MANASOTA KEY, Fla. – The Tom Adams Bridge on the Intracoastal Waterway near Englewood isn’t an overwhelmingly attractive bridge, but it serves an importance purpose if your boat won’t pass under it. That’s one reason boaters are happy a rehabilitation project on the bridge, which opened in 1964, is almost complete. Drivers use the bridge more than boaters as they head to restaurants on Manasota Key and to Stump Pass State Park.

Tom Adams Bridge. Image by Tom Adkinson.

The park, located in the southwest corner of Charlotte County, features a stretch of undeveloped beachfront on the Gulf of Mexico, year-round swimming, good shelling, kayak access and an array of wildlife. Ranger-led nature hikes are offered in winter.

Trip-planning resource: FloridaStateParks.org/park/stump-pass and CharlotteHarborTravel.com