National Parks In Florida: Free Entry On MLK Day

ACROSS FLORIDA — Martin Luther King Jr. Day isn't just a federal holiday and day of service — it's also a chance to visit national parks that normally charge entrance fees. The next fee-free day scheduled by the National Park Service is Monday.

Martin Luther King Jr. Day provides one of the few opportunities each year to visit national parks for free after fee increases took effect Jan. 1 at some parks. The additional revenue will be used to fund deferred maintenance across the system of 419 parks, historic and cultural sites, and monuments.

The National Park Service lists online all parks requiring entrance fees and the amount of the fees. Entrance fees will be waived at the following Florida parks on Martin Luther King Jr. Day:

• Timucuan Ecological and Historic Preserve: Timucuan Ecological and Historic Preserve in Jacksonville offers years of history and the natural beauty of salt marshes and coastal dunes.
• Gulf Islands National Seashore: Gulf Islands National Seashore in Gulf Breeze features sparkling blue waters, snowy-white beaches, historic forts, coastal marshes and winding nature trails.
• Fort Matanzas National Monument: Fort Matanzas National Monument guarded St. Augustine's southern river approach. The fort and its wild plant barrier are well-preserved.
• Fort Caroline National Memorial: Timucuans Fort Caroline National Memorial in Jacksonville honors the short-lived French presence in 16th-century Florida. Enjoy hiking paths and historical re-enactments.
• Everglades National Park: Everglades National Park is a swampland located just outside Miami.
• Dry Tortugas National Park: Visitors to Dry Tortugas, near Key West, can bird watch, camp on the beach and snorkel the surrounding waters filled with sea life and pristine coral reefs.
• De Soto National Memorial: On a sweltering day in May 1539, Hernando de Soto and an army of more than 600 soldiers splashed ashore off St. Petersburg.
• Castillo de San Marcos National Monument: The Castillo de San Marcos was a post of the Spanish Empire guarding St. Augustine, the first permanent European settlement in the continental United States.
• Canaveral National Seashore: Canaveral National Seashore on Cape Canaveral is on a barrier island which includes ocean, beach, dune, hammock, lagoon, salt marsh, and pine flatland habitats.
• Biscayne National Park: Within sight of downtown Miami, popular activities at Biscayne National Park include boating, snorkeling, camping, and wildlife watching.
• Big Cypress National Preserve: The first national preserve in the National Park System, Big Cypress National Preserve protects more than 700,000 acres of the Big Cypress Swamp in south Florida.

The other fee-free days in 2020 are:

• Saturday, April 18: First Day of National Park Week/National Junior Ranger Day
• Tuesday, Aug. 25: National Park Service Birthday
• Saturday, Sept. 26: National Public Lands Day
• Wednesday, Nov. 11: Veterans Day