Hi there!
Honeymoon Island State Park has some of the best beaches for shelling in Florida.
So you can also make your time here all about shelling.
This Florida state park is on an island located in Dunedin FL just north of Tampa and Clearwater along the Gulf coast.
You can go to Honeymoon Island State Park before you start your drive to go from Tampa to Marco Island if you want to make it a Florida beach hopping kind of trip where you can stop by a few shelling beaches!
I went to Honeymoon Island State Park, and here’s a bit of what it was like for me!
As long as you get to the shoreline on Honeymoon Island, all you need to do is start walking!
Honeymoon Island beaches for shelling:
- Oasis Beach
- North Beach
- South Beach
📌 Save this post for later! Save on Pinterest! 👈📌
Now, I was only casually looking for shells so you can keep that in mind.
And even with just a casual search, I came across some mounds of shells along the shoreline!
If you have a goal to go shelling in Honeymoon Island State Park, you’ll likely be able to find a lot more different types of shells!
The main beaches of Honeymoon Island State Park are South Beach (aka “Main Beach”), Oasis Beach, and North Beach.
This is the order you’ll come across them as you start driving through the park. You’ll see signs for all of these beaches as you are driving in Honeymoon Island State Park.
There is also a dog beach. (Pet beach.) And yes, the dog beach is a beach in Honeymoon Island State Park that you can go to with your dog! This is near South Beach. The dog beach does require a bit more walking from the parking lot to get to it. The other beaches have minimal walking from parking lot to beach.
As I look back at my pictures, I see that I have taken the most pictures of shells in Honeymoon Island State Park at Oasis Beach.
So below will be mostly about Oasis Beach.
This doesn’t mean that you can’t find shells at other beaches, or even that Oasis Beach is the best beach in Honeymoon Island State Park for shelling.
There are also reports that going to North Beach and then walking further up north along the beach away from everything and everyone is the best shelling on Honeymoon Island.
If you want to make it a long beach walk on Honeymoon Island in search of shells, you can walk from South Beach to Oasis Beach to North Beach and beyond… and back! It’s all one long shoreline along Honeymoon Island.
Or make it Oasis Beach to North Beach and beyond… and back!
👆 You can walk the beach to the south on Honeymoon Island in search of shells!
👆 You can walk the beach to the north on Honeymoon Island in search of shells!
Or just start from North Beach and then go further up north for your shelling walk on Honeymoon Island!
If you want to make it a beach shelling walk from North Beach to further north, the Friends of Honeymoon Island State Park say that the Honeymoon Island North Beach Trek is 5 miles round trip. The suggested time you give yourself is 2.5 hours.
To enjoy solitude and completely natural surroundings, try hiking the North Beach.
To maximize the experience, plan your trip to around low tide to avoid mangroves hugging the waterline.
It’s 2.5 miles one way to Honeymoon Island’s north tip, and 2.5 miles back.
Start your journey from the North Beach parking lot.
A few sections can be rocky, but don’t be discouraged!
Eventually the beach becomes smooth and wide.
Shelling is popular especially after winter storms.
So you might want to make it a Honeymoon Island shelling hike from North Beach! Once you are in Honeymoon Island State Park, you can keep driving until you see a sign for the North Beach parking lot.
Another reason to visit the Honeymoon Island Nature Center is to get a Honeymoon Island map. Although it’s basic, it can give you a visual!
🐚
Now, here are some Honeymoon Island shells sticking to one of the main beaches without walking very far!
Once you pass through the Honeymoon Island State Park entry station, you’ll first drive by the parking lot for South Beach (Main Beach) and Pet Beach.
You’ll keep driving to get to Oasis Beach and North Beach.
I don’t know if there was a special occasion on the day I went or if North Beach is just more popular in general, but the North Beach parking lot was nearly full, and the Oasis Beach parking lot was pretty empty! (The South Beach parking lot also had a lot of parking availability, but that parking lot also feels bigger.)
There is a modern bathroom building between the parking lots of Oasis Beach and North Beach.
Driving to the Oasis Beach parking lot…
And then the beach… and shells!
It’s also a thing to wade into shallow water to see if you can find some more shells! (This is why water shoes can be a good idea to put on your list of what to bring shelling!
Honeymoon Island nature center
Since shelling is your goal (and even if it’s not), be sure to stop by the Honeymoon Island State Park visitor center!
You’ll look for signs for the nature center when you enter the park.
It will give you some background about Honeymoon Island, including about shelling!
If you have stopped by a Publix grocery store for some picnic food or prepared food on your way to Honeymoon Island, there’s a quiet waterfront picnic area just outside the nature center that can be perfect for eating with views!
There is a Publix located just before the bridge to Honeymoon Island. (map)
Honeymoon Island shell identification guide
You have a chance to find lots of different types of shells at Honeymoon Island State Park!
According to the Florida Park Service, live shelling is not allowed in Honeymoon Island State Park. This means that you can’t take home anything you find that is alive. Otherwise, you can take home shells you find at Honeymoon State Park.
Cost to go shelling at Honeymoon Island State Park
In order to go shelling on Honeymoon Island, you’ll need to enter Honeymoon Island State Park.
So the cost to go shelling is the cost of entry into Honeymoon Island State Park.
This is around $8 a car for a one-day pass. See current fees.
👆 In 2022, the cost of Honeymoon Island State Park was $8 a car.
If you plan to make this a year of going to a ton of Florida state parks, then there is also the Florida state parks annual pass.
Honeymoon Island map
👆 Map of where Honeymoon Island State Park is located in Florida. Explore the map. From Honeymoon Island, you can head south to more shelling beaches! Explore things to do in Southwest Florida!
And that’s a bit about Honeymoon Island State Park shelling!
My Honeymoon Island State Park trip that included finding shells was in April 2022. Your experience may vary!
You may also be interested in shelling at Caladesi Island State Park.
Caladesi Island is also considered to have some of the best shelling in Florida.
You take a ferry from Honeymoon Island to get to Caladesi Island: Caladesi Island ferry.
I was thinking to go to both Honeymoon Island and Caladesi Island on the same day since I wasn’t staying in the area. But well, I ended up spending more time than I thought I would on Honeymoon Island and decided to start driving towards Tampa and beyond instead of going to Caladesi Island!
More Florida vacation ideas!
More places to find the best shelling beaches in Florida:
- Best shelling beaches in Florida
- Sanibel Island shelling
- Captiva Island beaches
- Marco Island shelling
- Cayo Costa State Park shelling
More shelling in Florida:
- Florida Panhandle shelling: Navarre Beach shells
- Florida A1A Atlantic coast shelling: South Ponte Vedra shells
- Florida Atlantic coast shelling: Amelia Island shells
- Florida Atlantic coast shelling: St Augustine shells
More for your Florida road trip:
- Things to do in Southwest Florida
- Best camping in Southwest Florida
- Tampa to Marco Island
- Tampa to Miami
- Tampa to Key West
HAPPY SHELLING AT HONEYMOON ISLAND STATE PARK!
📌 Save this post for later! Save on Pinterest! 👈📌
There are partner websites included in this post. I may earn a commission.