Florida's Key West holds the key to the sea.

In the Keys there are two Florida State Parks you can’t miss: Fort Zachary Taylor Historic State Park and Dry Tortugas National State Park, which houses Fort Jefferson.
To reach the Dry Tortugas Park you must take a boat or a seaplane. We took the Fast Cat, a motored enclosed catamaran, part of the Sunny Days Catamarans tours. Captain John who has worked on boats from the time he was knee high has worked for Sunny Days Catamaran for six years on and taking tourists to the Dry Tortugas every day. The tour leaves from Elizabeth Street in Key West. Breakfast and lunch is served aboard ship as you ride over seventy miles with only the sea and the sun surrounding you. In 1513 Ponce de Leon named this island Tortugas because of all the sea turtles inhabiting it. Mariners observed that the island had no drinking water and too warn others it was called the Dry Tortugas. Many who visit Dry Tortugas come to snorkel because it fosters coral reefs and marine life; the beaches are full of shells not for the taking only to examine. Some people come to view the bird life on Bush Key with binoculars as 100, 000’s birds inhabit the small island. From February to September Bush Key is reserved for birds only. Some come to camp in the Garden Key where for 14 days you can bring your tent and set up a primitive camp site. Some come to be free. Cubans pile up in small boats motored with car engines traveling 90 miles of sea to reach dry land. Once they touch the Dry Tortugas they can become Americans. Many come to see the foreboding Fort Jefferson. Made of 16 million bricks the fort was intended to hold 450 cannons and 1,500 men. The US Army Corps of Engineers began construction in 1846. It was built because the Tortugas was one of the most active shipping routes. Ships would pass through the Gulf of Mexico and the Straits of Florida and making it a lucrative military post for the United States. During the Civil War in 1861 soldiers were stationed at Fort Jefferson. Conditions were fierce due to the lack of water, mosquitoes and an outbreak of Yellow Fever. One of the most famous prisoners was Dr. Samuel Alexander Mudd. He was one of the Lincoln Conspirators. He was sentenced to life imprisonment at Fort Jefferson. In July 1865 because he helped in treating those stricken with yellow fever at the Fort he was pardoned by President Andrew Johnson in 1869 and allowed to return to his family. Fort Jefferson was rededicated as Dry Tortugas National Park in 1992.The Fort is slowly being restored to what it should have looked like because it never was completely built. Drinking water is still obtained by collecting rainwater. Park rangers and inhabitants are ecologically dedicated to preserving the natural beauty and life at Dry Tortugas National Park.
Fort Zachary Taylor Historic Park encompasses beautiful beaches, places to fish, trails to hike and a Fort built in 1845 to help protect the nation’s seacoast. The construction was not an easy task. One year after the building of the Fort began; it was stopped because of a hurricane that struck Key West damaging 594 buildings in the town, toppling lighthouses and the Naval Hospital. Fort Taylor was one of three forts to be held by Union forces throughout the Civil War. Three hundred vessels were captured by the squadron and forced to anchor in front of Fort Taylor. The fort was modernized during the Endicott period and remained open through mid World War II. The Fort’s military role came to an end in 1947. The property was deeded to the State of Florida in 1976 and now is a national park. When we visited the park history came alive with a re-enactment of union soldiers setting of a cannon as a schooner came near shore. Of course no one was hurt but it was a quiet impressive. This is the 24th year re-enactors come to celebrate Civil War Heritage Days. Dressed in period costumes re-enactors camp out at the fort and have demonstrations for the public. Light rains almost stopped the battle but the sun came out and of course the Union won