved paths around the fort and short walks of soft sand down to either swimming beach. There's no shade beyond the fort walls and a few trees, so bring your own.
Dogs are allowed on Garden Key itself, just not inside Fort Jefferson, though neither the ferry nor the seaplane will carry them, so getting a pet out here takes a private boat.
Winter and spring bring calmer seas for the ferry crossing and cooler, more comfortable days on an island with almost no shade. Summer adds hurricane season risk on top of the heat, and the crossing can get rough with little warning this far out in the Gulf.
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