Honeymoon Island State Recreation Area began life as a grand prize in a 1940s contest. Paramount newsreels and Life magazine were giving away all-expenses-paid honeymoons to newlyweds who’d stay in thatched huts lining the beach. A road connecting the island to the mainland was built in 1964 and the state bought the land in the early 1970s. Today, the park offers diverse birdlife, good swimming and great shelling. Coastal plants include mangrove swamps, rare virgin slash pine, strand and salt marshes. There are also nature trails and bird observation areas.
