Honeymoon Island State Park
WHITE SAND BEACHES, STUNNING SUNSETS AND A BIRD WATCHER'S PARADISE
Honeymoon Island State Park is the stunning barrier island that sits across from St. Joseph's Sound, a highly popular beach park with an interesting history behind it.
The entire state park holds 385 acres of land, 2400 acres underwater. There are 4 miles of beach and 3 miles of trails to hike, the trail crisscrossing through what is considered to be one of the last remaining virgin slash pine forests. Along the trail and throughout the park you will see such wildlife as eagles, osprey, great horned owls, gopher tortoises, eastern diamondback rattlesnakes, raccoons, armadillos, and more. Aside from hiking this gorgeous trail and wildlife watching, you can also swim, fish, shell, bike, and visit the Rotary Century Nature Center. This learning center will teach you about the animals of the park, the natural resources, and history.
Historically the land here was once called Hog Island, though the area changed after a massive hurricane in 1921. In the 1930s a businessman came through and decided this would be the perfect honeymoon spot, and just like that the word spread, with the help of a feature in Life Magazine, and honeymoon cottages were built.
There is easy access to Caladesi Island from Honeymoon State Park if you'd like to keep exploring!