Things to do nearEgmont Key

Egmont Key has served as a strategic outpost since the Second Seminole War, when it held Seminole captives awaiting relocation. During the Spanish-American War, the U.S. Army built Fort Dade here, and remnants of gun batteries, foundations, and brick streets still thread through the subtropical vegetation.

The Egmont Key Lighthouse, first lit in 1848, remains an iconic landmark and one of Florida's oldest active lighthouses. Its white tower rises above the tree line and can be seen from the water long before you reach the shore.

Snorkeling is rewarding along the island's northern and western edges, where submerged ruins attract sheepshead, snook, and an array of reef fish. The clear, shallow Gulf water makes it accessible even for casual swimmers.

Egmont Key rewards the effort it takes to reach it, offering a rare combination of natural beauty, Gulf Coast wildlife, and layered American history in one quiet, car-free setting.