Two million people a year drive this one-mile causeway in Florida and almost no one talks about it

Fred Howard Park’s two-sided surprise

Fred Howard Park in Tarpon Springs doesn’t announce itself.

You pull in, park under the pines, and it looks like a pleasant enough county park with picnic tables and a butterfly garden.

Then you notice the causeway stretching out over the Gulf, a mile of road over open water leading to a white-sand beach that faces due west. Close to two million people make that drive each year.

Once you see the sunset from the other end, you’ll understand why.

The mayor who kept the coast from disappearing

The park carries the name of Fred H. Howard, a Tarpon Springs mayor first elected in 1945 who also spent more than 30 years on the Pinellas County Park Board.

While Florida’s Gulf coastline was filling up with private development, Howard worked to secure this stretch of land for the public. The park was dedicated in his honor in 1966.

Without that push, the beach at the end of the causeway would likely belong to someone else now.

One mile of open water before you hit sand

The causeway is worth your time before you ever reach the beach. Fishermen line the edges casting into the shallows.

Joggers and cyclists move in both directions. Kayakers and paddleboarders drop in at the launch points along the sides.

The Gulf opens up in every direction, with nothing blocking the horizon. The causeway even has a film credit, showing up as a location in the movie “Grace is Gone.”

Most people just drive it. Walking it is better.

Calm water, soft sand, and room to breathe

The beach at the end of the causeway runs along a west-facing crescent of soft white sand. The water is shallow and gentle, the kind of Gulf water where kids can wade out 30 feet and still be knee-deep.

Lifeguards work the beach from March through Labor Day weekend. What you won’t find here is the wall-to-wall crowd scene at Clearwater Beach, about 20 miles south.

The sand spreads out, and there’s actual room to put down a towel and stretch out.

Windsurfers carve the water on breezy afternoons

The park’s open-water position and steady Gulf breezes make it a regular stop for windsurfers. The south side of the beach runs deeper, drawing the boards and sails, while the north side stays shallow for swimmers.

Designated zones keep the two groups separated. On a good wind day, you can sit on the sand and watch a dozen colorful sails tacking back and forth across the water.

It adds something to the afternoon that a typical beach park doesn’t have.

Paddle into the mangrove tunnels at low tide

A kayak and canoe launch sits near the causeway, and from there a half-mile mangrove tunnel loop takes you into narrow, shaded passages that feel nothing like open Gulf water.

The tree roots close in overhead, the light drops, and the water goes quiet. The tunnels open back up into the Gulf on the other side.

Before you go, check the tide schedule. At low tide, the tunnels can turn too shallow and muddy to navigate.

Along the way, watch for manatees, herons, and horseshoe crabs working the bottom.

Bald eagles fish while tortoises cross the trails

The park’s 155 acres hold more wildlife than most visitors expect. Bald eagles fish the surrounding waters.

Nesting ospreys are regular sights. Gopher tortoises, listed as threatened in Florida, cross through the upland sections at their own pace. Fox squirrels live on the mainland side.

Out in the water near the causeway and beach, dolphins and manatees show up often enough that it’s worth scanning the surface when you stop to look around.

Rare Florida habitats packed into 155 acres

The park protects several ecosystems that are harder to find in Florida every decade. Seagrass beds run beneath the shallow Gulf water.

Mangrove estuaries line the edges. Inland, the mainland section holds longleaf and slash pine flatwoods, coastal scrub, and turkey oak sandhills.

The county actively removes invasive vegetation to keep native plants and animals in place.

Birders and nature photographers come specifically for the variety packed into one park, and the range of habitats rewards a slow walk more than a quick scan from the car.

A butterfly garden through the shaded pine flatwoods

The mainland side of the park has its own rhythm. A butterfly garden draws species through the warm months.

Hiking and biking trails wind through stands of pine with old-growth canopy overhead, the kind of shade that makes a midday walk in Florida actually pleasant. This side of the park carries no parking fee.

You can spend a full morning here without touching the beach and still feel like you got your money’s worth from the trip.

Picnic shelters, playgrounds, and beach wheelchairs

The park has nine picnic shelters for families and groups, with reservations available online if you want to lock one down for a gathering. Two playgrounds give kids a shaded place to run around between swims.

A ball field handles pickup games. Beach showers let you rinse off before the drive home.

Two beach wheelchairs are available on a first-come, first-served basis for visitors who need them, a practical detail that doesn’t always make it into the park brochure but matters when you need it.

Shells, sea stars, and shoreline walks at low tide

The crescent shape of the beach creates a stretch of shoreline that feels cut off from the open Gulf, and the calm shallow water makes it easy to wade and look.

Shells turn up in a range of shapes and colors, and some visitors have found live sea stars along the shore. Weekday mornings are the quietest time to walk the waterline.

The beach isn’t long enough to wear you out, but it’s long enough that you can work one end to the other, eyes down, and not feel rushed.

A low-key Gulf park that earns its reputation

Fred Howard Park sits a few minutes from the Tarpon Springs Sponge Docks, a historic Greek district with restaurants and shops worth an afternoon of your time.

The park itself stays open seven days a week from 7 a.m. to sunset, closing only on the day after Thanksgiving and Christmas Day.

Nearly two million people visit each year, but the place holds its low-key character in a way that Florida’s bigger beach towns stopped doing a long time ago.

Visit Fred Howard Park in Tarpon Springs, Florida

You’ll find the park at 1700 Sunset Drive, Tarpon Springs, FL 34689.

Parking on the causeway and beach runs $6 per day at automated pay stations, while the mainland lot is free. Kayak, paddleboard, and water bike rentals are available daily at the beach.

The park recovered from Hurricanes Helene and Milton in 2024 and has been open since 2026, though some restroom facilities are still being repaired, with portable restrooms on site in the meantime.

This article was created with AI assistance and human editing.

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