DRY TORTUGAS NATIONAL PARK, Fla. (Amazing America TV) — Dry Tortugas National Park combines a tropical oasis with a history lesson. It has Spanish, American, and Civil War history, a beautiful beach, snorkeling, and one of the largest brick forts ever built in the Western Hemisphere.

Fort Jefferson is the park’s centerpiece. Construction began in 1846, when the U.S. government wanted to control shipping routes through the Gulf of Mexico and protect a key deepwater anchorage. It was designed to be sturdy, self-sufficient and able to withstand long attacks, although it never saw any major battles.

The fort’s location was strategic: Ships rounding the Florida reefs could take shelter here before heading into open water.

Today, visitors arrive by boat or seaplane, bringing snorkel gear instead of artillery, and they spend their days swimming over reefs or lounging on sandy beaches.

Dry Tortugas National Park is almost entirely ocean, protecting part of the Florida Keys reef system. Snorkeling here is, understandably, the main event. Just offshore, clear, shallow waters reveal coral, schools of tropical fish, sea turtles and more. These reefs are among the healthiest in the region, thanks to the park’s protected status.

It’s a rare mix: a Civil War–era fort rising from a remote tropical island, surrounded by some of the clearest water and most vibrant marine life in the United States.

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