Honeymoon Island State Park
September 21st, 2008
Yesterday we packed up the car and packed our lunch and headed out to Honeymoon Island State Park in Dunedin for the day. 
After arriving Austin and I grabbed our snorkels and our masks and headed past the rocky beach and into the water. It was really murky and you couldn’t see 4 feet in front of you even with a mask on. The park is definitely a great place to head out and go swimming for the day but i wouldn’t worry too much about snorkeling or anything like that because as i said, you couldn’t see much of anything. The water was nice though and pretty shallow for quite a ways out. Pam stayed on shore getting a bit of a tan but if you have been reading along, you know the bugs love her so much. within minutes she was stung by a yellow fly and a day later, her foot is still swollen. So if you’re like her and the stinging insects love you, bring some deet.
It goes without saying but you will be at a beach so make sure you bring some good suntan lotion to keep you from burning. You might also want to bring a bucket or two for your little ones so that they can collect shells on the beach as it is covered with them. The beach is really rocky and it does hurt your feet so bring water shoes for you and the kids otherwise there’s likely to be some complaining about feet hurting although once in the water you can walk along without worry as it’s sandy and most of the rocks are on shore. We would also definitely recommend that you bring a beach umbrella and maybe a beach chair or a blanket to sit on.
There aren’t many shady spots on this island at all so be prepared for that. While shade isn’t necessarily a necessity especially when you consider that you are going to be at a beach swimming and sun tanning, It’s still nice to sit and eat your lunch while in the shade instead of the hot sun. and man was it hot yesterday!. There is also the Honeymoon Cafe that is located on the park and even though we didn’t get a chance to eat there i am sure that they have a nice spot to sit and relax while you eat. We would probably recommend that you eat there instead of picnicking like we did. There is hardly any picnic tables at the park i think we only saw one down by the beach where we went swimming. We spent about 15 minutes driving around seeing the island while looking for a nice spot to stop and eat before deciding that we were going to go over by the Caladesi Island ferry ticket booth. There is a nice little pavilion there but unfortunately it’s just a waiting area for the ferry and there are no picnic tables there. Just benches.
Speaking of the ferry to Caladesi Island, we missed the last ride out by about 30 minutes. Their last ferry ride to the island runs at about 3:30pm so make sure that you get there before then if you want to head over to that park. Ferry rides are $10.00 per adult and $6.00 per child 12 and under and include the return trip back to Honeymoon Island.
After we ate our lunch we headed over to the Nature Center to check it out. Once to the main deck of the Nature Center you can view the whole island and really appreciate how beautiful it really is. They also keep a telescope on a tripod out on the deck for visitors to look through and see things off in the distance. I thought that was really cool. Once you make your way inside you will learn a lot about the island and the history behind the park through the many displays that they have. You will learn about some of the animals that inhabit the island as well as see some of the things that can be found around the island. Shells, sand dollars, bones and fossils. There’s a loggerhead skull there that is about the size of a cantaloupe. That was one BIG turtle!
A hint for you shell hunters that was given to us by a good friend of ours; Most of the stuff on the beaches has been picked through quite a bit so if you’re hunting for the good stuff you might want to park over near the pet beach and walk up the beach a couple miles where not a lot of people go. We were told that this is where you find the little treasures that the park has to offer though we can’t confirm it. Perhaps one of you can?
The park also offers a couple trails that we saw for hikers as well as a pet beach for you animal lovers so if you have a dog that loves the water grab a Frisbee and bring him or her along for the adventure. All in all the island is beautiful and a great place to go with the family if you’re prepared for it. Make sure you have your sunscreen, deet if you’re prone to some insect love, beach shoes for the rocky beaches, and an umbrella and chairs or a beach towel to sit on.
I think that about wraps it up for this park though we’ll be back to visit Caladesi Island State Park another time.
For more photos from Honeymoon Island State Park, please visit the Honeymoon Island State Park Photo Gallery