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During our trip to Key West this past summer 2022, we spent four days in town taking in as many of the sites as we could. We visited several different beaches, including this one. Of all of them that we enjoyed, this one probably is the largest... which is to say the longest, running a couple of miles on a straight away up the eastern side of the key. Parking was free and easy if you arrive early, but by mid morning, it's pretty much solid wall-to-wall cars, and you're zooming and packing to wait for someone to pull out so you could pull in. The beach has pretty much everything you would expect in Key West: farm trees for shade, rentals like chairs and umbrellas, and that blue color water that seems to only exist here and in postcards. Interestingly, pretty much every beach in Key West during our visit was covered in Sargasso; a local suggested that the bloom has been worse in the past several years, with no sign of letting up. Once it stacks up on the beach, it tends to start decomposing, leading to that sulfur rotten egg smell that can be quite unpleasant if you're not used to it. Kind of like low tide in the bay. We sort of made the best of it, and really only spent a few hours here. I did enjoy a nice run up the concrete "boardwalk" that spans the length of the beach, and then moves about 10 feet above the surface of the water as you head north. Beautiful part of the world, and can't wait to go back.
We stayed at Margaritaville Hotel so it was very convenient for us to walk across and go to this beach. It was very quiet and peaceful. You can rent umbrellas and chairs. I read other reviews about a smell and slimy sand, but we didn't experience that. It's a nice place to take a walk and go take pictures.
So not really knowing the beaches in the Key West area we decided to hang out at this beach for a couple of days while visiting. It is easy to find and close to our friends house. The beach itself is pretty but the water in November was kinda brown. The water had just started to get a lil chilly but still felt good to jump in for a quick minute. The beach is large and you can easily spread out and away from others so great for social distancing. There are clean restrooms and plenty of street parking. There are definitely prettier beaches in the area we discovered after driving the area.
Free Florida beach fun with stunning views. So picturesque sometimes, seems like it's a wedding or photo shoot factory up in here; especially in the evenings. There's metered parking or free parking a walkable distance away towards the airport but for whatever reason, people seem to like parking across the street in a ridiculously over-marked "no parking" zone. Not sure why ...despite the welcoming trash cans and picnic table, I see them writing tickets there all the time. Tricky tricky. There's two bathrooms, several really cool pavilions along the way, and a vendor letting chairs, umbrellas and toys on the south side. Sometimes there's food carts. So if you're looking for some of Florida's best beaches, this isn't it; you'll have to look north of Key Largo for that unless you're staying at a beach resort with well-tended manicured beaches. Keys beaches are of rocky limestone, broken coral, trashes, and whatever sand was brought in. And while they do a really good job of maintaining this beach, just about every morning you'll see them out there scraping it up, you're also going to have to deal with sea grass. And though it's good for the environment, people only ever see it as a smelly nuisance. So's you know, there's also Higgs, Zachary State Park, and small Simonton Beach on the island as well as Bahia Honda and Sombrero Beach towards Marathon worth exploring within an hours drive. All of them suffer from the same maladies. Always wear water shoes.
One of the top beaches in the Keys. But don't think because this is a top FL KEYS beach that it will look anything like some of the top beaches in all of FL, because it won't! The Keys Beaches are just different, and they aren't the main show or attraction when visiting, because they aren't big or luxurious like Florida is usually known for. All this aside, Smathers beach is still nice, and it helps you to get your day in the sun and sand and salt water, even if it's not exactly what you'd expect on first thought. There's chairs and umbrellas you can rent right on the beach, as well as other activities like kayaks and paddle boards. They have bathrooms and a water fountain at intervals, and when I was there they even had a couple food trucks on the sidewalk curb for a certain time of day. I went there on Christmas Eve 2020 and it was a beautiful day, and it didn't feel overcrowded to me even though it's a skinny stretch of beach so that was encouraging. Basically, if you're in Key West and need a beach fix, Smathers will fill that request, but just throw away any and all prior expectations!
Definitely not my most favorite beach, the sand has a weird slimy feeling to it, almost like it's covered in moss, the sand also smells really bad, like rotten eggs. We tried to dig for seashells near the shore but stopped once we realized the sand was stinky. The most fun we had was renting the kayaks!
It's not a deep beach, but it's very long with lots of parking on the road, parallel to the beach. However, the parking costs ($4 per hour) are far too high for what you get: dirty water, seaweed, and a slimy beach floor. One of the restrooms was even closed down. About all this is good for is laying out in the sand, don't bother going into the water.
I like to come here to jog or watch the sunset. It's a pretty and clean beach. The water is warm and crystal clear. There are vendors renting water sports gear and beach chairs. Expect to see many people performing all sorts of aquatic activities. The beach also has restrooms, shower facilities and volleyball courts. Parking is available along S. Roosevelt Boulevard for a fee. 5 stars, beautiful beach.
Nice public beach, you can rent chairs and an umbrella. It is a small beach, and the occasional smell of the seaweed can be off putting. We still enjoyed it for about an hour. We walked down to The Corner Sandwich shop for a Cuban and a coffee. Try the Cuban Coffee iced, it was a game changer. It was a 10 min walk from Smather's Beach. Beautiful views and clean bathroom.
Decent beach with sand, rare to find in key west. Sometimes it can be overrun with seaweed but they do a pretty good job at clearing it up. There are umbrellas and chairs to rent as well as sailboats. A lot of weddings take place here and sunset is gorgeous. Parking during construction has become annoying but still best Sandy beach in key west.
I liked this beach. It wasn't very crowded and there was not a bunch of garbage in the sand or water. There was a coffee truck and a bubble tea truck on the street right outside the beach entrance every day I was there. There was also a rental booth on the beach that looked to have umbrellas, chairs, kayaks and paddle boards.
This is probably the longest and nicest beach in Key West!! We were riding scooters, just exploring all that Key West had to offer, and we came across this awesome beach, it just stretched on so long!!! White sand with no rocks, very walkable without shoes. There weren't too many people here, more of a chill vibe, relaxing, great place just to take it all in with a get away from it all vibe. The kind of beach you can chill at with a cooler for a few hours, that would be perfect!!!
Pretty empty beach with all white sand. A lot of construction happening around it though not too noisy. If I had to choose, I prefer the Taylor state park beach since it felt more natural with trees and rocks jutting into the water. This one definitely winds as far as sand though.
We really liked it here. Small yes. Not a place for a all day beach trip. But perfect for a beach hang with friends and some drinks. There is a beach bar right there and lawn chairs and umbrellas for rent. Would say not really a location for children would stick with adults here. Clearest water we saw and definitely beautiful. read more
1 year ago
I was pretty excited to check this spot out since I had seen photos and videos online. It's a nice place to sit and relax under the palms. I'm sure we came at the wrong time but there was SO much seaweed!! And it smelled horrible! There was a good bit of trash (plastics) in the sand :(. read more
During our trip to Key West this past summer 2022, we spent four days in town taking in as many of the sites as we could. We visited several different beaches, including this one. Of all of them that we enjoyed, this one probably is the largest... which is to say the longest, running a couple of miles on a straight away up the eastern side of the key. Parking was free and easy if you arrive early, but by mid morning, it's pretty much solid wall-to-wall cars, and you're zooming and packing to wait for someone to pull out so you could pull in. The beach has pretty much everything you would expect in Key West: farm trees for shade, rentals like chairs and umbrellas, and that blue color water that seems to only exist here and in postcards. Interestingly, pretty much every beach in Key West during our visit was covered in Sargasso; a local suggested that the bloom has been worse in the past several years, with no sign of letting up. Once it stacks up on the beach, it tends to start decomposing, leading to that sulfur rotten egg smell that can be quite unpleasant if you're not used to it. Kind of like low tide in the bay. We sort of made the best of it, and really only spent a few hours here. I did enjoy a nice run up the concrete "boardwalk" that spans the length of the beach, and then moves about 10 feet above the surface of the water as you head north. Beautiful part of the world, and can't wait to go back. read more
2 years ago
We stayed at Margaritaville Hotel so it was very convenient for us to walk across and go to this beach. It was very quiet and peaceful. You can rent umbrellas and chairs. I read other reviews about a smell and slimy sand, but we didn't experience that. It's a nice place to take a walk and go take pictures. read more
So not really knowing the beaches in the Key West area we decided to hang out at this beach for a couple of days while visiting. It is easy to find and close to our friends house. The beach itself is pretty but the water in November was kinda brown. The water had just started to get a lil chilly but still felt good to jump in for a quick minute. The beach is large and you can easily spread out and away from others so great for social distancing. There are clean restrooms and plenty of street parking. There are definitely prettier beaches in the area we discovered after driving the area. read more
Free Florida beach fun with stunning views. So picturesque sometimes, seems like it's a wedding or photo shoot factory up in here; especially in the evenings. There's metered parking or free parking a walkable distance away towards the airport but for whatever reason, people seem to like parking across the street in a ridiculously over-marked "no parking" zone. Not sure why ...despite the welcoming trash cans and picnic table, I see them writing tickets there all the time. Tricky tricky. There's two bathrooms, several really cool pavilions along the way, and a vendor letting chairs, umbrellas and toys on the south side. Sometimes there's food carts. So if you're looking for some of Florida's best beaches, this isn't it; you'll have to look north of Key Largo for that unless you're staying at a beach resort with well-tended manicured beaches. Keys beaches are of rocky limestone, broken coral, trashes, and whatever sand was brought in. And while they do a really good job of maintaining this beach, just about every morning you'll see them out there scraping it up, you're also going to have to deal with sea grass. And though it's good for the environment, people only ever see it as a smelly nuisance. So's you know, there's also Higgs, Zachary State Park, and small Simonton Beach on the island as well as Bahia Honda and Sombrero Beach towards Marathon worth exploring within an hours drive. All of them suffer from the same maladies. Always wear water shoes. read more
One of the top beaches in the Keys. But don't think because this is a top FL KEYS beach that it will look anything like some of the top beaches in all of FL, because it won't! The Keys Beaches are just different, and they aren't the main show or attraction when visiting, because they aren't big or luxurious like Florida is usually known for. All this aside, Smathers beach is still nice, and it helps you to get your day in the sun and sand and salt water, even if it's not exactly what you'd expect on first thought. There's chairs and umbrellas you can rent right on the beach, as well as other activities like kayaks and paddle boards. They have bathrooms and a water fountain at intervals, and when I was there they even had a couple food trucks on the sidewalk curb for a certain time of day. I went there on Christmas Eve 2020 and it was a beautiful day, and it didn't feel overcrowded to me even though it's a skinny stretch of beach so that was encouraging. Basically, if you're in Key West and need a beach fix, Smathers will fill that request, but just throw away any and all prior expectations! read more
2 years ago
Definitely not my most favorite beach, the sand has a weird slimy feeling to it, almost like it's covered in moss, the sand also smells really bad, like rotten eggs. We tried to dig for seashells near the shore but stopped once we realized the sand was stinky. The most fun we had was renting the kayaks! read more
It's not a deep beach, but it's very long with lots of parking on the road, parallel to the beach. However, the parking costs ($4 per hour) are far too high for what you get: dirty water, seaweed, and a slimy beach floor. One of the restrooms was even closed down. About all this is good for is laying out in the sand, don't bother going into the water. read more
6 years ago
6 years ago
I like to come here to jog or watch the sunset. It's a pretty and clean beach. The water is warm and crystal clear. There are vendors renting water sports gear and beach chairs. Expect to see many people performing all sorts of aquatic activities. The beach also has restrooms, shower facilities and volleyball courts. Parking is available along S. Roosevelt Boulevard for a fee. 5 stars, beautiful beach. read more
Nice public beach, you can rent chairs and an umbrella. It is a small beach, and the occasional smell of the seaweed can be off putting. We still enjoyed it for about an hour. We walked down to The Corner Sandwich shop for a Cuban and a coffee. Try the Cuban Coffee iced, it was a game changer. It was a 10 min walk from Smather's Beach. Beautiful views and clean bathroom. read more
2 years ago
Decent beach with sand, rare to find in key west. Sometimes it can be overrun with seaweed but they do a pretty good job at clearing it up. There are umbrellas and chairs to rent as well as sailboats. A lot of weddings take place here and sunset is gorgeous. Parking during construction has become annoying but still best Sandy beach in key west. read more
I liked this beach. It wasn't very crowded and there was not a bunch of garbage in the sand or water. There was a coffee truck and a bubble tea truck on the street right outside the beach entrance every day I was there. There was also a rental booth on the beach that looked to have umbrellas, chairs, kayaks and paddle boards. read more
This is probably the longest and nicest beach in Key West!! We were riding scooters, just exploring all that Key West had to offer, and we came across this awesome beach, it just stretched on so long!!! White sand with no rocks, very walkable without shoes. There weren't too many people here, more of a chill vibe, relaxing, great place just to take it all in with a get away from it all vibe. The kind of beach you can chill at with a cooler for a few hours, that would be perfect!!! read more
Pretty empty beach with all white sand. A lot of construction happening around it though not too noisy. If I had to choose, I prefer the Taylor state park beach since it felt more natural with trees and rocks jutting into the water. This one definitely winds as far as sand though. read more
1 year ago
Great for the scenery, not so great for swimming. The views are nice, the shore is good to walk, and there's amenities like washrooms and a spot to rent beach accessories. However the water was just full of seaweed, which, if you don't like seaweed touching you when swimming, then this is not the best beach for you. Even with the seaweed, I did get in the water for a bit. It was warm and pretty calm. I noticed different vendors would set up on the road next to the beach. Parking is alongside the road and pretty plentiful. read more
3 years ago
Beautiful beach with white sand. There's a shop along the beach that offers water activities and water sport rentals. read more
Best swimming beach we've seen in Key West! Miles of soft white sand, with very view swimmers or sunbathers. Not much shade, but if you get here early - you can set up under some of the scattered palm trees. The water is shallow for at least 100 yards offshore, so it is comfortable to relax in the water! Two thumbs up! read more
2 years ago
2 years ago
3 years ago
"Might be i am at wrong spot at the beach bt it was stinking like hell" - I know, I know Smathers beach is one of top beach in KW and blah bla. I almost walked app half a mile on the beach. Some part was really stinking due to shells/and dunno what, but I did not find any good spot (except few patches) People were lying down here and there under an umbrella.I might be wrong but did not have good exp at all at this beach. Longshore, wide beaches - go Hollywood / especially Fort Lauderdale Beach in Miami. You ll feel the diff. read more
This is a Beautiful Beach! Very small but private. The water has some seaweed. It's also nice and warm. I love Florida key's water. This beach also has chairs and umbrellas for rental. It is a family beach but we went late in the evening which was very peaceful. I saw numerous couples which makes this the perfect romantic setting. It wasn't overcrowded like some of the public beaches. Parking was available in front of the beach and directly across the street. We would definitely return if in the Key West area. It's also a short distance from Mallory Park. Approximately a 10-15 minute drive. We arrived the perfect time. Peace & Serenity yes! read more
3 years ago
6 years ago
While on vacation here we read a lot of recent reviews from August 2020 that almost made us change our mind on coming here. We decided against that and I'm glad we did. The beach is very clean, the water is clear, parking is free, there are bathrooms. The only way it could be better is if there was a shower and a bar. You'll live. The water is shallow so you can walk out and enjoy for about 100yards.They have umbrellas, chairs, paddleboards, kayaks, snorkels and even small sail boats for day rentals. Chair rental is $15 or you can do 2 chairs and umbrella for $40 (this is what we and several others around us did). I would highly recommend this spot read more
Beautiful beach; so peaceful and tranquil with clear emerald water and artsy palm trees. I'm so happy we visited here and experienced slice of heaven away from hustle and bustle of city life. Anyone who can visit this place everyday is lucky! read more
Beautiful, amazing beach in Key West. This is definitely a "feet friendly" beach, and if you've visited any of the beaches in Key West you know what I mean. This was one of the only beaches that was all sand and easy to walk on, most Florida beaches tend to be made of seashells and they hurt your feet! Lol. But I digress, this was a quiet, calm beach and the water was a decent temperature as well. The water was no more than a couple of feet deep(which seems pretty normal around Key West), and the most amazing blue is ever seen. Even though your still in Florida, you feel transported to a tropical island in a different land. The best thing about Smathers is how it is not crowded at all, it's almost a hidden gem or something! If you're looking for a quiet, calm, and relaxing beach, this is the one I'd recommend! read more
8 years ago
I gave this Beach a 5 stars because it is one of the nicest available in Key West. If you've experienced any of the other beaches along the keys (public) they aren't really that large and barely qualify as being a beach. This is a man-made beach that's larger than most public beaches in Keys. I heard that the sand was imported from the Bahamas. There are two public restrooms available, one at each end of the beach. The "stone-looking" one has an outdoor shower available. There is also one of those watersports companies that offer beach chair and umbrella rentals. You should also know that there aren't huge or even hardly any waves and sometimes seaweed in the water. The keys are surrounded by a coral reef that prevents large waves. So don't expect the same type of beach like you normally see i.e. Myrtle Beach. The only problem is one that I didn't experience but my husband did, he saw some homeless people in the bathrooms giving them selves showers in the sinks. But they were harmless and where else would they go anyhow? read more
2 years ago
5 years ago
This beach is so calm and shallow, making it perfect for kids and families, or anyone who doesn't like huge waves. The downside to our visit was that it was peak seaweed season. It was stinky and you had to move seaweed out of your way to get to the sandbar where it was more clear. Due to the seaweed, not many people were there. We had adequate space to ourselves both in the sand and water. By the end of the day, my kids were playing with the seaweed, making it part of their sandcastles and creations. read more
10 years ago
This is one of my favorite beaches. I happen to stay a less than 5 minute walk away from this beach, which gives this beach major perks. I don't have to get in a car or ride a bicycle to put my toes in the water. I also like that there is a Sunset Watersports kiosk to rent paddle boards and catamarans as desired. They also rent beach chairs and umbrellas. I don't often lounge at the beach on a beach towel or chair. I love to be in the water. If I need a bit of time out of the water I spread out a towel and read a book. The water here is shallow for a decent distance so you can walk quite a decent length out before actually needing to swim. There is a small jetty you can walk along but the rocks are quite jagged so it is definitely not for the barefooted! There's a few volleyball courts. A few years ago I took a kiteboarding lesson here - which leads me to my only warning. The wind can pick up and make for quite a sandblast facial here. The wind does make it nice on a warm day however. The palm trees scattered all along the permitter make it easy to find ample shade to relax in. Parking is easy if you arrive early as you can park along the street as well as across the street in small parking areas. Bring your suit and settle in for a day at the beach. read more
3 years ago
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