Central Florida
Monkey Island: Old Homosassa's Wildest Little Landmark
A tiny private island in the Homosassa River with its own lighthouse and a troop of resident spider monkeys. The story of how Monkey Island came to be, its named residents, and its recent renovation.
Monkey Island: Old Homosassa’s Wildest Little Landmark
Tucked into the Homosassa River in Old Homosassa, Florida, sits one of the state’s most unexpected roadside attractions: a tiny private island with its own lighthouse, a treehouse, and a troop of spider monkeys watching the boats go by. It’s not a zoo, not a theme park, and not something you’d stumble on anywhere else. It’s Historic Monkey Island, and its story is as unlikely as the sight of it.
An Accidental Island
Monkey Island wasn’t built on purpose. In the early 1960s, G. A. “Furgy” Furgason, a key figure in developing Homosassa, came back from a trip overseas to find a small, barren island had turned up outside his yard, a navigational hazard he hadn’t asked for. Instead of getting rid of it, he turned the “eyesore” into an attraction: first a lighthouse, then a group of mischievous monkeys originally brought to America to assist with polio vaccine research. He gave them their own private “Alcatraz” in the middle of the river, and the name stuck.
Meet the Residents
The island is home to a small troop of spider monkeys, each with a name and a following of their own. Ralph is the island’s longest resident and its spirited leader. Emily, sweet and social, joined the island in 2006. Ebony rounds out the group. Locals and regular visitors know them by name and personality, and the Monkey Island Riverside Resort’s staff cares for them daily.
A Modern Renovation, Old Florida Charm
In 2022, the island underwent a major renovation to bring it up to Animal Welfare Act standards while keeping its quirky character intact. The upgrades included climate-controlled shelters, sturdier structures, solar power, and potable running water, all while the monkeys stayed safe at Boyett’s Grove and Citrus Attractions. The project hit real obstacles along the way, including a permitting reversal that briefly halted construction and electrical delays that pushed the team toward solar power instead. By March 2024, Ralph, Ebony, and Emily were back home on a rebuilt island, and the base of the original 1960s lighthouse was repainted and preserved as the last physical link to how it all started.
None of it would have come together without the local community. Withlacoochee River Electric Co-Op installed the utility poles, Ed’s Creations built the boat and Adirondack chairs that give the island its charm, Scott’s Quality Welding fabricated the lighthouse topper, May Electric Solar installed the solar panels, and Wilkes Air Conditioning handled the climate systems the monkeys now rely on. Discover Crystal River helped fund the 2023 and 2024 renovations that made it all possible.
Visiting Monkey Island
You won’t walk out to Monkey Island yourself, and that’s the point: it’s a private island, and the surrounding rope barrier and “no feeding” signage are there to protect the monkeys. The best way to see Ralph and Emily in action is from the shore or from the waterfront dining areas at the Monkey Island Riverside Resort, where the whole scene, lighthouse, treehouse, and monkeys included, makes for one of the more memorable photo stops in Old Homosassa.
Where: 5297 S Cherokee Way, Homosassa, FL 34448 Best view: From the Monkey Island Riverside Resort’s waterfront
It’s a small stop, but it’s the kind of only-in-Florida landmark worth slowing down for: equal parts local history, wildlife care, and pure roadside charm.