Keep these fun facts and tips handy for your next trip to the Dry Tortugas:

• The islands of the Dry Tortugas remain one of the few locations on earth where threatened and endangered species such as the Loggerhead, Hawksbill, and Green sea turtles nest. 
• The original Tortugas Harbor Lighthouse only used 15 lamps to guide mariners through the islands.
• Fort Jefferson was named in honor of Thomas Jefferson, third president of the United States.
• The lighthouse from Loggerhead Key and Garden Key, were the only Gulf Coast towers that remained in full operation throughout the Civil War.
• Of the estimated 100 square miles encompassed by Dry Tortugas National Park, only 40 acres are above water. 
• The Dry Tortugas National Park is the most active nesting site in all of the Florida Keys.
• According to the National Park Service, the waters surrounding the Dry Tortugas are home to nearly 300 hundred shipwrecks.