Fort Clinch State Park

Fort Clinch State Park is gorgeous, with a beautiful entrance that takes you down a road underneath the massive moss draped oak trees. Once inside, you can choose from short strolls to long treks on the trails, all teeming with wildlife. The trails do feel like stepping straight into Jurassic Park (yes, even the CAUTION: Alligators! signage is there to set the mood)! Aside from the jungle-like trails, this place boasts a fully restored 1800s war fort with soldiers, AKA period actors in full costume, milling around, ready to answer your questions as they bring history to life. Wander through fully restored and furnished barracks, officer quarters, weapon storage, and mess halls, each staged to look just as they would have in the 1800s. Climb to the top of the fort, and you’ll be rewarded with sweeping sea views as you stand next to the cannons feeling like you’ve been dropped into another century. A full day could easily be spent in the park with camping, tours, bicycling, fishing, shelling, birding, paddling, geo-seeking, paddling, swimming, and more available! Details can be found at floridastateparks.org/fortclinch

PS – The shoreline adjacent to the fort is prime for shelling and finding shark teeth, especially at low tide.