Marathon is a 10-mile-long family-oriented island community located in the middle of the Keys island chain, to include Vaca Key, Fat Deer Key and Grassy Key. Visitors enjoy Marathon’s fishing heritage, an old-Keys lifestyle and seafaring traditions, which is a theme found in the area’s accommodations. Marathon Key has annual seafood festivals and waterside restaurants that harvest fresh fish, lobster and stone crab claws from local waters. Marathon Key vacations are going to be full of activities with spectacular sailing, fishing, world-class wreck and reef diving and snorkeling, in addition to the island’s impeccably maintained beaches, eco-attractions and marine-based educational programs. If you are looking for a Florida Keys vacation with some relaxation, then Marathon Key is a great place to visit on your travels through the Florida Keys. Visit the beautiful beaches of the Florida Keys.
Marathon Key Weather – When to Go
The best time to visit Marathon Key is between March and May. The winter crowds will taper off, the hotel rates become reasonable and the weather is remarkably similar to winter’s blissful 70s and 80s. Speaking of winter – that season is the island’s busiest and priciest. The rainy and humid summer months see the fewest tourists but the best hotel rates. The trade-off might be worth it, but you’re still gambling against hurricane season (June to November).
Best Marathon Key Beaches
Bahia Honda State Park
Bahia Honda State ParkOpen all year round from 8:00 am until dusk, enjoy activities such as snorkeling and kayaking and rent a boat slip if needed. Beach equipment rentals and on-site snacks are available in addition to a gift shop. The park is also an excellent place to observe wading birds and shorebirds, while the Sand and Sea Nature Center introduces nature lovers to the island`s plants and animals.
Cabana Beach Club
Cabana Beach ClubCabana Beach Club offers guests the best of the pool and the beach on Key Colony Beach. Well maintained the sandy beach offers shaded lounging under palm trees with easy access to calm Atlantic waters to play in. Complemented by the nearby 65` zero-edge heated and cooled pool you are sure to love the location and amenities!
.
Sombrero Beach
Sombrero BeachSombrero Beach is a beautiful park and sandy beach. Sombrero Beach has handicap accessibility. This sandy beach frames a shady park with picnic pavilions, volleyball courts, restrooms and showers. You can also see nesting turtles here.
.
.
Inch Beach
Inch BeachA private, gated beach located in Key Colony Beach between 10th and 11th Street, Inch Beach is a pristine paradise with parking, bike racks, a tiki hut and freshwater for showering all on a sugar sand beach with crystal clear water.
.
.
.
Coco Plum Beach
Coco Plum BeachThis beach is typically less crowded and provides a covered pavilion and restrooms. Coco Plum Beach is a dog-friendly beach. The waters are shallow, so great for swimming. This beautiful stretch of beach is perfect for a walk with stunning sunsets. Coco Plum Beach is ideal for windsurfing, and nesting turtles can be seen here.
.
Best Marathon Key Restaurants
Sparky’s Landing $11 – 30
They combine culinary excellence with the Florida Keys on the water lifestyle to create the ultimate dining experience. Sparky’s is not another cookie cutter keys eatery – it’s Marathon’s best combination of great food and delicious cocktails that embraces both seafaring locals and vacationers alike. Sparky’s Landing was founded in February of 2006 and their focus is good times, fresh fish & refreshing cocktails. Sparky’s is located on the working charter boat fleet docks of the Key Colony Beach Marina. Telephone: 305-289-7445 Web: Sparky’s Landing
Herbie’s Bar & Chowder House $11 – 30
They capture the essences of “The Keys” flavors with innovative recipes… some from the “old days” and others created right here. They’ve taken the best of traditional Keys cuisine and put their own unique twist on them — recipes you are certain to love! Their kitchen prepares every dish from “scratch” meaning it’s fresh and as local and in season as possible. Herbie’s has been serving locals and tourists alike for 50 years. But, under it’s former ownership(s), this little Florida Keys shack has been operating since the 1940’s! Don’t let the outside fool you… This is the biggest little restaurant you will ever walk in to! Telephone: 305-743-6373 Web: Herbie’s Bar & Chowder House.
The Wreck & Galley Grill Sports Bar $11 – 30
With a sign inviting you to “Eat All You Can Snow Crabs” you know that you aren’t going to go hungry at the Wreck And Galley Grill And Sports Bar. This is a very relaxed place, and is a particular favorite with families who want to bring their kids to a place, where they are worried about them moving around a bit. Telephone: 305-743-8282 Web: The Wreck & Galley Grill Sports Bar
Hideaway Cafe $31 – 60
Hideaway Cafe is a double whammy for the foodies out there. Not only are the views out across the ocean a delight, but the portions are huge. The Rib Steak is really a meal for not just you, but all the family and the other diners too. Telephone: 305-289-1554 Web: Hideaway Cafe
Cabana Breezes
Back in the 1950’s the place was owned by the famous bandleader Guy Lombardo, and really the service and the quality of food hasn’t changed much since then. You can try Key West pink shrimp, pieces of tender conch, to beer battered fish. Look out for the daily happy hour and the nightly entertainment that runs Thursday to Sunday. Telephone: 305-743-4849 Web: Cabana Breezes
Best Marathon Key Bars
Keys Fisheries Bar
Their restaurant serves the freshest seafood cuisine available including their appetizers, entrees, and signature dishes in varieties that everyone can appreciate. Start with the Conch Fritters, move on to the Lobster Reuben and finish the meal with a fresh slice of Florida Keys Key Lime Pie. Or, select from one of the other wonderful fresh seafood creations on our menu. Best of all, everything on the menu they can happily prepare for take-out or to be packaged and shipped. Come down to Keys Fisheries and enjoy a cold beer or cocktail as the sun sets over the flat water of Florida Bay. Enjoy the best atmosphere that the Keys has to offer. Telephone: 305-743-4353 Web: Keys Fisheries Bar.
Burdines Waterfront ChikiTiki
Burdines has a chiki tiki bar. Tiki bars are always fun. This old style Florida beach bar serves up fish any way you want it. You can also order a Green Chile Cheeseburger, any way you want it. Burdines aims to please. Based on the location of this Florida beach bar it definitely attracts the locals and the fisher-people. Food is fresh!!! The locals have an expression. It is “the Keysi way”. The “Keysi” lifestyle. It is all about the Keys any way you use it. Relax and enjoy a “Keysi” kind of bar, a true Florida beach bar. Telephone: 305-743-9204 Web: Burdine’s Waterfront ChikiTiki
The Island Fish Company & Tiki Bar
Their spectacular sunset views and tropical waters will make your lunch, dinner, drinks and desserts that much more pleasurable. If you are looking to just relax and enjoy the scenery, pull up a bar stool to the longest tiki bar in the Florida Keys. The bartenders are sure to put a smile on your face when you sip on one of their frozen favorites or cold draft beer. Telephone: 305-743-6014 Web: The Island Fish Company & Tiki Bar.
Brass Monkey
The Brass Monkey is not like most of the bars in Marathon, as it is actually linked to a shopping center. Yeah, lets get drunk…come on wheres the nearest Walmart?? But if you go down to Kmart Plaza, you will find this bar and liquor store that has been around for ages, and is a favorite of the locals. Telephone: 305-743-4028 Web: Brass Monkey
JJ’s Doghouse
This bar is a nice detour from the dockside types of pubs you find in Marathon. It is just a friendly place hidden away behind a single door in the wall. Open from 7:00am until 4:00am, the Dog House offers pool, darts, live music and staff that seem happy to see new faces when you walk in. Telephone: 305-743-5919 Web: JJ’s Doghouse
The 10 Best Marathon Hotels
Wow!
A ton of information here. I think I am going to have to read through a second time.
My wife and I have been looking for a nice place for a family getaway. I want someplace with a nice beach for some relaxation. She want a place with some activities and things to do, but not too swamped with people. I’ll have to show this page to her and see how she responds.
I’m very impressed with how much info you provide.
Ok Craig, let me know if you have any questions 🙂 Thanks for visiting Beach Travel Destinations!
It certainly looks like a lovely place to visit. I do always wonder about sharks and jelly fish when I see these places, and I always neglect to venture into the sea when I am actually on holiday.
Have there been any shark attacks in the local area in the last few years? What is the deal with jellyfish, are they a concern to the average swimmer?
If not, I might be brave enough to try some swimming when I visit there.
You don’t have to worry about Jellyfish here, but there are sharks in the ocean of course but shark attacks are more prominent in California and even Australia. Thanks for reading James.
I’m glad that I found your website. It was really great to read your post.
My friend has been there and she never get tired of talking about how much she enjoyed there and how great of an experience that was.
I would also like to say that it’s hard to find a place that contains so much of info on one page, and thus one has to search for different things differently. But you did a great job of putting things together and making it much easy for someone planning of a vacation.
Thanks for the info, it really helped a lot!
You are most welcome! Beaches are a passion of mine and I absolutely love Florida beaches 🙂
I am so glad I found your site! My wife and I were just talking about tropical places we could vacation within the US. We talked about the Keys but neither of us had any idea where to find trustworthy information. Your site gave us everything we needed to start planning our vacation! Thanks!
You are so welcome! I am glad you can use the information. Have fun in the Florida Keys!
Wow!! Great page about Marathon Keys Vacations!! Very thorough with great information about the destination. Also great information what to do when you are there and where to eat, etc. This definitely looks like a place that I would love to visit. What is the best time of year to visit?
You know you can go to the Florida Keys anytime of year. It is kind of like America’s Caribbean. I am heading that way next week and the weather will still be spectacular. I think you would enjoy Marathon Key anytime of the year!
As a travel agent my bucket list is never ending, and it seems as though I have just added another destination to that list. I absolutely love the beach, especially the white sandy ones with a lovely blue sea.
The mangrove river tour sounds amazing! I’m not much of a kayakker, but I think I could manage for an hour.
I think you could manage no problem and you would enjoy it! Thanks for visiting Linda and I hope you will revisit Beach Travel Destinations again!
Awesome, when can I leave? I live in AZ now but I lived in West Palm Beach for 6 years while growing up. I have fond memories of family trips to the Keys. We would be taking our RV down, are there RV parks on or near the beaches? It’s nice to see all the eateries available as we do enjoy good seafood, which is missing in AZ. The temperature chart is extremely helpful in planning a trip.
I am glad it brought back fond memories Mary. Wow, how nice to have been able to make so many trips to the Florida Keys!
Hi there and thank you for sharing, I enjoyed reading your post.
Marathon Keys seems like a wonderful place for relaxing and beautiful beaches. It’s also great to find all the information, links to flights, hotels and things to do in one place. Do you recommend any travel insurance companies?
David, thank you for visiting Marathon Key vacations. Yes, you are right that everything is right there to have a great beach vacation. I tend to not use travel insurance. I know that some do like to have it, so I guess I am not familiar with it.
Thank you for putting together a page that has so much key info on it about a place. It’s difficult sometimes to find separate info on airports, weather and things to do or see so you’ve made life a lot easier having this in one place! Make me way more excited while planning to go away on holidays!
Great Sophie! I am glad you enjoyed visiting Beach Travel Destinations. I hope when you are ready to travel to one of these amazing beach destinations, you might consider letting me help plan.
Ooh these beaches look incredible! They are definitely calling me to come!
Living in Australia this will take some planning but it does encourage me to start thinking.
Do you feel it would be good to visit in our Autumn? I guess that would be your Spring? Does it stay warm enough at that time of the year or would it be better to move it into Summer? I guess it gets crowded then though… what do you think?
Yes, the weather is going to be beautiful in the spring, that is when I usually visit Florida. It will not get super crowded until school lets out. That is probably the busiest. But you know, I have been there during the school break, and I didn’t think it was all that bad. Some Texas beaches are much more crowded.
This sounds like a great vacation destination. I love the hot weather so I would love to Vacation there. 87 degrees sounds perfect to me. Can I ask if you have stayed here yourself? Herbie’s Bar & Chowder House sounds like a great place I love seafood. I will be checking this out for my next vacation! Great site you have here.
Thank you Kenny! Yes, I have been to Marathon Key. I love the Florida Keys all together. So many nice beaches, wonderful atmosphere and great weather. Nothing not to like.
I loved the info on the islands. I’ve always been fascinated by the keys and the tropicalness of them even though they are technically part of the mainland US. I would love to visit them some day and see what they’re all about. Did you know the citizens of the keys want to break off from the US and form their own colony?
Thank you for reading Charlie. It does seem like a whole new “world” going to the Keys. I did not know that they wanted to break off from the U.S. That is craziness!
I’ve never even heard of Marathon Key but it definitely looks like a place I’d like to escape to. It looks like the perfect spot for something beachy, romantic and relaxing!! From the main photo, it looks like the land is man-made, am I correct? If so, it looks very similar to the Palm Islands in Dubai! Thanks for the great information!
Thanks for visiting Andrea! Marathon Key is part of the Florida Keys and not man made. You would really love it here, so peaceful and beautiful…not to mention the great Florida Keys beaches!