Honeymoon Island: Ospreys, Shells, and Old-Florida Beaches

Honeymoon Island got its romantic name in the 1940s, when a developer offered free palm-thatched honeymoon cottages to draw newlyweds to the island. The cottages are long gone, but the wild, undeveloped beauty that made it special is still here, just off the coast at Dunedin.

A Wild Barrier Island

Honeymoon Island State Park sits at the north end of a barrier island chain near Dunedin and Clearwater, reachable by a causeway. Despite being one of the most visited state parks in Florida, much of it remains gloriously undeveloped: four miles of beach, rolling dunes, tidal flats, and one of the last stands of virgin slash pine in South Florida. The result is a rare mix, an easy-to-reach beach that still feels wild.

A Haven for Ospreys

The park is famous among birders for its ospreys. The old pine forest is dotted with their massive stick nests, and in nesting season you can watch the fish hawks wheel overhead and dive for mullet just offshore. Eagles, owls, shorebirds, and gopher tortoises share the island, and the shelling along the north beach is some of the best on the Gulf coast. A passenger ferry runs from here to even wilder Caladesi Island next door.

Plan Your Visit

Honeymoon Island is open year round, an easy drive from Tampa or Clearwater across the Dunedin Causeway. You can swim, hike the pine-forest nature trail, paddle, shell, and watch for ospreys, or catch the ferry to Caladesi for the day. Mornings are best for birds and parking, which fills fast in season. Bring sun cover for the open beach, and keep an eye on the trees for those big osprey nests.

Official page: Honeymoon Island State Park