The Key West beaches are not exactly the best that Florida has to offer. No visitor to this state is going to mistake them for the beaches of Daytona Beach, Fort Lauderdale or Miami Beach. The best beach in the Keys is 45 minutes away at Bahia Honda State Park Beach.
The beaches are tiny, the sand is not exactly fine, there are rocks everywhere, the slope is very slight, and the waves are non-existent. Despite these drawbacks, two of the Key West beaches should do. Smathers Beach or Fort Zachary Taylor Beach should be good enough.
Smathers Beach is the best-known beach in Key West. It is the biggest and most popular sandy beach, with plenty of sand. There is quite a bit of seaweed. The water is very clear and makes for good snorkeling. The footing under the water’s surface is rough coral. You should be able to locate parking, a picnic table, the concessions, and the public restrooms and showers. If you are the active type, you can rent water sports equipment for windsurfing or sailing. As an alternative you might choose to try parasailing or a boat ride.
Fort Zachary Taylor Beach is located inside Fort Zachary Taylor Historic State Park. It has a wonderful natural setting with pine trees, rocks and coral. Diners have picnic tables, grills and a refreshment stand on the site. Restrooms and showers are available. You are able to rent beach chairs for sitting and watching the cruise ships. You can rent snorkeling equipment and kayaks if you feel active or you can hike the nature trail.
Rest Beach is smaller then Smathers Beach and offers fewer things, but it does have sand. Beyond that, there are a few tables and a yoga deck. For your restroom needs you will need to walk to Higgs Beach. The attraction Rest Beach shares with Higgs Beach is a long fishing pier, known as the White Street Pier. It provides some good fishing and easy snorkeling without a boat.
Higgs Beach is not as large as Smathers Beach. Across the street from the Astro Park for children, Higgs Beach has the restrooms and shower shared with Rest Beach. For the hungry there are concessions and picnic tables. There is a fine Italian restaurant on this beach in case you want something along those lines. Snorkeling equipment and beach chairs can be rented.
Dog Beach, as the names suggests, is for dogs and their human escorts. Rocky as it may be, the dogs seem to love it. They run along the beach and race into the sea. It is a wonderful beach if you love dogs. If you do not, this is not going to be your favorite beach.
In addition to the above, there are two more public beaches. The larger one is South Beach. For the most part it is used only by the local residents, since there are no facilities there. If you do go, it is best to walk. Simonton Street Beach is a very small beach with room for few.
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