A private island in Titusville? This can’t be right. Well, if you head out onto the Indian River Lagoon – an estuary, you will find a few! And, they are like a scene from Robinson Crusoe. I’m willing to bet most boaters don’t think about sandbars or having a private island to themselves when you mention Titusville. Even better, for those of us in Central Florida, Titusville is only 45 minutes away from Orlando, and you can be on the water in 10 minutes easily.
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Titusville Florida
Titusville is probably best known as the Kennedy Space Center host, although most think that rockets launch from neighboring Cocoa Beach. This town stuck in time was once pegged to be the next town to make a major come back. That is until the space shuttle program ended, crashing any dreams of an east coast Tampa or urban mecca on Florida’s eastern coastline.
Simply put, there aren’t the jobs to support a comeback without the space shuttle program. For those left behind, they live with a crime rate that is higher than the national average. When this article was written in 2018, it was ~51% higher. Fast forward to 2020, and the crimes have dropped and continued to do so.
Sadly, Titusville it’s not on the top of everyone’s list of places to visit.
Crime rates aside, let’s get into why you should consider a day out here – particularly if you enjoy being on the water in Florida. Titusville is situated on the Indian River Lagoon and is home to several spoil islands!
What Are Spoil Islands?
A spoil island is a man-made island, often created as a byproduct of channel dredging. In an effort to promote boating and commerce throughout Florida over the years, countless channels have been dredged through the state’s shallow inshore and coastal waters to provide enough depth for vessels to travel.
There are several spoil islands all over Florida’s Intercoastal waterways, and the ones in Titusville’s are a treat.
The Indian River Lagoon, Titusville Florida
The Indian River Lagoon is home to 1/3 of Florida states manatees and is home to a native group of dolphins. It’s impossible to be on the Indian River and not see a dolphin – we have seen them every single time we go. Sometimes they come right up to you chasing fish. We’ve also seen manatees at the islands, especially the big one near the water tower, sometimes in shallow water chilling on the sand bar.
Accessing the Islands via Titusville Marina
Titusville Marina has tons of parking and four boat slips. I would not say this is an overly busy marina. Getting on the water takes a maximum of 10 minutes, assuming there are no idiots that tie their boat in a slip blocking everyone. Yeah, this happens a lot, and it’s not cool. And, ladies, you are usually the culprit waiting on the man to return. One of my biggest pet peeves is a woman that can’t or won’t help dock, launch, load, or tackle any of the boating necessities. If you own a boat – learn to operate it!
When you first take off, you’ll see the first and biggest island to your right. It’s called Horseshoe Island, and it’s busy. People camp overnight in droves on this island. We have fished over here, but it’s not an island we spend a lot of time at. It’s just too busy.
The next island, Dolphin Tail Island, is a popular one as well but smaller than Horseshoe. We’ve seen the same boats here time and time again, and they all arrive early to claim their turf. Keep going north. Once you’ve gone under the old railway track bridge, you will see palm trees in the distance. Head towards them! You’ll have a choice of about three tiny islands, and typically if you get there, first, others won’t join you.
Map of Titusville
If you keep going north towards the water tower, you’ll get to one of our favorites, which has a long sandbar.
Things to Do:
- Float on the sandbars. We bring noodles and spend whole days floating on the sandbars.
- Collect shells or horseshoe crab shells; there is an abundance.
- Fishing is a favorite activity. We often fish, but we seem only to catch catfish.
- Snorkel, the water around the islands, is clear.
- Tube – you can often find us tubing the Indian River in Titusville.
- Nature watch. There is so much concentrated wildlife here you can sit back and watch.
- Picnic on the islands. There is nothing better than mooring on an island and eating your lunch.
- Find your inner photographer and capture the beauty through your lens – or smartphone!
Recommended Resultants in Titusville:
Typically, we head home and grill after a day of boating. However, sometimes we eat on the way back. There are two places we enjoy:
A seafood restaurant that is somewhat famous in Florida! Most everyone in Central Florida has heard of Dixie Crossroads, and once upon a time, we used to all make the journey for the rock shrimp alone. In my opinion, this treasure has not aged well with time. The menu is the same as it was twenty years ago, the décor is beyond stuck in time, and the rock shrimp is just not as good as it once was. Regardless, it’s a place worth checking out if you have never been before, and the food is local and decent.
Located directly under the Max Brewer Memorial Highway (the main bridge). This place has an outside tiki bar and great views. This is the hot spot, and it gets packed. They have a super happy hour with a killer margarita, and they have a diverse menu. We’ve eaten everything from gator to crab and back. It’s not a high-end restaurant. It’s casual, but the food is good, and the atmosphere is the beach! It’s directly on the water, but you can’t drive your boat up and park.
What You Need to Know:
- We have been boating out of Titusville for three years. We have never had any issues or encountered any crime!
- You must wear water shoes! Unfortunately, some people have left broken bottles on the island. The glass is not always noticeable. We clean up and remove any glass we find. Please do the same.
- Please don’t leave any trash anywhere; it’s dangerous and illegal.
- Don’t poop on the islands; they have no way of breaking down human waste. This ultimately means it will eventually make it into the lagoon – gross! Bring bags and take your trash with you. Better yet, relieve yourself before you head out for the day.
- The weather changes on a dime in Florida. If you go up as far past the bridge, you need at least 30 minutes to outrun a storm. Trust me on this; we nearly had an accident once when we did not get out quick enough, and someone called the rescue services. We made it back safe, but we were the last boat in.
- If you get stranded in a storm, try to moor up under as much vegetation as you can and stay put. The last thing you need is to be sitting on the water as a target for lightning.
- Occasionally, there are gators at the marina. Yes, gators! They won’t mess with you. They go underwater as you pass. This is because the Indian River is an estuary – a combination of salt and freshwater. We’ve never seen one near or at any of the islands, just by the marina.
Closing Thoughts:
We take all our friends and family boating all summer long. Everyone has their favorites for different reasons. Titusville stacks up to the Rainbow River as a constant first or second choice because it’s one of the lesser-known spots where you can have an island to yourself for the entire day!
Looking for more posts on Florida? Start here:
- Coco Key Water Park – Orlando Florida
- Disney World Resorts on A Dime
- Five Best Airboat Rides Near Orlando
- Homosassa – Is It Better Than The Crystal River?
- Lakeridge Winery – Florida
- Rainbow River – Why You Should Visit
- The Crystal River – Scalloping and Swimming With Manatees
- The Dome Houses of Cape Romano – Marco Island Florida
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Hi David,
I don’t ignore feedback and I’m happy to make corrections when they are needed.
The references in the article are correct. Perhaps I should clarify and tighten up the reference to the spoil islands to make it clearer that that dredging was for all large vessels – not just cruise ships.
Any search on the crime rates will confirm the reference and you can view detailed statistics on everything from violent to non-violent and so on. Crime rates are calculated on the population.
There are tons of restaurants, I mentioned two – not all and I did mention that I don’t think Dixie Crossroads is as good as it once was.
Thanks for stopping by.
What is a Spoil Island?
A spoil island is a man-made island, often created as a byproduct of channel dredging. In an effort to promote boating and commerce throughout Florida over the years, countless channels have been dredged through the state’s shallow inshore and coastal waters to provide enough depth for vessels to travel.
Great clarification, I will update it – thanks!
wow this is way off on what Titusville is. As someone mention, the spoil islands were from dredging the channel. As for crime, you are going to the wrong source. You need to talk to the police and use FDLE stats, not some website that does not scrub the stats right. Our crime is nowhere near 51% higher than other parts of the county, in fact it has been declining. As other industry, we have it, go to the south end of town, where you will see many companies there, not related to the space program, such as PAA, Embraer Air, Ecklers, Barn Light Electric, and others. Maybe instead of just going to the river and to two restaurants in town, you actually visit other place. The wildlife refuge, our museums, take a ride on our trials, eat at our other local restaurants, met locals.
Hello Lisa,
I used many sources and all sources aggregate from the same public sources including FDLE. All say the same thing sliced and diced differently but same numbers.
You are correct that the crime rate has declined and now it’s ~40% vs. 51% higher. The article was written in 2018. I will gladly update it to state that the statistic is 2 years old, that crime rates are declining and I’ll add the original date. As for the reference to spoil islands, I will update it so it’s clear that this particular area was not dredged for cruise ships.
Regarding the last comment about where and what I should do. I appreciate the suggestions but I have already experienced all of your suggestions except the museums which I have no interest in.
Lastly, I have eaten at more than two restaurants over there. And, I’ve met tons of locals past and present.
Thanks for the feedback.
Aaron it’s updated without the reference to any ports.
Thanks for the feedback.
How about changing. A place no one wants to visit. We host the country largest birding festival in the USA. Going on 22 years. This brings in people from around the world. We have fishing contest, large groups for cycling. You come over for the river, many other come here too. Not sure why you think that you had to put in falsehood in an article about the lagoon and spoil islands.
I wrote about something I love and appreciate. There was no falsehood and I did not say no one wants to visit. I said it’s not on the top of everyone’s list of places to visit.
If you would like to write about bird festivals, cycling or fishing go for it. I am not going to go line by line through an article because it does not suit your agenda, fit your bill or your interpretation of my intent. I’m not sure why you think your thoughts are more important than someone else’s. But hey, tomorrow is another day. Enjoy the rest of your night! How about we leave it there.