Fort DeSoto Park
- Fort DeSoto Beach
While visiting my family in St. Pete, FL, I took my dog to Fort DeSoto. It’s a huge ocean front park at the end of a string of islands. South of St. Pete Beach and Tierre Verde lies this gem that “Dr. Beach” even named the #1 US Beach in 2005. In addition to being stunningly beautiful, the park itself has so much to offer…
Below is a comprehensive list and links to the park website. What I went for was the dog beach. Having grown up here, I’m a water person. I think I have water in my veins and I wanted to share the beach with my pup Abby.
Abby Running Wild
Ft. DeSoto has a fenced dog park and a beach where dogs are allowed off leash. It’s unusual to find a dog beach, much less one so beautiful. We got there early and had the whole place to ourselves for at least an hour! Abby had a blast running around with other dogs, chasing balls, and napping in the shade. I was thrilled, too! It was 80 degrees, sunny, perfect.
It looks like I might move back home sometime soon and I can’t wait to spend more time here with her. If you’re planning a FL trip, check out Ft. DeSoto and its unparalleled beauty:
– Over 7 miles of waterfront, including almost three miles of the finest white sand beach in the United States.
– An 800-foot-long boat launching facility with eleven floating docks.
– A 238-site family camping area with facilities
– Two fishing piers–one on Tampa Bay (500 feet long) and the other on the Gulf (1,000 feet long). Each pier has a food and bait concession.
– Fourteen reservable large group picnic shelters
– Twenty storm-resistant public restroom buildings
– Dog Park and beach
– A 6.8 mile, 12-foot-wide asphalt recreation trail connects the campground with the North and East Beach Swim Centers and the historic fort.
– A 2.25-mile recreational canoe trail.
– A 1-mile nature trail in the Arrowhead Picnic area, and a 3/4 mile nature trail in the Soldiers’ Hole area provides a glimpse of some the native fauna and flora.
– Quartermaster Museum
– 2,200 foot Barrier-Free Nature Trail is a self-guided interpretive trail providing access to nature for all visitors to Fort De Soto Park, regardless of their physical abilities.
Taste Adventure 
I LOVE reading about your adventures. Thank you for sharing. We were in DC in the beginning of February and tried Ben’s Chili Bowl because of something you wrote. It was amazing, so thank you! I am so excited to read you may be spending more time in our neck of the woods! Let me know when you are in town again, would love to catch up:)