Fort Mcree(Spanish Point)

Located near the state border between Alabama and Florida, Fort McRee was an early 19th-century fort whose remnants are now a local historical site. This historical site also has a large unnamed white-sand beach adjacent to it. This beach is also known as Fort McRee Beach. The beach near Fort McRee is situated on a barrier island and it is also a part of Gulf Islands National Seashore.

 The beach near Fort McRee does not have lifeguards or any other amenities, so plan your trip accordingly. 

The beach near Fort McRee offers many fun activities including hiking, beachcombing, sunbathing, wildlife watching, fishing, swimming, bodyboarding, boating, kayaking, canoeing, paddle boarding, scuba diving, snorkeling, jet-skiing, and surf-skiing.  The water near the beach is popular with boaters and jet-skiers. In addition, the water here is also popular with snorkelers and scuba divers, who often enter it to explore the interesting underwater ruins of Fort McRee, which were submerged due to erosion. If you are planning to fish in the water near Fort McRee, please make sure that you ensure compliance with the local fishing regulations. As an interesting fact, around 194 active cannonballs dating back to the American Civil War were recently found by the National Park Service authorities in the area around Fort McRee. Visitors can also explore the interesting coastal artillery batteries present around the beach - these batteries were built in the late 19th and the early 20th centuries and offer a unique insight into local military history.

Getting to the beach near Fort McRee is difficult as there is no direct access road leading to the beach - currently the easiest way to access this beach is via boat. In order to reach Fort McRee, you need to first access another nearby beach named Johnson Beach - this beach is present near 13300 Johnson Beach Road and is easily accessible from United States Highway 98 and Florida State Road 292. A paid parking lot is available near this beach. Once you park here, you can use a boat ramp present near this beach to launch your boat and travel to Fort McRee. It is important to note that while hiking to Fort McRee was earlier possible from the parking lot at Johnson Beach, recent devastation by Hurricane Sally has made it impossible for visitors to currently hike to Fort McRee.

There are many attractions near Fort McRee. Perdido Key Kids Park has a playground, a pavilion, and picnic areas. Tarkiln Bayou Preserve State Park is spread over 4,000 acres and is home to four varieties of endangered pitcher plants. In addition, you can also view around 100 species of rare flora and fauna in this state park including alligator snapping turtles and Chapman’s butterwort. The state park also has a boardwalk, which can be used to view a marshland named Tarkiln Bayou. The state park offers many other fun activities including hiking, fishing, picnicking, biking, and geocaching. If you are looking for another attraction near Fort McRee, Pensacola Museum of Art has interesting exhibitions specializing in modern art. In addition, the museum also has a decorative arts collection of European, American, and African tribal glass-based artworks. The museum also has artwork by many reputed artists including Salvador Dalí, Alex Katz, and Milton Avery.

If you get hungry, there are many great restaurants near Fort McRee. Restaurant Iron is 21 minutes away by car and it has an elegant ambiance. This restaurant serves fantastic gourmet dishes prepared from locally-sourced ingredients. This restaurant has also won many awards including Florida Trend magazine's Golden Spoon award and OpenTable's Diners' Choice award. Oyster Bar Restaurant & Marina offers an amazing waterfront dining experience. In addition, the restaurant is primarily known for serving excellent seafood. In addition, the restaurant also serves excellent salads, steaks, pastas, and poultry dishes. If you are looking for another good and affordable restaurant near Fort McRee, Butch’s Bistro & BBQ serves excellent barbecued dishes, chicken wings, sandwiches, tacos, burgers, Cajun dishes, soups, stews, seafood, and salads.

If you are looking for a hotel near Fort McRee, there are many great nearby options. The 4-Star Perdido Beach Resort is a 30-minute drive away and offers many amenities including a pool, a dock, an arcade, a private beach area, a gift shop, tennis courts, four restaurants, two bars, and a fitness center. A more affordable hotel is the 3-Star Ashton Inn & Suites which offers many amenities including a pool, a cocktail bar/lounge, a fitness center, a basketball court, and complimentary breakfast. If you are looking for another good and affordable hotel near Fort McRee, the 2-Star Navy Lodge Pensacola offers many amenities including coin-operated laundry and vending machines, a playground, picnic area with grills, and complimentary breakfast.