Honeymoon Island State Park, Florida

Honeymoon Island, a barrier island across the St. Joseph's Sound from Palm Harbor, is home to the Honeymoon Island State Park. The park is 385 acres in land area with 4 miles of beach, and 2400 acres of submerged land. According to the Florida Park Service, Honeymoon Island was introduced to the public during the 1940's through newsreels and magazines with advertisements promising undiscovered pleasures for newlyweds. Formerly known as Hog Island, in the early 1940's honeymoon-type huts were built on the island for vacationing, and the name was changed. The thatched huts fell into disuse during World War II, and were eventually torn down, however, the name stuck. Although no longer a destination for honeymooners, nature lovers will find osprey nests (we saw plenty of these!), a wide variety of shorebirds, and one of the few remaining virgin slash pine forests in South Florida. We also came across a very busy armadillo, rooting and digging for something, who seemed completely unconcerned with humans. There are several nature trails, some of which we rode our bikes on, and visitors can also swim and snorkel in the warm waters of the Gulf, collect shells, picnic, and take advantage of an onsite gift shop and snack bar. Here are some pictures of our bike ride on Honeymoon Island State Park.