Fort De Soto Paw Playground

Fort De Soto Park occupies Mullet Key, one of five islands making up the park, and its story goes back further than most visitors expect. Spanish explorer Pánfilo de Narváez anchored nearby in 1528, and U.S. Army engineers — including a young Robert E. Lee — recommended the site for coastal defense as early as 1849. Construction on the actual fort began in 1898 during the Spanish-American War, and though it was finished too late to see combat, four of its massive 12-inch mortars still stand today. The fort was abandoned in 1923 and the site sat quiet for decades before becoming the county park it is now, with the off-leash Paw Playground tucked into the northern end.

A designated off-leash beach where dogs swim, dig, and lose their minds with joy in the Gulf. A freshwater rinse station is on site, and the drive from St. Pete is completely worth it — this is consistently ranked among the best dog beaches in the country.