Fred Howard Park

The drive in is half the experience, a mile-long causeway lined with cabbage palms, the bay shimmering on both sides. Paddle from the small inner lagoon out through the mangrove channels and you'll pop into a quiet Gulf cove with a white-sand beach most tourists never find. Locals know it as the best sunset spot in the Tarpon area. The shallows hold horseshoe crabs, which are not actually crabs but living fossils. Their lineage predates the dinosaurs by 200 million years. Their blue blood is harvested medically (released alive afterward) because it detects bacterial contamination in vaccines. Just don't pick them up by the tail; that's their backbone, not a handle. Ospreys nest in the trees year-round and dive for mullet right beside paddlers.

Where do I park, and is it free?

Cost

$6 / day (card only)

Parking

Ample

Plenty of parking, about 6 dollars a day, credit card only. Use the dedicated kayak launch in the inner lagoon before the causeway rather than the beach: it is calmer and easier for a first launch. Restrooms on site.

How clear is the water?

Cleanest when the tide is coming in: Gulf water flushes through past the causeway

What will I see?

• Ospreys, herons, horseshoe crabs in the shallows
• Manatees nose into the warmer mangrove pockets

What's the fishing like?

Trout and redfish on the flats, snook along the causeway; Spanish mackerel and ladyfish nearshore in the warm months.

How do I share the water here?

The shallows in here hold horseshoe crabs, which are living fossils, so if one is flipped over help it gently by both sides of the shell and never lift it by the tail. Ospreys nest along these channels year-round and manatees nose into the warmer mangrove pockets, so give nests a wide pass and keep clear of any animal you share the water with.