Honeymoon Island State Park

The wild island you can drive to

⏱ Half-full day👤 All ages$

The island got its name in the late 1930s and 1940s, when a developer built thatched bungalows for honeymooners and promoted it in national magazines; before that it was Hog Island, and a 1921 hurricane split it from what is now Caladesi Island. The state later acquired it as a park, and today it is one of the most-visited state parks in Florida, with a causeway that makes it feel more accessible than its wilder neighbor. The park covers about 2,824 acres with roughly four miles of beaches, and its habitats run from coastal strand and pine flatwoods to maritime hammock, mangroves, tidal flats and seagrass beds, which is why it is a fixture on the Great Florida Birding Trail.

Visit craft: go early for parking and wildlife. The Osprey Trail, reached from the large parking area at the end of the entrance road, is one of the best places in the region to see nesting ospreys and is at its best in the cool morning; the Pelican Trail follows Pelican Cove on the bay side. Look for bald eagles and reddish egrets year-round, oystercatchers, least terns and snowy plovers on the beaches, and painted buntings and warblers in the spring and fall migrations. Then pick a beach: the main swimming beaches near the concession, the quieter northern beaches beyond the trail, or the pet beach on the south. Shellers should walk the wrack line after a high tide. The Rotary Centennial Nature Center near the entrance has indoor activities for kids. If you are adding Caladesi, buy ferry tickets early and plan the island day around the boat times. Bring bug spray for the trail and plenty of water; concessions are limited.

Practicals and fit: at the west end of the Dunedin Causeway (State Road 586); open daily from 8 a.m. to sundown, with a per-vehicle entry fee. Allow a half day, a full day with Caladesi. Fit: beaches, families (with or without dogs), couples who like a nature walk with their beach day, and birders.