This fascinating park preserves ecosystems that run from wet prairie to sandy shoreline to the eponymous Tarkiln Bayou, an eerie, alluring spill of dark water, brightly flowering plants and thin trees. Peppered throughout are trails, boardwalks, and four species of the endangered pitcher plant, a carnivorous plant that lures insects to death in its digestive, petal-crowned gullet.
The park is located about 8 miles north of Perdido Key, and 15 miles west of Pensacola.