City: Tampa Bay, FL

Category: Parks & Recreation

Telephone: (727) 469-5918

Address: 1 Causeway Blvd.

Description: Named America’s Number One Beach for 2008 by Dr. Beach himself (www.drbeach.org), Caladesi Island is our tropical, this-side-of-heaven paradise. The western side of the island features miles of white sand beaches and an unobstructed view of the Gulf of Mexico. The sea-grass flats off the eastern side shelter stingrays, dolphins, and other sea life. Kayak through the mangrove tunnels rimming the east side of the island and it’s easy to think yourself back a century or more.As with Anclote Key, Caladesi Island State Park is accessible only by boat or by ferry. Ferry service (727-734-1501) to Caladesi leaves from Honeymoon Island State Park hourly beginning at 10 a.m.
 The ferry will drop you off for a four-hour stay at the marina, where there is a café (www.romantichoneymoonisland.com), restroom facilities, beach access, and nature trails. (See Honeymoon Island State Park description for entrance fees.) Ferry fees are $10 per adult, $6 for children ages 4 to 12. 
Children under four years old are free. No pets are allowed on the ferry, but pets are allowed on parts of the island.Admission to Caladesi Island State Park is $4 for up to eight people per private boat. Kayakers pay $1. Overnight on-board camping at the marina is available online at www.reserveamerica.com. To sail or paddle over to Caladesi Island, many people launch canoes, kayaks, and small boats from the Dunedin Causeway, a 2.5-mile road leading from Dunedin to Honeymoon Island State Park. Public beaches line both sides, and free parking is allowed on the sand close to the road. Pull off and park on the south side near where the windsurfing rentals set up their wares. Paddle out to the channel, and look both ways for boat traffic. When it’s clear, paddle briskly across the channel. You can then paddle to the sandy north end, skim over the sea-grass flats on the northeast side, or follow the marker directions in the next paragraph to the marina and the kayak trail. Here are the directions from the State Park Web site: “From Marker 14 on the Dunedin Causeway Channel, which runs parallel to the causeway between Hurricane Pass and the Intracoastal Waterway, follow a compass heading of about 212 degrees for approximately 1 mile. Follow the channel markers into the Caladesi Island State Park marina. (Note: Do not turn 212 degrees from Marker 14 on the Intracoastal Waterway. Look for Marker 14 on the Causeway Channel, which has a brown park sign on it.)" For paddlers without compasses, follow the island’s east side about a mile south (along the edge of the mangroves) and look for the channel markers leading into the marina. The marina is nestled quite a ways into the interior of the island and will not be visible from the causeway.