Dynamic behavior of fluorescent molecules near an individual gold nanoparticle is investigated experimentally by fluorescence correlation spectroscopy method. The gold particle that acts as an optical nano-antenna presents significant near-field volume reduction. The single molecule diffusion behavior is clearly observed within a reduced near-field volume due to a highly localized field enhancement. The near-field volume and fluorescence enhancement are polarization and concentration dependent and strongly depend on the properties of the gold nanoparticle. A simple approximated model is developed to fit the FCS autocorrelation curves. In principle, the single molecule analysis within the near-field volume of nanostructures could be applied to the analysis of biological membranes and intracellular processes. (C) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.