What a find!! Just wanted a place to sit near the water and read a book. Decided to check it out so I went for a drive. Well, if you live in this town or staying at a place here on Islamorada. This place is free. Great place for a walk, sit and yes read a book or even go into the water...FREE. The beach is very clean, sandy and also has some tables. Can't beat free. read more

Beach at Founders Park - There putting more sand down. - Beaches Near Me - Islamorada, Florida

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AWESOME beach wow. Crystal clear water. Clean bathrooms. Charcoal grills, pavilions, wheel chair ramp right onto the beach. Would be a great spot to have a family gathering or children's birthday party. The actual park is massive. There is a marina, tennis courts, Olympic size pool, soccer field. The beach is a decent size and has ropes with buoys on them at about 5 ft. I saw ppl go under the ropes and swim out. I also saw paddleboarders in the distance. Saw some cool fish. There is seaweed under the water. On the bottom of the ocean. Would be fun to be scuba gear! Sand is soft no water shoes needed. Also an outdoor shower near bathrooms :) if you are staying on islamorada show them your reservation for free access to the park. Otherwise I think it's $8 per adult. read more

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We came here on a whim, not really knowing about this spot until we were already in Islamorada, FL. We had planned on coming to the island and making stops along the way and we're really just winging it for the day. The island is only about 1.5 hours from my house so it's easy enough to just get up and go. Once on the island, I noticed the traffic was slowing down so I did a Google search for beaches nearest to me. Founders popped up so we decided to give them a try. We pulled up to the guarded toll gate where we saw it was $8 per person for the day. Since we haven't been and I really wanted to get out and swim, we decided to stay. I asked the lady taking the park fee a few questions about the property and she said "This isn't Miami so don't expect too much." "This is a man made beach but it's nice." That made me laugh. Once inside, we found parking at 1PM and although there were plenty of people, it wasn't overcrowded. This is a nice public but semi private swimming area perfect for couples and families. This isn't the place to come with a rowdy crowd and loud music. Not that type of vibe. The water was clear and clean. The water temperature was perfect, mid 80s. It felt so good to just take out our chairs and umbrella and chill by the water. Very relaxing day. Note: There are bathrooms but no concession/food options so bring your own food and drinks. You are able to come and go in the park for the day as long as you have your parking pass in your window. I would highly recommend checking this place out if you're ever in Islamorada Florida. read more

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The beach was beautiful! We stopped here right before sunset. We wanted to get some pictures of the sunset. Water was Warm and beautiful! kids play area was nice and there was a short trail on side of beach. read more

Beach at Founders Park - Sunset - Beaches Near Me - Islamorada, Florida

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We received a voucher from our hotel for free entry and parking. So happy we came here. It's like a real live Gilligan's Island. Clean, sparkling beach with water you can see clear through. There were a few people there, and it almost felt like we had the beach all to ourselves. Gorgeous. read more

$18 for one adult and two kids under 5!!! And the gate attendant, the lady in her 70s or 80s was extremely rude acted like she owned the park. And acted like I didn't know what it was like to be in the keys. She literally said you're in the keys now. For her information it doesn't cost $18 to get into any of the parks around here. None of them. I've been to at least 10 of them. And when you're charging kids that aren't even school-age that's absolutely ridiculous. I'm a patron, guest, a paying guest, you don't talk to me with such disrespect. read more

Beach at Founders Park - Crowded mess - Beaches Near Me - Islamorada, Florida

I absolutely Loved this park and can't wait to come back!! I use to come here when I was younger and forgot all about this place. It use to have a restaurant and bar here to (I'm talking over 20 years ago) but that's gone now. But what is always here is a park, a pool, beach volleyball, playground, and a sweet beach! We got here in the early afternoon and were still able to grab a shaded picnic table and grill. All the picnic tables are close proximity to a grill which is perfect. There are huts available if not rented out, are first come first taken, lol. We met up with our friends and their kids for a fun beach day. We bbq'd and watched the kids playing in the sand in this huge sand pile. After eating we all went in the water and my friend brought her paddleboard. It was so on! The water was a perfect temperature and although it's smaller than some of our famous Miami beaches, we never felt crowded at all. It was really a perfect day! We laughed as we all tried the paddleboard and just enjoyed swimming and enjoying all the park had to offer. We really enjoyed this beach and seriously need to come back sooner then later. I highly recommend this park for EVERYONE! It's perfect for any and every occasion, family and friend days or, romantic days, or just to chill and relax. I freaking Love this park....I'll be the duchess here soon..lol read more

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A beautiful, properly maintained, beach paradise. Perfect for families. Decided to take the kids to the keys for an impromptu picnic and I chose this spot because of its offerings of a park, playground, and bathroom...all necessary with kids. We went on a holiday and the park was busy but not overly packed. We enjoyed the shallow lagoon area, the kids loved the playgrounds, we ate our lunch under a palm tree, and spent five wonderful hours there. Highly recommend this spot for a stop along the keys. While driving back home to Miami Beach, we stopped by the Blond Giraffe for a couple slices of key lime pie. Perfect day! read more

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Absolutely stunning gem in the Florida Keys. I believe the cost to enter was $8 per adult and $5 per child over the age of 3. It was clean and well-kept, with 2 playgrounds by the water that my toddler enjoyed playing on. We liked how it was not nearly as crowded as the beaches we are used to in south Florida. There were barely any people there when we went, so we had plenty of space to splash around. The nice thing is that there were no violent ocean waves, so my toddler could swim at the beach in peace for once. Very calm and soothing experience. You even get to park in the lot right beside the beach, so you don't have to walk to the ocean from blocks away. We definitely recommend this park for anyone visiting the Florida Keys! read more

Beach at Founders Park - Beach - Beaches Near Me - Islamorada, Florida

This is a such a relaxing little beach on the edge of Founders Park loaded with space for a quiet and serene day soaking up the sun. There's not many beaches in the Keys accessible by car; most of them require a boat. However, this little gem is perfect for the days you just want a quick and simple day without having to really rev your engines. Make sure you have all the essentials you need before entering as it's a little mission to come in and out. There's a playground perfect for children to play and interact with other kids. I like to bring my Paddleboard here and whisk away on the water. The best part is jumping right in the water after a board session. The grounds are maintained very well and it's a very pleasant experience coming here and enjoying the salty waters of the Florida Keys. Don't forget your sunscreen! read more

This park has a little bit of everything but it will cost you. At the time of writing the cost is $8.00 per person and $5.00 for seniors or youth. The park entrance fee does not include admission to the pool. The beach area has a nice parking lot and a dog park right across the beach area. The beach area is small and while it is nice the depth of the water is super shallow only getting to about 4.5 foot. When we got ready to leave which was before the parks closing time; the bathrooms were locked throughout the whole park. This is highly unacceptable as we asked their closing time when we arrived. This meant either change in the car our wear wet clothes. I did like the park and it is worth a visit but I find it more expensive than others around that have better beaches in my opinion. read more

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Extremely rude old lady up in the gate treated me as if I was trespassing and even called security when security came I showed them my pass and they apologized. You can't judge without asking first. The pool is expensive and old you have to pay for the entrance to the park plus the entrance to the pool. The beach is ugly, full of seaweed and dark sand. Don't recommend you come here at all. read more

Good clean spot to stop and picnic. Costs $8 adult and 5 child to enter but worth it for clean bathroom facilities and shaded picnic table. Playground and beach look good but didn't use either as it was just a quick picnic pit stop. read more

Beautiful beach and very clean. This park is a great place to bring a family. The water was great and there is plenty of sand to build sandcastles. read more

Beach at Founders Park - Beaches Near Me - Islamorada, Florida

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You have to pay $8 to enter Park and you have to leave at sunset. Nice place to catch sunset. Not much of a beach well kept park. Attendant at guard shack asked us if we were staying in Islamorada we said no, excitingly we said we're on our honeymoon and staying in Key Largo...he said we were staying on the wrong side of the train tracks. What a buzzkilll! read more

Not good if you have a dog. I am sure the rest of the park is fine, in fact the playground was perfect for my kid. Unfortunately, we had our lunch rudely interrupted because dogs are not allowed in the "beach area". The signs clearly say dogs not allowed on beach or ball fields. Great, got it, happy to oblige. But, the grounds-people adopt a rather vague definition of "beach area", which apparently includes anything within sight of the beach. A picnic bench on the grass next to a playground, 100 feet from the beach, is not the beach. Edit the signage. We got our money back and went somewhere else. read more

I have been here twice when Islandfest is put on in April by local charities. There is ample parking for a $5 donation. There are a few arts and crafts booths and some food vendors, the best being Craig's Restaurant. Their fish sandwich (pictured) is simplicity itself with toasted whole wheat bread, tomato, and regular sliced American cheese. What sets it apart is the ginormous grouper filet. Delicious! If you go to the festival it's best to come early. Bring chairs and/or blankets and stake a claim at the beach. It's rather small, but then most of the beaches in the Keys are. There is a protected cove for swimming. From the beach, I had the perfect location, juxtaposed between the music stage, Bloody Mary booth, and the restrooms! On this Saturday, the best band was South Florida favorite Iko-Iko. The festival also is on the following Sunday, and features the Taste of Islamorada so there are more food choices. All in all, I had a very relaxing fun afternoon. I have not been to the Beach at Founder's Park on a normal day, so I am not sure of the rules concerning alcohol, coolers, etc. read more

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I absolutely love this place! Great place for kids. They have a nice beach, picnic tables, a good playground and a splash pad for kids. They also have a lap pool for adults. The pool is extremely clean. The grounds are also very well-kept. I have met some of the Islamorada moms there and they love the swim instructor here. Perfect place to spend a couple of hours. read more

This was great for the kids 5 & 6. A bit expensive...but great for the kids to wade pretty far out to see the sea life. Nice beach area. Nice little playground and shelter area for picnics. read more