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Monkey Island

Homosassa, Citrus County
ANIMALS
8STRANGENESS
OUT OF TEN
Monkey Island

WHAT IT IS

A tiny island in the Homosassa River, held continuously by spider monkeys since the 1960s.

A developer had a rock pile in the river and a monkey problem: his troop kept getting loose in town. He combined the two, added a lighthouse and some play structures, and the monkeys have been there ever since. They are fed daily, they are not tame, and they are entirely visible from the restaurant deck across the water. Hurricanes have taken the lighthouse more than once. It gets rebuilt.

HOW IT SCORES

Rarity8/10
Is there anywhere else like it?
Backstory9/10
How did this come to be?
Disrepair6/10
What is holding it together?
Commitment9/10
How far do they take the bit?

NEARBY

The Cross Florida Barge Canal17 mi · Inglis Weeki Wachee Springs19 mi · Weeki Wachee Devil's Den42 mi · Williston

BEFORE YOU DRIVE

ENTRY FEE
Free from the boardwalk
HOURS
Daylight
BEST TIME
Feeding time, mid-morning. Ask at the marina.
HOW LONG
30 minutes
PARKING
Marina lot
PAYMENT
Free to look
ACCESS
Boardwalk is flat
COORDINATES
28.7847° N, 82.6042° W

Watch from the Florida Cracker Riverside Resort deck in Old Homosassa.

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DETAILS COMPILED FROM PUBLISHED SOURCES. FEES CHANGE. CALL AHEAD.