Dry Tortugas Park is a National Park that is very different from the others in that there are no road into it. That’s right, Dry Tortugas is completely inaccessible by car, but not to worry – we’ll set you up with a discounted Dry Tortugas charter to these fabulous little islands.
Why the odd name? Well, it turns out that it comes from the old days when the Spaniards tried to settle the island. There were thousands of sea turtles sunning in the shallows and on the narrow beaches, and “tortugas” is Spanish for “turtles.” The “Dry” part of the name comes from the fact that there is no fresh water available on the island, in spite of the fact that it was used as a military fort and as a prison camp during the Civil War. (At least one of the guys accused of conspiring to assassinate Lincoln spent time there before being pardoned.)
Taking a trip to Dry Tortugas
It’s easy to hop on a boat to Dry Tortugas National Park, but we highly recommend doing it through Gold Card Key West. If you do that, you’ll basically get the Gold Card for free, which entitles you to numerous discounts in Key West on things like restaurants, jet ski rentals, kayak tours, and parasailing. You’ll even get some amazing discounts on Key West hotels.
The islets are about 2 hours off the western tip of Key West. Boat operators will need to pack in all of your drinks, as there is no running water there, but there is fabulous snorkeling in the coral reef, and beautiful little beaches to relax in the sun for the day. You can even take a tour of Fort Jefferson, the army fort that was never completed.
Taking a trip to Dry Tortugas park is definitely a memorable experience for the family.
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