Fort Zachary Taylor — the island's best beach hides behind a Civil War fort

Fort Zachary Taylor State Park sits on the southwestern corner of the island, past the cruise ship pier, past the Truman Annex, at the end of a narrow entrance road most tourists drive right past. It's the best beach on the island and locals will tell you that without prompting.

Entry: $6 per vehicle (up to 8 people), $4 for a single-occupancy car, $2 for pedestrians and bicyclists. Open 8 a.m. to sundown, every day. No reservations, no time limit, no beach club, no chair rental unless you want it.

The beach is the reason to go. Because Fort Zach faces the Gulf side of the island with no reef protection close in, the beach drops off quickly — you're in 8 feet of water 20 feet offshore, versus Smathers where you have to wade 200 yards. That means real swimming, not sandbar wading. The sand is coarser than Smathers (which is trucked-in Bahamas sand every few years) but it's real Key West sand — no artificial fill. Australian pines line the shore, giving free natural shade that no other Key West beach has.

Snorkeling: shallow reef and rubble start about 30 yards out along the south end of the beach. Sergeant majors, blue tang, parrotfish, occasional stingrays and small nurse sharks. It's not the reef — for that you take a boat — but it's the best shore snorkel on the island. Bring a mask; you don't need fins.

The fort itself is included in park admission. Fort Zachary Taylor was built between 1845 and 1866, made of the same 16-million-brick masonry construction as Fort Jefferson in the Dry Tortugas (see: same architects, same era, same fate — obsolete before it was finished). During the Civil War, Key West stayed in Union hands the entire war, largely because Fort Zach was operational and heavily armed. The fort held the Gulf blockade — one of only three Southern forts that never fell to the Confederacy. Free tours run at noon daily.

Practical: bring cash for the entry gate (they accept cards but the line is slower). Restrooms and outdoor showers are at the beach. There's a small food truck-style concession that runs November through May. No lifeguard. The current can be strong near the fort's water intake — check the swim area buoys.

Best time: early morning, 8 to 10 a.m., before the cruise-ship crowds walk over from Mallory (yes, some do). Second-best is 4 p.m. to sundown — the park closes at sundown so you can walk the beach at the last light and then get out. Fort Zach's sunset is the second-best on the island after Mallory, and there's no crowd. Locals bring blankets, wine, and dinner.

If you're doing the beach route for the day: Fort Zach in the morning, back to town for lunch, then Higgs Beach or Smathers in the afternoon. That's the local move. Or just stay at Fort Zach all day — most locals do.