ST. JOHNS COUNTY, Fla. -- The sound of a boat motor has been missing for a while at Fort Matanzas National Monument in southern St. Johns County.
Now it's back.
The two ferry boats are up and running now. They were damaged and the ferry service was shut down for eight months since Hurricane Irma hit.
This comes just in time for Lindsay Turner of Ohio.
"We're trying to see all the national parks in the country," she said with a smile.
Anyone who wants to go into the fort at Fort Matanzas has to take the free ferry. So the fort has been off limits for months.
Chris Leverett with the National Park Service said, "We offered opportunities to look at it from the shore, but that's nothing like boarding the boat and actually visiting the historic site."
The fort dates to the 1740s, and it's a small fort.
"Fort Matanzas is unique," Leverett said. "Fort Matanzas is the only example of a Spanish fortified structure in the shape of a watchtower in the continental United States."
On top of the fort, there is a great view. You can see the Atlantic Ocean, the river, and the Intracoastal Waterway.
During hurricanes Matthew and Irma, the water rose to about five high on the fort's walls. Hurricane Irma damaged the dock ramps and the boats ... and that's not all.
"The oceanside beach boardwalk is still under repair. It was damaged from both hurricanes," Leverett said.
But now, $486,000 later, both boats are working and the ramps are even ADA compliant for the first time, so strollers and wheelchairs can access the boats.
And for Turner, she's able to check off another national park on her list.
"We've seen about 70, but there are about 400. So we have a ways to go," she said with a smile.