The museum at the park displays pottery and tools unearthed near the original fort. Interpretive displays explain the history of the San Marcos site. An 18 minute video recounts the days of the Spanish, English, American and Confederate forces that once occupied this site. The video does a great job of tying all the periods of the Fort together. A self-guided interpretive trail is open to visitors. Guided tours are available. A picnic area is available featuring picnic tables and barbecue grills. Tucker’s Point offers a scenic view at the water’s edge where the St. Marks River joins the Wakulla River and flows out into Apalachee Bay. An excellent spot for fishing to catch redfish, speckled trout, sheepshead and even largemouth bass.
Entrance Fee
This secluded beach and simple county park are located at the eastern end of Mashes Sands Road where Coastal Highway 98 intersects Ochlockonee Bay Bridge. Park facilities include restrooms, a fishing pier, and boat ramp.
Bald Point State Park is located on Alligator Point where the Ochlockonee Bay meets Apalachee Bay. The coastal marshes, pine flat woods, and oak thickets support a diverse biological community that makes this park perfect for birding and viewing wildlife. View migrations of birds and butterflies in the fall into winter. This park offers sunbathing, fishing and hiking and facilities include a fishing dock and picnic pavilions.
Miles of undeveloped beaches on this barrier island offer ample opportunities for sunbathing, swimming, canoeing, boating, hiking, camping and nature study. Two natural boat ramps provide access to the bay for small boats. The park has six large picnic shelters equipped with grills, tables and nearby restrooms. The campground features 60 campsites with water, electric, a central dump station and two bathhouses.
The site of two successive forts, the first built during the War of 1812 by the British, and of the tragic massacre of more than 300 African-Americans who held the fort under the British flag in 1816, Fort Gadsden played an important role in Florida history. Located along the Apalachicola River, this interpretive area offers detailed information about the site and its history along with trails, river access, and a picnic area.
Built in 1838 by Thomas Orman, this antebellum home overlooks the Apalachicola River, and was used for both business and social gatherings. Orman was a cotton merchant and businessman in Apalachicola from 1834 to the 1880s. He helped the small town become one of the Gulf Coast’s most important cotton exporting ports during the 19th century. Visit the adjoining Chapman Botanical Garden, which honors Dr. Alvin Chapman. Enjoy the butterfly garden, other botanical features, walkways and open spaces. Also enjoy the Three Soldiers Detail, a bronze replica of the Vietnam memorial statue in Washington, D.C..
Wright Lake is a quiet scenic lakefront recreation area that offers a host of amenities and activities for campers and day-trippers. The area around the clear, spring-fed lake offers both a day-use area for swimming, picnicking, and hiking, and a campground in a beautiful forest setting along one portion of the lakeshore. It is perfect for fishing and boating. Swimmers can enjoy the white sand beach, and a nearby bathhouse includes flush toilets and hot showers. Picnic tables and grills are scattered among trees with views of the lake.
The campground includes 18 campsites with picnic tables, grills, tent pads and fire rings. The recreation area is fairly level and easily accessible. Hikers can enjoy a 4.6-mile interpretive trail that circles the lake.