Honeymoon Island is the easiest wild island in Tampa Bay to reach: drive across the Dunedin Causeway, pay a modest vehicle entry fee, and you are on a state-park barrier island with miles of natural beach and no development beyond the park's own facilities. Tripadvisor ranked it among the ten best beaches in the United States for 2026, and the appeal is clear once you arrive — the beaches are a mix of sand and shell (this is a shelling island more than a sugar-sand one), the water is calm and clear on good days, and the northern end of the island holds one of the region's best short nature walks. The Osprey Trail runs through one of the last virgin slash-pine stands in South Florida, where ospreys nest in season and bald eagles and great horned owls are often seen; the Pelican Cove Trail continues toward the island's northern tip and its shorebird areas. The Rotary Centennial Nature Center near the entrance explains it all and is open several days a week. Dogs are welcome on the pet beach at the southern end and on the nature trails on a leash, which makes Honeymoon a favorite for traveling families with pets. The island is also the launch point for the Caladesi Island ferry. Recovery note: the park was battered by Helene and Milton in 2024 and reopened in stages; by late 2025 it had largely reopened, though some bathhouses remained closed with portable restrooms in their place. Fit: beach walkers and shellers, families with dogs, birders and photographers, and anyone combining two islands in one day.
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.
What to expect
The experience
A causeway-reached state-park island with natural sand-and-shell beaches, the Osprey and Pelican Cove nature trails, a nature center, a pet beach, and the departure dock for the Caladesi Island ferry.
Best time
Early morning for parking, birds and cooler trail walking; winter and spring for nesting raptors.
How long
Half a day, or a full day combined with Caladesi.
Tips
Bring water, bug spray and shade. Some bathhouses were still closed in late 2025, with portable restrooms instead. Leash dogs and keep them to the pet beach and trails. Book the Caladesi ferry early in the day.
Quick picks
- Best for
- Natural beach and a real nature walk, no boat required.
- Families
- Calm water, shells to collect, and a beach where the dog can come too.
- Couples
- A morning trail walk among ospreys and eagles, then a quiet stretch of sand.
- Pair with
- Caladesi Island by ferry from the same park; Dunedin downtown for lunch.
- Time needed
- Half a day.
Good questions
Is Honeymoon Island open after the hurricanes?+
Yes. The park reopened in stages after the 2024 storms and was largely open by late 2025, though some bathhouses were still closed with portable restrooms available. Check the state park page before you go.
How much does it cost?+
There is a per-vehicle entry fee for the state park; the Caladesi ferry, if you take it, is a separate ticket.
Can we bring our dog?+
Yes — leashed dogs are allowed on the pet beach at the southern end and on the nature trails, but not on the main swimming beaches.
Is it a good shelling beach?+
Yes, it is known more for shells than for pure white sand; walk the tide line after high tide for the best finds.
What wildlife might we see?+
Ospreys, bald eagles and great horned owls along the Osprey Trail, gopher tortoises, shorebirds, and dolphins offshore.
