Honeymoon Island State Park

Dunedin, Florida: Located on the Gulf of Mexico in Pinellas County lies the picturesque Honeymoon Island. With over 2,800 acres of wildland and 4 miles of beaches, the island is home to many Florida native plants and wildlife.

The island was once much larger, but was split in two by a major hurricane in 1921. The result was two islands, Hog Island and Caladesi Island separated by Hurricane Pass. Hog Island was later purchased by Clinton Washburn, an New York developer in 1939.

Washburn built cottages and marketed the island as a honeymoon getaway for newlywed couples. The island was then renamed Honeymoon Island. The island remained a prominent vacation spot until World War II when the cottages fell into disrepair.

The State of Florida took possession of the island and it became part of the Florida State Park system. The cottages were removed and the island was attached to the mainland via the Dunedin Causeway. This resulted in more than 900,000 annual visitors to the park.

Today Honeymoon Island is home to many native Florida wildlife including many species of shore birds, Bald Eagles, Osprey, Horned Owls, raccoons, gopher tortoise and the Eastern Diamondback Rattlesnake. Hurricane Pass is also a great spot for fishing as it is home to snook, trout, redfish, pompano, shark, tarpon, flounder and more.

The island offer plenty of recreations for its visitors. The four miles of beaches offer great swimming, shelling and sunbathing. There is even a pet beach for the four legged member of the family. You can also take a hike on to nature trails that travel through pine forests and mangroves and provides home to many of the islands inhabitant. The park also features a Nature Center and ferry service to neighboring Caladesi Island.

For more photos, click on the picture above or visit my Honeymoon Island photo page.