Smathers Beach

Located in the southeastern part of the island-city of Key West, Smathers Beach is a popular half-mile long narrow beach with white sand and rocky jetties.  This beach is one of the largest beaches in Key West – it was listed as one of the six best beaches in Key West by Southern Living magazine and it was also listed as one of the best beaches in Key West by Travel+Leisure magazine.

Although Smathers Beach does not have lifeguards, the beach and the area around it have many other amenities including restrooms, showers, picnic tables, volleyball courts, a boat ramp, and Smathers Beach rentals for watersports equipment, beach chairs, and umbrellas.

Smathers Beach offers many fun activities including sunbathing, beachcombing, fishing, swimming, volleyball, snorkeling, paddleboarding, boating, jet-skiing, kitesurfing, windsurfing, parasailing, water-skiing, surf-skiing, kayaking, canoeing, and wildlife watching. 

Smathers Beach is ideal for less-experienced swimmers because the shallow and clear water here is usually calm.  In addition, this beach is also popular with snorkelers and it offers an amazing Smathers Beach snorkeling experience.  The eastern part of the beach is popular with kitesurfers.  If you are planning to swim, kayak, canoe, or paddleboard here, we recommend being careful because the water here can have unpredictable rip currents and dangerous waves.  In addition, the rocky jetties here can also make water activities difficult.  

If you like taking pictures with excellent Instagram-worthy views, Smathers Beach offers amazing views of the southern Key West shoreline and the Florida Straits, especially during sunset and sunrise.

Smathers Beach does not offer wheelchair access to visitors with disabilities.  However, the beach has reserved street parking spaces for disabled visitors.

Getting to Smathers Beach is very easy – this Key West Beach access is located near 2601 South Roosevelt Boulevard, and there are free and metered street parking spaces nearby.  The metered parking spaces here charge $5 per hour from 8 am to 12 am between Monday and Saturday.  In addition, they charge a $5 per hour fee between 12 am to 12 pm on Sundays.  In addition to these street parking spaces, there is also a free parking lot near the beach on the opposite side of South Roosevelt Boulevard.

We recommend visiting Smathers Beach early during summer weekends because this beach can get crowded during this time.  Please also note that the beach can sometimes become smelly because it can have a lot of seaweed.

Smathers Beach was named after politician George Smathers, who represented Florida in the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives.  In addition, this beach was the site where famous swimmer Diana Nyad completed her continuous 111-mile-long swim from the Cuban city of Havana to Key West.  Diana completed this swim without the help of a shark cage.

There are many attractions near Smathers Beach.  You can check the Smathers Beach map online to find the nearby Hemingway Home & Museum – this museum is set in the former home of the acclaimed writer Ernest Hemingway, who lived here between 1931 and 1940.  This beautiful 19th-century house and the lush sprawling gardens around it are immensely popular with visitors.  Key West Aquarium has interesting exhibits that are home to many kinds of interesting marine animals including jellyfish, sharks, grouper, moray eels, barracuda, alligators, and sea turtles.  The aquarium also has a touch tank and it also organizes interesting education programs and interactive events.  Key West Butterfly & Nature Conservatory is home to more than 60 butterfly species and 20 species of birds, along with a variety of plants.  This conservatory also has a learning center, an art gallery, and a gift shop.  Fort East Martello Museum is a museum that is set in a mid-19th century building and offers interesting exhibits on local history – one of the famous exhibits here is the popular haunted doll named Robert the Doll.  In addition, this museum also offers interesting artworks.  If you are looking for attractions near Smathers Beach, Key West Lighthouse is a lighthouse that was built in the 19th century.  Visitors can now climb this lighthouse’s top, which has an observation area that offers amazing views of the Key West shoreline – this lighthouse and the nearby light keeper’s residence offer interesting historical exhibits.

If you get hungry, there are many restaurants near Smathers Beach.  Corner Sandwich Shop offers delicious sandwiches and coffee, along with a variety of other dishes including burgers, salads, toast, and burritos.  Benihana is an upscale Japanese restaurant that offers amazing steaks and it also offers many interesting dishes cooked in teppanyaki-style.  Salute ! On The Beach offers many Italian dishes with Caribbean influences for lunch and dinner including pasta, grilled chicken, seafood, salads, steaks, and cheeseburgers.  Harpoon Harry’s Key West offers many amazing dishes for breakfast, lunch and dinner including salads, tacos, sandwiches, seafood, barbecue ribs, and pot roast.  If you are looking for another good and affordable nearby restaurant, Kim’s Kuban offers a variety of Cuban-style dishes including Cuban sandwiches, burgers, tacos, quesadillas, and burritos – it also offers excellent coffee.

If you are looking for a hotel near Smathers Beach, there are many great nearby options.  The 4.5-Star Casa Marina Key West, Curio Collection by Hilton offers many amenities including multiple restaurants, a private beach area, fire pits, rental facilities for bikes, beach equipment, and scooters, an ATM, a gift shop, a fitness center, a spa, and multiple pools.  The 4-Star Southernmost Beach Resort is another upscale hotel that offers many amenities including multiple bars, a restaurant, multiple pools, poolside cabanas, a spa services, a pier, a private beach area, a lawn, a fitness center, and beach chair loaner facilities.  Another upscale hotel is the 4-Star The Reach Key West that offers many amenities including a fitness center, a pool, a restaurant, and a boutique.  A more affordable hotel is the 3-Star The Palms Hotel Key West that offers many amenities including a pool, barbecue areas, and bike rental facilities.  If you are looking for another good and affordable nearby hotel, the 3-Star Fairfield Inn & Suites by Marriott Key West offers many amenities including a restaurant, a fitness center, a convenience store, a pool, a gift shop, bike rental facilities, and complimentary breakfast.