7 Best Parks in Dunedin, Florida for a Great Day Outdoors

One thing we know around Dunedin is that we love parks, and parks in Dunedin FL stand right up there with the best around the state. Of course, we’re extraordinarily lucky to be home to two amazing state parks – Caladesi Island State Park and Honeymoon Island State Park, the latter being the most visited state park in Florida’s award-winning state park system.

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Dunedin’s recreation department, government, and citizens have done a great job at identifying and protecting green spaces, as seen in the battle for the Gladys Douglas Preserve property a few years ago. This love of the outdoors and providing green spaces has earned the city several awards, including being named “Tree City USA” for 34 years in a row.

If you’re visiting Dunedin (or live here), chances are you’re here for either the vibey downtown core or the nature and parks in Dunedin. After all, being on the beach or outdoors anywhere are two of the best activities in Dunedin. In this post, we’ll explore seven of Dunedin’s most popular parks and what makes them so special. You’ll definitely want to add one or two of these to your weekend plans.

1. Honeymoon Island State Park

It’s hard to visit Dunedin and not hear about Honeymoon Island State Park or its sister park, Caladesi Island. Honeymoon Island finds its way into the names of menu items, AirBNB cottages, craft brews, and businesses. It’s Dunedin’s most popular tourist attraction and one of the crown jewels in Florida’s state park system with more nearly 1.5 million people visiting each year.

Honeymoon Island features several miles of beach where visitors can beachcomb, sunbathe, swim, fish, and even bring the dogs to play at pet beach. The Nature Center offers information about the park’s history, geology, flora, and fauna. There are kayak rentals, a cafe, and three miles of nature trails through one of the county’s last remaining virgin stands of slash pines. 

2. Caladesi Island State Park

Honeymoon Island’s sister island – the two were one until the Hurricane of 1921 split the island in two and created Hurricane Pass – Caladesi Island State Park is often touted as “only accessible by boat”, but that’s not true. Though an inlet once separated Caladesi Island from Clearwater Beach, it closed for good more than 20 years ago, and it’s now possible to walk from Clearwater Beach to Caladesi. The best way though, in my opinion, is still by boat or kayak. 

The popular island sees an influx of visitors on the weekend and holidays when boats, paddleboards, and kayaks pack the beach and boaters lounge in the warm water. For those who don’t have access to a boat or kayak, a ferry runs hourly from Honeymoon Island to the Caladesi Island marina where visitors have access to the beach, concessions, and a nature trail.

3. Hammock Park

After Honeymoon and Caladesi, Hammock Park is perhaps the most beloved of the parks in Dunedin, Florida. Spread across 90 acres in a residential part of town, it’s a park which provides a natural sanctuary for the area’s wildlife, including coyotes, gopher tortoises, snakes, and a variety of birds. 

The park features several miles of unpaved trails, a playground, kayak launch, and disc golf course. Two of the most unique attractions among Dunedin parks are found at Hammock Park – Andrews Memorial Chapel and the butterfly garden.

Andrews Memorial Chapel is one of the oldest churches in Dunedin. Built in 1888, it originally stood where the First Presbyterian Church now stands at the corner of Scotland and Highland. The Dunedin Historical Society purchased the chapel in 1971 and moved it to its present location in Hammock Park.

4. Weaver Park

Weaver Park became an instant hit when it opened in 2011. The waterfront park spans both sides of Alternate 19, is accessible from the Pinellas Trail, and is home to Cottage Campus, one of the campuses used by Dunedin Fine Arts Center for classes.

For being a smaller park, Weaver packs a punch with all of the activities available. The park east of Alt-19 features two parking lots, several picnic pavilions with tables and grills, a shady playground, and the Kiwanis FitZone. The west side features a small parking lot, a large grassy area used for Friday music concerts, and a fishing pier. This park is one of the most popular in Dunedin for watching sunsets.

5. Gladys E. Douglas Preserve

Gladys E. Douglas Preserve is the latest park in Dunedin’s park system. Opened in early 2023, Douglas Preserve exemplifies how a community can stand up to a developer. And win. When Dunedin residents and visitors learned that Pulte Homes was planning to raze the property and build a new development, a grassroots movement began to save the property. Besides development fatigue – Dunedin is located in the most densely populated county in Florida – supporters wanted to save the last remaining rosemary bald in Pinellas County, a rare and endangered ecosystem in Florida.

The preserve plans to open in phases with phase 1 now open. This part of the preserve has a short nature trail with interpretive signage explaining the history of the preserve and the importance of the rosemary bald ecosystem. Phase 2 will include recreation facilities at Jerry Lake including kayak rentals and more nature trails.

6. Edgewater Park

Edgewater Park sits adjacent to the Dunedin Marina and provides a central location for getting together with friends, watching a sunset, and many of the city’s special events (though not as many as held at Pioneer Park). Though Edgewater offers limited parking, it’s easy to get to on foot from Dunedin’s restaurants and shops on Main Street or Broadway Boulevard. Just walk west until you hit the water. You’ve arrived!

This small park features playgrounds, a picnic pavilion, gazebo used for concerts, bathrooms, and lots of green space. The city’s holiday tree lives in a corner of the park for the month of December, and this is where Santa and Mrs. Claus roar ashore on a police boat at the end of the annual Holiday Boat Parade. Visitors can watch the sunset from the park or walk to the two popular nearby locations – the “peninsula” at the far side of the marina or the fishing pier in front of Bon Appetit and the Best Western Yacht Harbor hotel.

7. John Grant Hubbard Park

Hubbard Park is a linear park that runs the length of the waterfront between Dunedin Marina and Stevensons Creek in Clearwater. Halfway along the path one crosses the city line and is in the other city. The winding sidewalk is a favorite among walkers and joggers, especially in the evening when stunning views of the sun setting behind Caladesi Island and Clearwater Beach dominate the horizon. 

Though the park is a waterfront park, there’s no official access to the water. No kayak launch, swimming area, etc. Some people climb over the large boulders acting a seawall to fish, but that’s not advised. Along the walk, one sees a variety of birds including herons, egrets, and pelicans. The old Fenway Hotel dock is a favorite focal point for photographs. Likewise, some of Dunedin’s largest and oldest homes line Edgewater Drive, the road beside which the park is built. The homes overlook the St. Joseph’s Sound. Some have riparian rights so own private docks accessed through the park.

Other Parks in Dunedin

Achieva Paw Park

• Ideal for: dogs
• Facilities: no
• Special amenities: none

Highlander Park

• Ideal for: kids and families
• Facilities: yes
• Special amenities: splash park, community pool($)

Pioneer Park

• Ideal for: everyone
• Facilities: no
• Special amenities: a stage and the site of many festivals and fairs