Seaplane Beach and the area around it offer many fun activities including sunbathing, beachcombing, wildlife watching, star-gazing, fishing, picnicking, camping, swimming, snorkelling, kayaking, canoeing, paddleboarding, stand-up paddleboarding, surf-skiing, boating, jet-skiing, kitesurfing, and windsurfing. The water near Seaplane Beach is generally calm, which makes it ideal for beginner swimmers, kayakers, and canoers. In addition, the water near this beach is also popular with snorkelers, who often enter the water near this beach to explore its vibrant biodiversity and marine landscape - you can view many kinds of animals in the water near this beach including hermit crabs, sea turtles, and lobsters, along with a large variety of fish. However, if you are planning to enter the water near Seaplane Beach, we recommend being careful as the water here is known to have unpredictable rip currents. If you like birdwatching, you can view many kinds of seabirds around Seaplane Beach. In addition, you can also view migratory birds around this beach during spring. A tent campground is present near Seaplane Beach which offers a fantastic oceanfront camping experience. If you are planning to camp near Seaplane Beach, we recommend visiting Dry Tortugas National Park’s webpage on the National Park Service’s website for more helpful information regarding camping here. At night, the clear skies above the beach offer an amazing stargazing experience for campers. If you are planning to fish in the water near Seaplane Beach, please make sure that you follow the local fishing regulations. The 19th century Fort Jefferson is also present near this beach - this interesting fort is a part of the United States’ National Register of Historic Places and offers a unique insight into Southern Florida’s vibrant history and United States’ military history. The Dry Tortugas Visitor Center (which is also present within Fort Jefferson’s premises) also offers interesting historical exhibitions.
Apart from Garden Key, Dry Tortugas National Park also has two additional islands that visitors can explore - the islands are named Loggerhead Key and Bush Key. Bush Key, which is approximately the same size as the adjacent Garden Key, is open to visitors between October and January. This island has a vibrant flora and fauna and visitors can explore its amazing biodiversity via hiking trails. In addition, many kinds of birds seasonally use this island for nesting including brown pelicans, terns, and cormorants. Depending on the time of the year, sea turtles also use this island as a nesting spot. Sometimes a narrow sandbar connects Bush Key to Garden Key, and visitors can simply walk to this island from Garden Key. However, visitors can usually access Bush Key via kayak/canoe. Another nearby island is the Loggerhead Key, which is the national park’s largest island. This island is only accessible via canoe/kayak. Loggerhead Key is also an amazing spot for hiking and wildlife watching. In addition, the island has many historic structures including a lighthouse and the lightkeeper’s residence which were constructed in the 19th and the early 20th centuries respectively