Egmont Key

South of Ft. Desoto in the mouth of Tampa Bay is a small island that is only accessible by boat. You can catch the ferry off Ft. Desoto for $20 a person and it takes you to the island for the day depending on the year the schedule changes and for the most current information you may have to actually travel to the park to see the schedule. The typical schedule is departing at 10:00am and 11:00am and returning at 2:00pm or 3:00pm. There are other companies that will take you to Egmont key but you must remain within the parks designated areas since some of the southern beaches are all Bird Sanctuaries and the interior is designated as Wildlife Sanctuaries. The southern part of the island is a Bird Sanctuary and if visited by boat you should stay in the water to respect the birds that are nesting. There are walking tours and paths on the northern end of the island. In the summer the sand can be very hot. I am not sure if you can get to the South West of the island without a private boat or charter but if you can there are large cement Structures that once housed gun emplacements that were on the island. They have sense been partially consumed by the ocean and are visible in the water a good ways off shore. At times people have snorkeled around them and in the summer you will see people jumping off some of the rocks that are still in the water. On Egmont key there are ruins of the old Fort Dade which housed soldiers during the Spanish American War. Fort Dade is also listed as a Ghost Town at http://www.ghosttowns.com/ . You can walk around the ruins of this historic fort. It you want more info you can call 727-867-6569 or visit the official Egmont Key Ferry Website. http://www.hubbardsmarina.com/um/egmont.html