Gasparilla Island State Park facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Gasparilla Island State Park |
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IUCN Category IV (Habitat/Species Management Area)
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 Gasparilla Island State Park
Location in Florida
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| Location | Charlotte and Lee counties, Florida, USA |
| Nearest city | Boca Grande, Florida |
| Established | 1983 |
| Governing body | Florida Department of Environmental Protection |
Gasparilla Island State Park is a Florida State Park located south of Boca Grande on Gasparilla Island off Charlotte Harbor and Pine Island Sound. Activities include swimming and fishing along with shelling, picnicking, and viewing the Historic Port Boca Grande Lighthouse. Visitors can also enjoy snorkeling, and nature study.
Among the wildlife of the park are West Indian manatee, gopher tortoise, bald eagle, osprey, least tern, royal tern, Sandwich tern, and black skimmer.
The park admission fee is $3.00 per vehicle or golf cart, $2.00 per pedestrian or bicycle, and a donation of $2.00 is requested for the lighthouse.
Amenities include four parking lots, two picnic areas with covered tables, beaches, and Historic Port Boca Grande Lighthouse on the southern end of the island. The Port Boca Grande Lighthouse contains a museum and gift shop, and is run by the Barrier Island Park Society, a nonprofit that supports the Gasparilla Island State Park. The park is open from 8:00 am till sundown year-round. The lighthouse is open from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm Monday–Saturday, and noon to 4:00 pm on Sundays; hours change off season; call for hours during the summer.
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