Florida's Under-The-Radar Enchanting Island Park Boasts Sandy Beaches Ideal To Fish, Camp, And Snorkel

As visitors are flocking to the vibrant city of West Palm Beach, which is America's most trending destination, they're realizing there is more to explore around this trendy city, too. If you're visiting West Palm Beach, it's easy to catch a flight to Palm Beach International Airport (PBI), but you'll want to rent a car so you can also check out some of the surrounding areas, like Riviera Beach. 

It only takes about 15 minutes to drive to Riviera Beach, and that is your jumping-off point to explore an under-the-radar, enchanting island. If sandy beaches, tropical fish, and strolls along a secluded piece of paradise sound like your idea of a perfect day, Peanut Island Park needs to be a part of your next Florida getaway. This is a part of the Sunshine State that not everyone gets to see, but it's actually not too hard to get there.  

Tripadvisor ranks Peanut Island Park as the top thing to do in Riviera Beach, and it has mostly five-star reviews from people raving about their experience, including one reviewer who summed up what you can find there: "Peanut Island is surrounded by white sand, crystal clear water, rock & coral formations, walking paths around the entire island and hidden lagoons to explore & it's only a 5min ferry ride off shore. Bring just a towel or load up the cooler and cook out. You can spend an hour or all day but remember there are no stores on the island so bring what u need."

There are plenty of outdoor adventures that await you when you make the short journey to Peanut Island. One of the highlights is the phenomenal snorkeling; Peanut Island Park is considered one of the best beaches in Florida for snorkeling, according to visitors. You can also fish from the pier, take a walk on the paved nature trail, or just lounge on the sandy beach. 

If you want to take your own boat to Peanut Island, you can. There are only 14 day-use boat slips on the island though, so you'll probably want to get there early to make sure there's a slip available.  If you want to take a short ferry ride, you can do that, too. Peanut Island Shuttle Boat departs from Riviera Beach Marina Village, and there's another shuttle that departs from Sailfish Marina.  

You can also paddle to the island. Get Wet Watersports is one of the popular outfitters there, and their rentals include a kayak or paddleboard and snorkel gear. If you don't want to kayak on your own, you can also book a guided kayaking tour with them. This Google reviewer enjoyed venturing out with a guide and said, "Amazing experience and fantastic tour guide. Tiffany our guide was incredible. We paddle boarded out to Peanut Island and had a great snorkeling trip. We saw so many fish and we swam in the middle of huge schools of colorful fish both big and small. Fun for the whole family."

If the thought of waking up in paradise sounds appealing, plan a camping trip to Peanut Island Park. The park only has 17 campsites available, so make sure you call and reserve one in advance. Each campsite comes with a tent pad, grill, and picnic table. Even though you'll be roughing it in a tent on an island, you'll still have the luxury of having restrooms and hot indoor showers. At the time of writing, it's only $30 per night for a single campsite. 

Just remember, you'll be on a remote island with no stores, so it's important to bring along everything you need — including this type of sunscreen you should be wearing on every beach day. If you forget anything, you can call the aforementioned Peanut Island Shuttle Boat and they can deliver things like charcoal, bug spray, sunscreen, and ice. If you don't own a tent, you can also rent one from them. 

If sleeping in a tent under the stars is a little too outdoorsy for you, or if you just don't want to forgo comforts like air conditioning and electricity, you can book a hotel in Riviera Beach. You can find full-service hotels like Marriott's Oceana Palms and The Singer Oceanfront Resort, which is part of Hilton's Curio Collection. If you want to save a few bucks, there are also budget options in Riviera Beach such as Super 8 and Motel 6.