By Mischa B. Vieira-Kirby
When it came time to plan a family gathering of cousins, grandparents, in-laws, siblings and nieces and nephews, fear settled in – where on earth could our mish-mash group go without hearing complaints about who’s bothering who, or who is too hot/cold/hungry/fill-in-the-blank? Only one place would do – the No. 1 beach in America – Fort De Soto.

I say beach, but Fort De Soto is way more than just a beach. It is a county park with five islands of 1,136 acres overlooking the Gulf of Mexico, and there are enough activities to keep everyone happy for a weekend event like my family’s or even for a week or more for ardent outdoorsmen.

Our crew of 22 met mid-morning on a Saturday. Those of us who were camping out set up at two sites on St. Christopher Key that overlooked the shallow turquoise bay. (Another reason we chose the park was for the abundance of hotels nearby so my grandparents wouldn’t have to sleep on the ground.) Soon after, everyone set out to explore.

The No. 1 Beach

My teenage cousins from New England headed to the famed beach for some sunny spring skies. The park’s largest island, Mullet Key, is shaped like the letter “L” and North Beach, the No. 1 beach, is on the top end of the vertical line. A wide tidal pool divides the beach area with shell seekers and kids playing in the surf on one side and loungers and people watches on the other side, which is also closer to the restrooms and shaded picnic area.

All along the white sand are sea shells of every color and humongous white sand dollars (please don’t take live sand dollars from the beach – it’s illegal. The park’s gift shop has plenty of preserved ones you can take).

History Calling

Dad, the family history buff, mapped out a path to the historic fort that gives the park its name. He set off right for the coquina shell-built fort that is dedicated to the soldiers of the Spanish-American War.

At ground level visitors can enter old artillery holds and firing galleys that make up the base of the coquina shell-built fort that is dedicated to the soldiers of the Spanish American War. There also are four 12-inch mortar battery cannons aimed over the top of the fort and pointed at Tampa Bay from where invaders would have approached.

Climb the steep stairs to the fort overlook and you can see the Sunshine Skyway Bridge, the world’s longest cable-stayed concrete bridge. In a reconstruction of the fort’s old postal building is the Quartermaster Museum. Historic photographs, army documents and Spanish-American War artifacts tell the story of the fort that was occupied until the 1930s.

A Walk (or Ride) In the Park

Upon entering the park, the number of people rollerblading and riding bicycles along the park’s 7 miles of multi-purpose trails is impressive. My husband Chet and I snapped on our blades while my mother and grandmother loaded my brother’s sons into a four-person covered surrey bike that can be rented at the concession area along with single and two-person bikes. Bike rentals range from $7 to $25 an hour depending on the vehicle and day rates are available.

We rolled and pedaled to the East Beach area, which we found quieter than the North Beach. Along the way we passed a crowd of cyclists who had finished a long morning ride (the park is home to several sprint triathlons throughout the year) and a young father teaching his son to ride without training wheels.

Water, water everywhere

Early on our second morning my brother introduced his California-native wife to mangroves on the 2-1/4 mile canoe trail. They rented the canoe at the park and eased out into the amber-tinged tidal waters around the island. Herons stood sentinel in the bushes and the white ibis plodded through the flats without making a ripple. A short nature path nearby has interpretive centers to learn more about the native animals and plants here.

Nearby, my husband’s sister and boyfriend were dangling fishing lines from one of the park’s two piers. The Gulf Pier reaches 1,000 feet into the ocean, and the Bay Pier 500 feet. They had been up since sunrise catching some small snook, but not too much else.

We ended the weekend with an afternoon picnic before cruising off to other parts of the state and country, happy to have played on America’s No. 1 Beach.