Florida National Parks, National Monuments and More in Florida

National Park Service

Big Cypress National Preserve
The first National Preserve in the National Park System, Big Cypress has a mixture of pines, hardwoods, prairies, mangrove forests, cypress strands and domes. This meeting place of temperate and tropical species is a hotbed of biological diversity.

Biscayne National Park
The 10,000 year human history of the place reflects its temperamental nature. Some days, Biscayne Bay's shallow waters are glassy smooth, other times, the wind whistles and whips, creating white waves.

Canaveral National Seashore
Canaveral National Seashore is on a barrier island which includes ocean, beach, dune, hammock, lagoon, salt marsh, and pine flatland habitats.

Castillo De San Marcos National Monument
The Castillo de San Marcos National Monument represents the oldest remaining European fortification in the continental United States. The masonry fort and its surrounding land comprise 25 acres in historic downtown St. Augustine, Florida, the oldest continually occupied European settlement in North America.

De Soto National Memorial
The mission of De Soto National Memorial is to preserve the controversial story of this four year, four thousand mile odyssey and interpret it's significance in American history.

Dry Tortugas National Park
Seven islands, composed of coral reefs and sand, are called the Dry Tortugas. Along with the surrounding shoals and waters, they make up Dry Tortugas National Park. The area is known for its famous bird and marine life, and its legends of pirates and sunken gold. Ft. Jefferson, the largest of the 19th century American coastal forts is a central feature.

Everglades National Park
Spanning the southern tip of the Florida peninsula and most of Florida Bay, Everglades National Park is the only subtropical preserve in North America. The park is known for its rich bird life. It is also the only place in the world where alligators and crocodiles exist side by side.

Fort Caroline National Memorial
Fort Caroline National Memorial was created to memorialize the Sixteenth Century French effort to establish a permanent colony in Florida. Nothing remains of the original Fort de la Caroline; a near full-scale rendering of the fort, together with exhibits in the visitor center, provide information on the history of the French colony, their interaction with the native Timucua, and the colonists' brief struggle for survival.

Fort Matanzas National Monument
This Spanish outpost fort was built in 1740-1742 to guard the Matanzas Inlet and to warn St. Augustine of British or other enemies approaching from the south. In addition, the park, provides a natural habitat rich in wildlife with the salt marsh, scrub, and maritime hammock now protecting endangered and threatened species

Timucuan Ecological and Historic Preserve
Timucuan Ecological and Historic Preserve was established to protect one of the last unspoiled coastal wetlands on the Atlantic Coast, and to preserve historic and prehistoric sites within the area. The estuarine ecosystem includes salt marsh, coastal dunes, and hardwood hammocks.