Caladesi Island State Park — Attraction in Dunedin

Best beach ever. I can't believe I have been here all this time and never been. This is my new favorite place to go. The most beautiful sugar sand you could ever see. The wife and I will definitely be returning here as much as we possibly can. The ferry guys are great and very knowledgeable about the area, and they are packed full of dad jokes. No joke that this place is amazing though. If you have never been you have got to put this on your bucket list, either with the whole family or alone. The solitude is bar none the best around. We stayed the entire day and caught the last ferry ride at 5, didn't really wanna leave and I'm sure you won't either.If you do decide to make the journey make sure you go to Honeymoon island and don't go the way the map will take you to Clearwater beach unless you want to make the mile long walk. The street is blocked off and has been that way since 1984 or something like that. Catch the Ferry and let them take you across. It's much easier and you won't loose any time like I did. Make sure to leave it the way you found it and don't take anything but pictures and leave nothing but footprints. They have public restrooms, concession stands, a great playground, it's a dog friendly park, and they have wonderful picnic areas. You can even throw birthday parties there. Get the whole crew together and make a whole day of it. I'm positive you won't want to leave either. Tell em Clearwater Q sent you. They might look at you funny though. Just look funny back. That's how you get the special package deal. Watch out for the rattle snakes and if you go on the nature trails bring plenty of bug repellent cause the mosquitoes are hungry and they might fly away with you, or try to cover every inch of you to protect you from the sun. Your gonna love this...

The ferry from honeymoon island leaves every hour on the hour starting at 10 a.m. it was around $50 for 2 adults and 2 kids. It's about a 15 minute boat ride, and the crew gives some history on the ride which was really nice. Your ticket has a specific return time 4 hours from when you arrive. They said you can leave earlier, but only if there is space available. They seemed full when we went on a weekday, so anticipate staying the full 4 hours. There is a little grill/gift shop as you pull in to the marina. They sell food, ice cream, beer(but any beer must be consumed at the grill area). There are bathrooms there but only 2, so keep going another 100 yards toward beach, where there are 2 more bathroom facilities with many stalls in each. Just a few more steps down the boardwalk to the beach and it is beautiful. Tons of shells, you are able to take a many as you would like as long as there are no live critters in them. There is a nature path on the interior of the island, but be warned it is buggy. Bring bug spray or buy some at the gift shop if you plan on hiking. There were not any mosquitoes in the beach or by the marina, not sure if that is normally the case. It was a relaxing way to spend a few hours, we packed lunches, but you could bring a beach chair, etc if you wanted. They also had rental items at the gift shop such as chairs. It felt tropical, quiet and remote while really only being a boat hop away...

Entrance Fee: $16 ferry ride from Honeymoon State Park, $4 for single person vehicle parking, $8 for 2 or more.

Basic Needs: Once on the island, there are plenty of water fountains, restrooms, and they have a cafe.

How well-maintained: Very well maintained, i saw a frequent number of park rangers cleaning up some trash on the beach, and the trails had little/no tree limbs or anything like that on them.

Amount of people: Since it is an island, I only saw a handful of people on my visit even on the beach.

How quiet it is: Very quiet and peaceful.

Unique: Its an island, and the ruins were quiet interesting. There were a lot of cool shells on the beach.

place/trails size: Trails were very easy to travel on and long. The beach was also very long and accommodating for people who want to be alone on the beach.

Seating: Lots of benchs on the trail and near the beach.

Whats allowed: Pets are not allowed on the beach, not sure about the trails.

Bugs: I would reccommend bringing bug spray, I got bit quiet a lot, not mych on the beach though.

Amenities: Boardwalk, cafe, boat/kayak docks, rentals, trails, etc.

Overall opinion: Very beautiful, water was gorgeous and warm, trails are well kept and a nice walk. Only thing i would've liked is a tower for the public to look out on the ocean but it was still a....