WATER & COAST

Gasparilla Island State Park Beach

Lee County · Gulf Coast

Parking areas open onto Gulf beaches at the south end of Gasparilla Island; the park names Range Light, Sea Grape, Dunes and Seawall among them. The fishing is good year round, both off the beach and in the deep water of Boca Grande Pass. There are no lifeguards. Winter is the shelling season and taking live shells is not allowed. The 1890 Boca Grande Lighthouse stands at the point, on the National Register of Historic Places, and holds a museum and visitor center. ADA restrooms, outdoor freshwater showers, picnic areas and free beach wheelchairs. Manatees, gopher tortoises, bald eagles and terns are all protected here. Pets stay on a six-foot leash and off the beach.