Honeymoon Island, Tampa

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The area locals avoid the tourist beaches and head for the beautiful and relatively uncrowned Honeymoon Island national park. This place has it all: stunning white sand beaches, one of the best places to look for sea shells in Florida and a great way to see the natural habitat of Florida. The nature trails and park staff are also wonderful. The park staff will often give free nature tours on request.

Consistently rated in the top ten list of beaches in the United States.

The beach also has places to eat, a small shop and showers and bathrooms.

Honeymoon Island State Park Area is located at the extreme west end of S.R.586, north of Dunedin.

Admission Fees $5.00 for up to 8 people per car. Single occupant fee of $3.00. Sunset fee of $3.00 per vehicle starting one hour prior to sunset.

Honeymoon Island is a state park in Dunedin, Florida. The water around the island is, in my opinion, the most beautiful and clearest of all the beaches (St. Pete, Clearwater, etc) you’re likely to find in the area. There is also some wildlife on the island, although I’m not much of an enthusiast and haven’t exactly gone looking for it.

The beaches on Honeymoon Island are much quieter and more laidback than those in St. Pete and most particularly Clearwater, which draw younger and wilder crowds. If you’re looking for a party, this isn’t the place to go, however there are picnic tables and swings set up for relaxing afternoons.

Although this beach is constantly rated one of the top beaches in the state, it should be noted that the shore is very rocky. You won’t find soft sand here, and it will be necessary to move big rocks before putting your blanket or towels down. The rocks are also somewhat of a nuisance when you go swimming, as you have to get past a few feet of rocks first.

Ferries run from Honeymoon Island to Caladasi Island, which I have been told is not rocky and is absolutely gorgeous. There are also a number of smaller islands nearby that you can kayak to from Honeymoon Island (I’m not an athlete and I can make it!).