Palm Harbor is an unincorporated community in north Pinellas County, about 22 miles north of St. Petersburg, between Dunedin and Tarpon Springs. It runs from St. Joseph Sound east across Lake Tarpon and is served by US 19, Alternate US 19 and East Lake Road. It is known for Innisbrook Resort's Copperhead golf course, a small historic downtown on Florida Avenue, rolling terrain that is unusual for Florida, and waterfront parks such as Wall Springs Park.
Living in Palm Harbor
The town was called Curlew in the 1860s and then Sutherland, after the company that developed it. The Orange Belt Railway arrived in 1890, and the name changed to Palm Harbor in 1925. Downtown Palm Harbor, north of Tampa Road between Alternate US 19 and Omaha Street, has historic buildings and small shops. The Fred Marquis Pinellas Trail runs through Palm Harbor, linking it north to Tarpon Springs and south to Dunedin and St. Petersburg.
Parks, water and golf in Palm Harbor
Wall Springs Park, at 3725 DeSoto Boulevard, covers 210 acres. A boardwalk overlooks a natural spring that was once used as a spa and bathing area. The park also has nature trails, a 35-foot observation tower, a fishing pier, a butterfly garden, picnic shelters and a Pinellas Trail connection.
H.S. "Pop" Stansell Park, on Florida Avenue at Sutherland Bayou off St. Joseph Sound, has a launch for kayaks, canoes and small boats, a fishing pier, a band shell and a playground.
Innisbrook Resort opened in 1970 and has four golf courses designed by Larry Packard. Its par-71 Copperhead course hosts the PGA Tour's Valspar Championship each March.
Lake Tarpon, about 2,500 acres and the largest freshwater lake in Pinellas County, is known for largemouth bass fishing. John Chesnut Sr. Park has a boat ramp on its east shore. For Gulf beaches, Honeymoon Island State Park is about 5 miles south of downtown by Curlew Road and the Dunedin Causeway.
Homes in Palm Harbor
Housing includes waterfront homes on St. Joseph Sound and its bayous, lakefront homes on Lake Tarpon, and golf property: Innisbrook alone has about 1,100 condominium units owned privately. East of the lake, Lansbrook is built around the Lansbrook Golf Club. Crystal Beach, on the Sound just north, has its own ZIP code and is not included on this page.
Getting around Palm Harbor
US 19 is the main commercial corridor. Alternate US 19 follows the coast through downtown, and Curlew Road leads west to the Dunedin Causeway. Tampa Road runs east to Oldsmar and Hillsborough County, and Tampa International Airport is about 20 miles away.
