Dry Tortugas 2024

In November, 2024 (the weekend prior to the Thanksgiving), my oldest nephew decided to get married in Tallahassee, Florida giving me a great opportunity for a solo road through the western side of South Carolina and Georgia to visit a few new sites. Additionally, I realized I could add on the trip with a run down to Key West and hop a ferry for a day long adventure to Dry Tortugas National Park. 

After driving through the night, my first stops were in northwest Georgia at the Island Ford Center of the Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area. It was still pretty cold and with the long day of driving ahead of me, I did not partake of any particularly long hike, but did see the river and take a short walk down a good viewing center. I'm sure this stop is gorgeous in early fall when the leaves are just starting to change. 

The next stop along the way was Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park. I arrived in parallel to a local school field trip, so there was a lot happening in the visitor center area as they got the kids ready for their tour. This history of this battlefield is quite interesting with it's involvement in the Civil War and General Sherman's march to Atlanta. The visitor center had an excellent setup for learning everything before heading out on hikes and walks through the park. 

The third stop was in the heart of Atlanta at the Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historical Park. This site has multiple places to visit and enjoy as part of the experience including a replica of the national reflecting pool in Washington, D.C., the historical Ebeneezer Baptist Church, the Fire Station where he once dreamed of becoming a fire fighter, his boyhood home and an extensive visitor center. There are limited times available for entering and touring the historical church. 

Stop number four was Ocmulgee Mounds National Monument,  Native American site of historical significance that has survived the years through the founding of our nation and the Civil war. This historical site has several walking paths and an excellent museum to learn from.

As I was heading south on I-75 to my next stop, I was hit by a tractor trailer smashing up my side view mirror, but thankfully no other damage. This cost me almost two hours of travel time dealing with the police sadly altering how much time I would have at my final two stops of the day. 

For my fifth stop, I swung into Andersonville National Historic Site. I only had time to see the main field and visitor center but there is extensive walking tours and a driving tour to absorb the full story and history of this former Confederate prison site. 

The last stop of my first day of travels was the Jimmy Carter National Historic Park where I arrived with only five minutes to spare before closing. The rangers were great and gave me a few minutes to take in the visitor center and help direct me from the Plains High school to his boyhood home and the Plains Depot so that I was able to truly cross this place off my "to-visit" list. 

After the Saturday wedding, it was off to Key West for a couple nights camping at Boyd's Campground and the Ferry ride to Fort Jefferson at Dry Tortugas National Park. It's about a 12 hour drive from Tallahassee to Key West, so I hit the road early and made pretty good time. I was able to pick up a couple small stamps in Everglades NP and stop by Biscayne National Park (#36!) with plenty of time to take in the visitor center, walk the short hike around the bay and enjoy the sunset. Then it was another 3 hours down to Key West. 

Boyd's campground was a great choice for a stay with plenty of amenities and pads for various types of stays - campers, RVs, tents, etc. It was similar in amenities to a KOA but without the cookie cutter setup and just 10 minutes from the Key West ferry terminal. 

With my one day in Key West, I took a 2.5 hour ferry ride to Dry Tortugas (#37) for a thorough tour and visit of the park. The fully details and impressions can be found here.

With just two days to go before Thanksgiving, I headed north up the east coast of Florida with quick stops at Canaveral National Seashore, Fort Matanzas, and Castillo de San Marcos for updated stamps and finally collecting their Jr. Ranger badges. I capped of my day with an overnight stay in northern Florida. 

On the final day of my trip, I started off my morning watching the sunrise over the Atlantic from the Cumberland Island Seashore. Touring this national site thoroughly can take at least a full day. From the main visitor center, tourists are able to obtain Ferry Tickets to the Island to spend the day strolling the beaches, taking a historical tour of the island or going for long bike rides. Be alert that tickets for the Ferry go on sale at 8am and the line forms early for the coveted tickets. I was not able to take this ferry ride with my condensed time line and look forward to returning again in the future to spend a full day at the Island. 

From Cumberland Island, I continued the journey home through central Georgia and South Carolina including a stop at Ninety-Six National Historic Site to learn about the role the town and fort played in the revolutionary war.