This is the nation’s largest national seashore, and being that it’s (at least mostly) in Florida, there’s more to it than just island beaches and sunshine. There’s also plenty of history to go along with your beach getaway!
To begin with, the Pensacola Bay was a strategic war location and the Gulf Islands National Seashore has the military installations to prove it. The Spanish colonial Bateria De San Antonio (1797), the Civil-War era American Third System forts - Fort Pickens, Fort Massachusetts, Fort Barrancas, and the Advanced Redoubt - and Battery 234 from World War II are all still here and all waiting to be explored anew. In all it’s one of the most complete collections of publicly accessible structures relating to the evolution of seacoast defense in the United States.
This park is also extremely diverse in its landscapes. Along with its beaches it contains coastal marshes, live oak forests and lots of life beneath the waves - more than 80 percent of the park is actually underwater. Listed as a National Watchable Wildlife Area, the park contains 12 federally endangered or threatened species.
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Things to know:
Region: Northwest Florida
Fun facts: Of the seven species of sea turtles, four species nest at Gulf Islands National Seashore.
Total area: 135,457.89 miles
Related activities: Gulf Islands protects a number of historic fortifications that represent the nation's coastal defense. Take a tour when you visit the Seashore. New, universally-designed exhibits opened at the Fort Barrancas Visitor Center.
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