Honeymoon Island

Taking a boat to Honeymoon Island is the way to see this barrier island the way it was meant to be seen: from the water, on your own schedule. The park sits just off Dunedin, and the run up the Intracoastal is an easy, scenic cruise past mangrove shorelines and open sound. Along the way, keep your eyes on the water, wild bottlenose dolphins surface out here almost every day, and they love to ride a boat's wake.

Once you arrive, the island rewards you with room to breathe. Four miles of undeveloped beach mean you can always find your own patch of sand. Stretch your legs on the osprey trail, where these fish-hawks nest in the slash pines overhead, or point the family toward the dedicated pet beach so the dog gets a vacation too. Pack the cooler, cue up the Bluetooth stereo, and let the bimini top keep everyone shaded through the warm part of the day.

The sound side is where a pontoon really shines. Tuck into the calmer back-bay anchorages, drop the hook in knee-deep water, and let the kids wade while you relax. It's protected, gentle, and made for lingering, no crowds fighting for a parking spot, no long walk from the lot. Just step off the bow and you're there.

Honeymoon Island also pairs beautifully with Three Rooker Bar, the sandbar island just to the north. Many of our renters split the day: morning on Three Rooker's shallow flats, afternoon on Honeymoon's beaches, or the other way around. With a Half-Day Cruise, Island-Hopper, or Full-Day Escape on the schedule, you've got plenty of time to work both into one unforgettable trip.