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Published: December 8th 2012
Friday, December 07, 2012. Fort DeSoto, Pinellas County Park Campground--- We have breaking camp down to a silent silence. Silent because there is something quieting about leaving a campsite that we really like; and silent because we know the drill (“his” and “hers” tasks that get us back on the road efficiently). No real need to chat.
Our previous stays at Fort DeSoto have pegged the highest number of visits of all (200 Plus) of our travel blogs. We have stopped here every year for the past seven years. I am focusing on keeping this blog fresh with mostly new materials; but visiting familiar and favorite restaurants is part of the fun. Billy's Seafood on the roof with entertainment, gorgeous water / sunset views, and full meal service at the bar is a perennial fav on Tierra Verde, the closest commercial area to the campground. New to us in the same strip mall, but without the view, Tony and Nello's Southern Italian Restaurant really pleased. The Bolognaise sauce is hard to beat and according to our server is made from such a secret recipe “with bones” that she is kicked out of the kitchen when it is being made lest
Sleigh Bells in Florida
Holiday Decorations - Welcome to the Fort DeSoto Camp Site!
she reveal the secrets. We didn’t get to the wonderful German restaurant in the same complex. The neighborhood is condo after condo which guarantees good support services like nail salons and a good independent hardware store! We went to nearby Treasure Island for a Publix and a Walgreens.
Although we had our own private “beach” right in front of the camp site, we jeeped over to North Beach and had a great beach day. The sand at Fort DeSoto is as soft as talc. There is a nice sand bar not far from shore; but it wasn't really warm enough for us to swim. We visited St. Pete Beach at sunset and found the sand equally wonderful. The sand at some Florida beaches has been “reclaimed” due to erosion. The reclamation process, mining sand from off shore and blowing is onto the beach, sometimes results in grittier sand.
We had looked forward to a Water Taxi to Shell Key; but December is off season and the $20 per person trip was only going out on Saturday when we would be on our way to Venice. We did run into some kayakers who smartly paddled
Our Street and The Neighborhood
Love the privacy that the natural landscaping affords us while camped at Fort DeSoto.
out to Shell Key as the tide was going out and got help coming back to camp by taking advantage of an in-coming tide. Their net shell bag was full of beauties!
It was fun to strike up a conversation, in my faulty French, with a woman from Quebec who had up set up a table with her bead craft and hand crafted journals at the edge of her camp site.
This seems to be a more relaxed visit. We aren't rushing off to attractions; just reading our books, sighting birds, and watching mullets jump and dolphin glide. Night time finds us playing play gin rummy and catching something good on TV for example Angela Lansbury’s preview of Downton Abbey and Il Volo's Detroit concert (both on PBS and both GREAT)!
On our last night in Fort DeSoto, we went to Pass A Grille (St. Pete’s Beach) for the sunset. Drinks on the deck of the Paradise Café (right on the beach) and then to another favorite restaurant, Sea Critters, where we shared a delicious fish platter. Next stop Venice.
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Nearby and so worth the drive: Salvador Dali Museum (fab building and
White Pelican About to Take Off
Fort DeSoto is a birders paradise! One of these rather rare white pelicans is about to take flight. We had only seen white pelicans prior at Ding Darling on Sanibel Island!
largest Dali collection outside of Spain), Downtown St. Petersburg, Dunedin, Clearwater Beach, Tarpon Springs (Greek culture), and all the little beach communities along the Gulf of Mexico.
Fort DeSoto Camp Ground Nightly Rate (including tax) $28. Campers get a code so they can avoid the $5 beach parking. Fort DeSoto is good for those traveling with Poochie; there is a campground area for pets and their people and a designated beach area for pets. About reservations, Florida residents get first dibs on the Pinellas County Park. Out of staters can reserve up to six months in advance which we did to secure our picture perfect water site. Hook ups include electricity and water only. We needed to be conservative re: "black and brown" water. We used a nearby bathhouse/shower facility! Washing Machines $1 / Dryers .75 (was $2 each service at previous camp ground)
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