Fort DeSoto — Attraction in Gulfport

Pretty torn up about this review but I'm going to give it. This place has so much potential, but does not feel safe. I was super excited to check it while camping here. I reviewed the campground separately. The park is huge. they have everything you could want on a camping trip; kayaking, a beach, fishing and boating, a ton of trails, a dog park and a dog beach, a cool fort to explore, a gift shop, and plenty of restrooms. The down side is, it's $6 to park for the day, which might not sound like much if you just come over for the day, but you still have a few tolls to pay on top of that on the way over, and if you're also camping you've already spent a lot. Though you may not have to pay the parking fee if you're camping, but no one said that and I didn't read it on any of the pamphlets so I'm not sure. It would be better if the county could clarify that somewhere. The beach was gorgeous and I could have spent the entire day there but I had other things I wanted to check out so I headed back to my car with one pit stop at the restrooms. They were horrid. They had wet toilet paper all over the floor, broken seats, garbage and water everywhere. I was sure someone was probably shooting up in one of the stalls so I got out of there without even using the facilities. The place was super sketchy. On my way to my car I had a bad experience. Unfortunately, I had two guys drive around following my back to my car in their vehicle and they even went down the same aisle as me and when I crossed the grass median to go to the next isle, they pulled through a space behind me then drove across the grass themselves into the isle my car was in, and pulled around me essentially blocking me in at my car so I couldn't back out. Then they proceeded to ask me directions to the pier which was very well mapped out on every sign they passed on the way to the beach. Wanting to give them the benefit of the doubt here assuming they really just wanted directions. However, I was the only car at this end of the lot and I was alone but instead of driving to the top of the lot where people were they chose to circle around me and had to know they made me uncomfortable since my own fight or flight behavior had obviously kicked in. Still, after I pointed to the pier they continued to try and talk to me about how other people gave them other directions and blah blah. I had my keys in one hand and my hand on my knife with the other and just got in my car and locked it as they were still talking. The big issue with this is that there was no one I saw patrolling around for this to transpire and me still feel like I might not get out of a bad situation. I left there and went to the fort. The fort is pretty cool, but again, no type of security or park rangers to be seen. Not even any volunteers at the fort to keep people aware that the place is a historic site rather than a hang out. There weren't many people at the fort, but there were groups of young kids, the smell of weed, and very dark and creepy areas that could have easily become crime scenes. I'm not one to feel unsafe alone but this place felt more like I was in a bad part of town than it felt like a county park and historic site. I would love to check it out another time if I had someone with me. My intention was to see the beach and fort then spend most of my time on the trails. After my creepy encounter at the beach and the strange vibe at the fort, I decided to just go back to camp and hang in my own safe spot. I'm sure my experience is just a random one and not average at this park. I'm basing this assumption on other reviews and YouTube videos I've seen on the park. They have all been good. So I'm not trying to just bash the place. i did see some families here and there, and the beach was breathtaking. Again, I'd return,...

Seen: Sea birds, rats, raccoons, lizard

Pros: Sites are mostly on the water, summer spacious some are well shaded, fishing is allowed from sites however some is more marshland I wouldn't recommend fishing from, bait and ice is reasonably priced. Separate dog beach area, bike rentals, kayak rentals

Cons: RACOONS, no-see-ums, and ants were really bad! No beach access after 8:30 PM even for camp residents, pier closes at 8:30 PM, shops including bait shop at pier close at 4 PM sometimes sooner at the bait shop communal benches in restrooms, women's showers were horrible! They sprayed down hard and sharp. All 3 shower stalls felt that way , accept the handicap stall which was fine but had no good water pressure. My kids argued about who got to use it 1st. Husband told me the men's showers work great, but still was not liking the idea of the communial bench. Fans are also turned off at night and the restrooms. For those that shower or even use the restrooms at night, the fans would be great to have on for some kind of air flow to help with heat and the humidity. Was a big bummer not to have them on. Husband told me the men's showers work great, but still was not liking the idea of the communial bench. Fans are also turned off at night and the restrooms. For those that shower or even use the restrooms at night, the fans would be great to have on for some kind of air flow to help with heat and the humidity. Was a big bummer not to have them on. No fire pits at camp sites, but you can rent them or bring your own.

Other: No gift shop at the campground, but there is one located near the beach at Fort de soto. Spotted Samantha's off of fishing pier, staff is friendly. *water and electric at each site, But the water at the campsites was murky almost white and tasted horrible.

The drive into the campsites was very nice.

Just 1 Washer and dryer available at bathrooms for $1.75 each

The raccoons were so bad, they were such a nuisance, came up to us during dinner time in the dark at our table scared the c* out of my children. Beautiful park to stay at , but with a few days there dealing with raccoons and being scared about going out in the dark with them nearby we probably will not return let alone with the lack of beach...

I've been to a lot of gulf coast beaches and state parks and Fort De Soto is my new favorite! There are so many areas to take part in different recreational activities. East Beach is great for wind surfing, there's boat launches, there's a pier for fishing, a dog beach, and then North Beach that's great for families and people just wanting to enjoy a day at the water! There's also so many trails to walk or ride a bike on. And all of these areas are very well marked! There's no guard stand you have to pay at. There are payment kiosks or you can use the Park Mobile app to pay the $5 fee for parking. We spent our time soley at North Beach and we were so impressed with it for our family. There's TONS of parking, several clean bathrooms, playgrounds, a concession stand with a mini gift shop type store in case you forgot anything from baby floats to beach umbrellas. There's also a handicap entrance to the beach. While there's no easy roll mat that takes you directly onto the beach, the sand is somewhat compacted and we were able to roll our wagon with our toddlers and our beach items in it fairly easily. They also have beach wheelchairs for free to use at the concession stand! The water is beautiful, there's a lifeguard on duty, the entrance into the water is a little shelly so you may want water shoes for your littles. As I said before, the pretty white sand is more compacted which is fantastic for kids (or adults) because when you come out from swimming you don't get instantly covered in sand to the point where you can't touch anything without covering it in sand. There's also a shower on the way out near the bathrooms/concession stand. Before you get to North Beach they have another concession stand and a more proper gift shop for souvenirs. Getting ice cream was a nice treat on the way out. Also, all of the staff we met were so nice! I would definitely recommend coming here to visit! It's so beautiful, cheap to visit, and you could easily spend the...