Fantasy Island is a small, quiet island just minutes from Downtown Tampa: white sand, calm shallow water, and no crowds. It is the laid-back counterpart to Beer Can Island, and on weekdays your group will often have the whole island to yourselves.
What Is Fantasy Island?
A little strip of white sand sitting in the bay a short cruise from downtown. There are no docks, no bars, and no facilities, which is exactly the point. We anchor just off the beach, your group wades in, and the island is your backyard for as long as you want it. The sand, the clear shallows, and the skyline in the distance make it the best photo stop we run.
Fantasy Island or Beer Can Island?
Beer Can Island is the party: rafted-up boats, music, and a crowd that came to be social. Fantasy Island is the escape: calmer water, space to spread out, and quiet enough to actually talk. On weekdays it is often completely empty, so a weekday charter here is the closest thing Tampa has to a private island. Plenty of groups on a 6-hour or 8-hour charter simply do both.
What Do Groups Do There?
Swim, float, throw a ball around, hunt for shells, and take the photos that end up framed. The water stays shallow off the beach, the boat’s sound system carries to shore, and the cooler is never more than a wade away. It is the stop where the day slows down in the best way.
Which Charters Stop at Fantasy Island?
All of them. It is a favorite swim stop on the 4-hour charter, and on longer trips it slots in as the calm chapter between Beer Can Island and a dockside bar stop downtown.
Quick FAQs About Fantasy Island
Is Fantasy Island crowded on weekends?
Busier than a weekday, but still far calmer than Beer Can Island. If having the sand to yourselves matters, book a weekday charter and you will probably get exactly that.
Can we combine Fantasy Island with a bar stop?
Yes. On a 6-hour or 8-hour charter, groups often swim at Fantasy Island first and then dock at the Riverwalk, Armature Works, or Sparkman Wharf on the way home.