Keewaydin Island

Eh, severely overcrowded and the only sounds to be heard were either terrible «my girlfriend left me so I’m going to go shoot guns and drink bud light» country music or «I got 45 inch rims on my tricked out Impala» hardcore rap. After you get past the black and white music choices, it’s not a bad place. This is basically a place where younger folk go to, well, park their boats and drink all day while playing corn hole and eating greasy food from the food boats (yes, they have food boats serving everything from fish tacos to pizza docked on the beach) while sunning themselves on bean bag chairs. It’s very pet friendly which is cool-​lots of dogs were having the time of their lives in the ocean. The entire beach is covered with seashells and is a great place to pick some up. I even found a fully intact sand dollar. The coolest part of the beach area though is the Dolphins that come close to shore. We had fun following two dolphins that were playing about three feet off the beach and got some great photos and videos. If you don’t get here early, you will be SOL until later in the day when the early birds start heading home. It’s about a 30 minute ride out on the boat from Rose Marina but if you don’t rent a boat, you can take the Keewaydin Express as a ferry and just hang out all day.

I’m slightly biased because I own it, but if you are looking for a fun, easy, dependable way to get out to Keewaydin and enjoy a day on the beach try the Keewaydin Express. We ferry people back and forth to the island all day everyday. Check out
or call (239)207−0403 for more info. Thanks!

WOW! What an Island! After renting a boat we decided to spend our day here and we could not have had more fun! This spot has everything to offer from Flat Soft White Sand, Oodles and Oodles of Seashells, Starfish Sightings, Pup Friendly, and FOOD BOATS! Yes you heard correct; a handful of Food Boats anchor up at this Island for your enjoyment!
This Island itself is 7 miles long with endless actives to do! Most people bring their own entertainment such as Games– Grills– Booze– you can pretty much bring anything you want to fill your day! I would recommend taking Beach Chairs, Your Furry Baby, Umbrella, Frisbee, Any kind of Water Sport Games, and an Endless Supply of Booze & Snacks! Everyone was super friendly and interacted with each other! The Island does get pretty busy by 3pm we were side by side with boats lined up and down the whole River Side!
On the Island you have the River Side aka where all the boats anchor up and then on the other side is the beach. There are trails that go from one side to the next; Be Very Careful of the small Thorny Stickers! They like bare feet and will cling onto you!
We found so many different shells, sand dollars, and starfish on the beach side! There is a small sandbar also over there making for a leisurely walk in the Ocean!
The Food Boats!!! This is the first time I have ever experienced a Food Boat and by how much I love Food Trucks I was over the top excited to see these! They sell anything and everything from Ice Cream, Brats, Burgers, Grouper Sandwich, Chicago Dogs, French Fries, Nachos, Grilled Cheese, Bloody Mary’s, Long Island Iced Tea, Rum Runners, Beer, and Much Much More! The drinks are strong and the prices are great! Much better than Food Truck prices in SoFL! Most all of them accept cards!
In a nutshell we had an absolute blast and if we lived on the West Coast this would be a weekend event for us for sure! You can not miss such an Awesome, Beautiful, Scenic Island! You are sure to have an amazing day!

My boyfriend and I heard about this beach from a local during our recent trip to south Florida, and it was by far the highlight. In fact, we had such a lovely time that we rented a boat the next day so we could return! Honestly, the only thing that stopped us from coming back a third day was a flight back to Ohio. During the flight, we began talking about our favorite parts of the trip, and my boyfriend said he would have rented the boat for a third day to go back to Keewadin, our American version of the eponymous beach in the Leonardo DiCaprio movie The Beach. And frankly, when we return, we’ll rent a boat for the length of our trip so we will have the ability to come and go as we please. It is just a stunning place. Dolphins were swimming with us, and we saw a ray jump out of the water! The beauty of nature here was awesome. If you have the ability to make it to the island, go!

Been going here for years. Always a great time. It’s anything you want it to be. You can fish, go for walks, collect shells, grill, party, etc… When the tide is right you can grab a beer and float your way from one end of the island to the other. Then take a nice walk back to where you started. Watch the tides though as you could come back and find your boat or wave runner floating away. It’s also cool to take a trip behind the island through the mangroves. It can get confusing so have a map with you.

Oh, you want to go to Keewaydin?
I would rent a boat. I would also recommend purchasing a boat, if you have the means. If you do not have a boat, there are plenty to rent — coming from Naples that is. I’m sure Marco Island has boats too. Don’t like boats? Get personal with a jet ski or… stand up paddle board? Just don’t plan on walking there.
I would arrive early. When the weather is nice, the non-​gulf side unofficial watercraft parking lot fills up quickly. I must have gone up and down the bay side 7 or 8 times trying to muster the gusto to park my rental boat in between (what looked like) very expensive, very owned boats. Even tried to park a boat in water thats moving? You can’t inch up to it… its all or nothing. Good luck.
Should you prove conservative in your boat parking endeavor, the «gulfish» side has plenty of room to throw and anchor and swim up. There are too many people swimming on that side to ram a boat up the shore. This is the route we opted for.
Note: make sure your anchor is secure. Otherwise, you will be eating tuna from a pouch and having hummus and pita chips in such a nonchalant fashion that you won’t really notice you are drifting… into the sandbar. That area is very not deep.
Get on the island, hang at the beach, grab shells, and mingle with other boat people. Observe the many happy puppies in the water. Visit the food boat and enjoy burgers, grouper, and beer. Look to the gulf side and you can see into forever. Look on the bay side and I challenge you to find a car or truck (or road) anywhere nearby. As busy as it is at times, it is very peaceful.
While we were here, the weather was stellar, the storms were to the north (Naples) and we had a fantastic show to watch while still basking in the warm sun’s warm sunny warming glow.
Now reapply your sunscreen, because your back (like mine) will get burnt in very little time. Keewaydin is a clear watered, soft sanded, and very relaxing escape from the ‘ness of everyday life.
Be on a boat. Escape the ‘ness. Go to Keewaydin.

No one likes having a restroom nearby more than I do but putting public restrooms on Keewaydin Island would ruin it. This serenely beautiful place is by far my favorite place in the entire world. We travel from Lomg island, NY once a year to Naples and the highlight of our trip is always the day we rent a pontoon and make our way to Keewaydin! Please keep it as it is.

So far this is our favorite place to go on the weekends while out boating. The atmosphere is fun and varied from your rednecks to your yuppies or your families. Everyone has been friendly there so far, and I like that it’s all about having a good time.
If you’re hungry or thirsty, Keewaydin Island has the equivalent of food trucks with the beer and food boats parked on the shore.

Florida’s famous for shells and sometimes fossil shark teeth. So it’s a nice surprise, and a bit of a mystery why a sign of someone’s garbage habits comes so gracefully to shore here: Colored pieces of broken glass smoothed to a dull lustre by the currents.

I’m still surprised how so many hidden secrets of SWFL are not on Unilocal.This is a basic section of Keewaydin where people come to enjoy the sun, boats, fishing, BBQ, Floating, swimming, camping and parties. I’ve meet some really nice people from all over some even met their spouse there. Dogs must be on a leash or an officer will issue a citation.
Corn hole toss, football and Frisbee are popular.
Please don’t disturb the sea oat plants they were planted to prevent erosion it is not put there for tinder or for kids to play tag with. It is also a good idea to wear sandals if you walk the island because your feet will find sand spurs and that’s no fun. The people do a good job at keeping bottles off the island I’m guessing it’s basic boat rules people stick with cans.
Two things to improve would be public restrooms and trash cans.
**The channel is no wake for a reason. safety for swimmers and boats and to prevent erosion.