Florida is known for its kitschy attractions, from rubber ducky-themed bars to underwater mermaid shows. One of its quirkiest attractions is Monkey Island in the Homosassa River in central Florida, a small island that’s known for acting as an Alcatraz of sorts for mischievous spider monkeys. If you want to visit this goofy stop for yourself, here’s everything you need to know about visiting Monkey Island in Florida.
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What is Monkey Island in Florida?
Monkey Island is a small manmade island, located here in the Homosassa River in Homosassa, Florida.
The island currently is home to four spider monkeys, who live on the island with kitschy features, like a lighthouse, small boat named the S.S. Primate, and a tiny house on stilts, complete with miniature Adirondack chairs.
History of Monkey Island in Florida
Monkey Island originally started with an annoying rocky outcropping in the Homosassa River that hid just below the surface of the water, causing many captains to run into it and damage their boats.
In the 1960s, a developer in the area, G.A. “Furgy” Furgason, was tired of hearing about issues this pile of rocks was causing boaters and asked a local dragline operator to dump some dirt on top of it to make it more visible. The dragline operator took the assignment a bit too seriously and turned the outcropping into a small barren island. Furgy determined the island was now something of an eyesore and added a cheeky lighthouse on it, to make it a bit more palatable.
Around this time, Furgy was helping with another project in the area, the Homosassa Wildlife State Park, where he wanted to feature exotic wildlife and plants. The park had taken in some spider monkeys that were originally used for research on the polio vaccine. However, these creatures were unfortunately getting up to too much monkey business, including breaking into cars and stealing candy from children.
Furgy jokingly said he wished he could send the monkeys to Alcatraz, when he realized he had his own tiny version of the famous prison—the island created by the drag operator! So three spider monkeys and two squirrel monkeys were moved to the island. These species of monkeys can, but don’t prefer, to swim, so the Homosassa River acts as a natural barrier.
Today, Monkey Island has become something of an “Old Florida” attraction, with four creatures still calling it home.
The monkeys seem well-cared for and are looked after by a specialized primate veterinarian. Plus, they’re kept stimulated by big and small changes on the island, which range from regularly redesigning their buildings to moving the location of their food bowl on a weekly basis.
How to Visit Monkey Island
So how does one see the residents of Monkey Island? While you’re prohibited from actually landing on the island itself, you’ve still got options of how to see them!
By boat
In my opinion, one of the best ways to see Monkey Island is in your own boat, whether that be a paddlecraft or a motorized one. There’s a boat launch here, just a few hundred feet down the river, that you can use for a $10 launch fee.
We launched our trusty inflatable kayak here and paddled over to the island. We were able to get super close to the monkeys and spent about an hour, just floating around the island to get unique perspectives of the buildings and the play area here—we definitely recommend it!
As an added bonus, if you’re visiting in the wintertime, you may get lucky and even spot a manatee in the river, cruising its way to Homosassa Springs.
If you don’t have a kayak of your own, your best bet for a rental is River Adventure Tours, located a little over a mile upstream from Monkey Island.
By tour
If you want to get an up close and personal look at the monkeys but don’t have access to a boat or would just prefer to see more wildlife in the area, there are tons of tours that zip around the Homosassa River, allowing you to also spot manatees, dolphins, turtles, and more.
Here are some tours to consider:
- Eco guided airboat tour: This 90 minute tour zips around the Homosassa River as you learn about the history and the ecology of the Gulf Coast. You’ll also spot wildlife along the way, including sharks, dolphins, manatees, and, of course, the monkeys.
- Airboat tour on the Homosassa River: If you’re short on time, this tour loops around the Homosassa River, taking a thrilling ride on a purpose-built airboat that can reach speeds up to 35 miles per hour. Along the way, you’ll stop to see wildlife, including at Monkey Island and any marine life that you might encounter in the river.
On land
If you’re a landlubber, you can always just hang out on land and observe the monkeys from there.
The best place to see them is the Florida Cracker Monkey Bar, an open air bar that serves up stick-to-your-ribs fare and cold beer. The bar has a patio that overlooks Monkey Island, which sits about 85 feet away in the river.
The bar has a few interesting signs about the monkeys, including their history and a close-up photo of each of them with their name, as well as a monkey themed cocktail. Plus, there’s a pretty solid happy hour—$2 hot dogs and $2 beers from Tuesdays through Fridays from 2 to 5 PM. We capped off our kayak trip to Monkey Island here with some cheap beers and one last look at the monkeys.
Insider tip: If you want to see the monkeys at their most active, come right before their feedings, from 10-11 AM or 3-4 PM. We hung out at the Florida Cracker Monkey Bar during their afternoon feeding and they were SO much more active than they were in the early afternoon.
I hope you enjoy your visit to Monkey Island—it’s one of our favorite quirky attractions in Florida! Do you have any questions about visiting this goofy stop? Let us know in the comments below!
