Indian Shell Mound State Park is located on the islands northern shore and is maintained by the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, Marine Resources Division. This ll-acre site, densely populated with live oaks, represents a botanical wonder found on no other Gulf barrier island.

Plant species here have been found as far inland as the Appalachian Mountains and as far south as the Yucatan . During the spring of 2001, DIBS purchased four lots west of Shell Mound Park , adjacent to the special area known as the Bee Tree, an ancient live oak and a refuge for migrants seeking shelter.