A Survey of Visitors to the Ft. Pickens Area of the Gulf Islands National Seashore 1988-89

Stopp, Harry

On the western end of Santa Rosa Island which stretches across the entrance to Pensacola Bay in Northwest Florida, is the Ft. Pickens area of the Gulf Islands National Seashore. This is a recreation area that was once a Florida state park but became part of the Gulf Islands National Seashore under the management of the National Park Service in 1972. The area is served by a paved road which extends approximately 8 miles down the center of Santa Rosa Island to a terminous at Ft. Pickens, a partially restored Civil War fort.The National Park Service has created a significant set of tourist and visitor attractions in the Ft. Pickens area; there is a 200 campsite campground, an amphitheatre, several nature trails, a campground store, a museum near Ft. Pickens itself, several buildings which have marine and coastal exhibits housed inside them, a fishing pier and a snack bar. The natural attractions of the area include an expanse of white sandy beach along the Gulf side of the entire park area (facing south) and a smaller and calmer beach area on the sound side or bay side of the island. Visitors can fish, swim or enjoy the bay or beach and a wide range of outdoor activities.This report is a result of a 2 year study of visitors to the Ft. Pickens area in 1988 and 1989. The study was undertaken by the Center for Social Science Research at the University of West Florida with the cooperation of the National Park Service. While the results of the survey housed within this report will provide some insight into tourism in the Ft. Pickens area, the Center for Social Science Research intends to continue to survey the Ft. Pickens area and to expand, if possible, the range of variables surveyed in future research.

A Survey of Visitors to the Ft. Pickens Area of the Gulf Islands National Seashore 1988-89

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