Marathon is a grouping of islands between the upper and lower keys. You can drive the Overseas Highway, dock your boat at one of the numerous marinas, or fly into their international airport and enjoy fantastic waterfront dining, stroll down history to Pigeon Key, or just relax on one of their sandy beaches.

Boats and Tiki Huts

Marathon is a fishermen’s, fisherwomen’s, or fisherkid’s for that matter, paradise. Hook up with one of the many fishing charters out of Marathon and catch your fill of Tarpon, Grouper, even shark! Or bring your own boat and dock at one of their many wet slips, dry slips, and mooring balls.

After a day of fishing, hang out at one of the waterfront tiki hut restaurants and view a gorgeous sunset. Order local caught fresh fish or bring your own and have them cook it. Live bands or guitar playing singers will take you into the night.

Wildlife in Marathon

No, not that kind of wildlife, you’ll have to check out the above section for that.

Visit the Turtle Hospital and really find out about the turtles that call the Florida Keys their home. The Turtle Hospital takes in injured and sick turtles and nurses them back to health if possible and releases them back into the wild.

The not-for-profit Dolphin Research Center is the place to go to get educated on dolphins and sea lions. General admission gets you narrated sessions in the various lagoons throughout the day. Upgrade to an interactive program and you can get a dorsal tow from one of the dolphins.

Head on over to the Florida Keys Aquarium Encounters and see what a 200,000-gallon aquarium looks like. Find out what makes the marine environment around the keys unique. And they really mean it when they say encounters. They have programs for feeding, touching, and meeting the animals.

Back to Nature in Marathon

Two state parks and a preserve with a museum and nature trails will satisfy your inner explorer.

Long Key State Park is located in between Islamorada and Marathon. What used to be a tourist spot for the affluent is now a state park that features camping, hiking, snorkeling, and fishing. Grab a kayak and check out the marine life in the shallow waters, get up close to the shore birds hanging out in the mangroves, or dip a line and do some fishing. You’ll have to bring your own as kayak rentals from the ranger station are temporarily suspended.

Boasting one of the largest undeveloped parcels of land in the Florida Keys is Curry Hammock State Park. It’s a combination of hardwood trees, mangroves, and seagrass beds that local and migratory birds call home. There’s a 1.5-mile kayak trail, a nature trail to enjoy, and on windy days it’s common to see kiteboarders. Camping is available but good luck trying to get a spot as the beaty of this park makes it popular.

Marathon History

Crane Point Hammock is a preserve that was saved from development by the Florida Keys Land Trust. The property is named for the previous owners, Francis and Mary Crane who purchased it in 1949. The majority of the hardwood hammock of 63 acres is pretty much unchanged from when they bought it. You can hike the nature trails to the Crane’s stylish mid-century house, tour a 1903 house of a local sponge collector, you can even get a fish pedicure.

Take a 2-mile stroll down the old Overseas Highway and step into history. Pigeon Key is an island that housed the men who worked on the Overseas Railroad and the Overseas Highway. There are original buildings that you can tour, a fantastic dock that you can snorkel from, and beautiful views for miles. You can easily spend a day here so pack a lunch and enjoy a picnic on one of their benches.

Beaches in Marathon

Sombrero Beach is a sandy beach with shallow waters that are good for cooling off from a hot keys day. Bring the kids and spend that down day on the beach.

Sunset Park is a small beach with facilities and a spectacular place to watch the sunset, unsure whether they knew that before they named the park.