Fort Desoto is for you

Does your idea of a great beach include clean sand, miles of beach and plenty to do? Then Fort Desoto Park is for you. It is Located in Tierra Verde on the southern most part of the Pinellas county peninsula.

Unlike the other beaches in the area, the park has a variety of water fronts and is never packed. It is essentially an island with miles to explore. The beach has gentle waves and was named the number one beach in America in 2005. 

Sunsets are beautiful from atop the fort. The fort walls still have four mortars and two giant guns. The park has a pier, 238 camping sites, boat ramps and over 2,000 miles of hiking and canoe trails. 

The park has many different activities and some you can’t get anywhere else. For example, the pier offers a ferry service to Egmont Key State Park. A wildlife refuge, it is only accessible by boat. It is free to visit and has a light house from 1858. The key’s wide variety of birds draws visitors.

Camping at this park is so popular that visitors need to make reservations weeks in advance. For example, in the summer the park is at it’s busiest. The best of the sites are waterfront, and if you have a boat you can pull it right up to your site.

There are rumors about the park being a nudist colony. After 10 years of efforts to turn part of the park into a nude beach, today the park still requires clothing. Nevertheless it is a great place to spend a day or a weekend.

Photo by Hailey Petway

Paynes Prairie in October

Do you want to see an alligator pit? My friend lured me to the edge of Paynes Prairie with these words last fall. My response was of course!

The Prairie is a 21,000-acre savanna in Micanopy. It is home to hundreds of species of birds, alligators, Spanish horses and bison. And depending on the water level, the prairie hosts a diversity of terraine.

A big part of the prairie was a shallow lake last fall when the sink hole didnt drain as well.

The park has 20 miles of trails for horseback riding and bicycling, an observation tower, fishing, kayaking and camping.

The park also has exhibits in its visitor center, highlighting the areas history . On Friday October 10th at 6 p.m. the visitor center will kick off Art on The Prairie. The event is the annual show and sale of Dominick Martino’s photography.

The visitor center will provide wine and cheese with candlelit trails. There is a five dollar admission fee for the art sale. RSVP is required and people who want to attend can send an email to info@prairiefriends.org.

The proceeds will support Friends of Paynes Prairie, a not-for-profit corporation. The corporation supports the prairie through fundrasing and volunteerism.

A map provided by Friends of Paynes Prairie