This is a tiny park just outside the airport. You used to be able to drive right up to a picnic…read moretable but now they have curbs and barriers all around it. You can park at the museum though so all is well. There is a beautiful serene view of the ocean but today was a bit rainy so we stayed in the car and enjoyed our breakfast before our flight. Life is good in a tiny beautiful park with an ocean view!

A small, often overlooked park just outside the airport sporting beautiful shady Australian pine…read moretrees, picnic tables, a few grills, parking, and wonderful ocean views.

Rented kayaks for the day and it was awesome! Friendly staff and the little beach is great compared…read moreto the ones out in town.

This beach sucks no facilities no bathroom just nothing hey mwr fix it and maybe more people will…read morelike to go there

Simonton Street Beach (aka Simpson Street Pier area) is my top pick after hitting five Key West…read morespots it's the smallest public beach, but that makes it the best hidden gem. Tucked at the end of Simonton Street on the Gulf side, it's super convenient: steps from downtown, Duval Street, and the Historic Seaport, with calm, crystal-clear water perfect for swimming or jumping off the concrete pier into refreshing depths where fish swim right below. Locals love it (a friend showed me the ropes, and it's a frequent local fave), and no wonder stunning Gulf sunsets paint the sky orange-pink, soft sand, nearby beach bar for cheap drinks/snacks/chairs, plus restrooms and a boat ramp adding quirky charm. While other beaches can be rocky (water shoes needed), this one's smooth and effortless. Pure, low-key paradise that's close to town yet feels worlds away hands down the best little beach in Key West.

Secret beach tucked in between the Pier House and Hyatt Centric. Lagerheads Beach Bar is the host…read moreof this tiny gem. There is the beach bar which has a bathroom as well as lounge chair and umbrella rentals. There are also small chairs on the beach that are free to use when ordering from the bar. Watersports such as jet skis can be rented from this same area. There is a small pier which we saw people sitting on and jumping off of into the water.

Went to Highs Pier to view the sunrise on our last day in Key West. Easy to park. Long clean pier…read morewith benches. Beautiful view. Would recommend checking

During our four days in Key West during a 2022 cross country road trip, the Picante family enjoyed…read morea great Key West morning at Higgs beach. We arrived early and found parking near the children's playground area, and walked out onto the white sand beach with only a few other AM visitors. We did not utilize or investigate what looked like umbrellas and beach chairs for rent, and instead waded out into the bathtub temperature water with our masks and snorkels. The swim area stays shallow farther than we SoCal folks are used to in our beaches, and it is roughly enclosed by a break wall of sorts, and a long walking pier with stairs down into the water for access. Still plenty of small snapper, grouper, and other fish can be seen out near the structure of the pier and break wall. After a warm morning in the water, we left our towels on the beach and enjoyed a delicious lunch at Salute (see other review) before packing up and exploring the other great parts of Key West. We found this beach to be cleaner than Smathers beach, and maybe more laid back. Also of note: there was a marked sea turtle nest on the beach surrounded by caution tape and signage. Yet another wonder of the keys for us touristy visitors who live in Sunny SoCal with her cold California current ocean temps.

A small park or spot or terrace, I guess you call it with splendid views. Not anyplace you'd want…read moreto stay but definitely worth taking in.

Don't discount this place based how little it seems (especially since there is a popular, large…read morepark across the street). But this is also not a typical park, as there is no playground or typical park amenities. They do have free parking (convenient to the beach too). The park was named after Charles "Sonny" McCoy (former key west mayor for 5 terms and Monroe County Commissioner) The "Indigenous" portion of the park's name is the concept that this park was originally designed for. They wanted to protect the native species of trees from being destroyed and fully removed by developers, so around the park are a huge variety of trees. Okay, not exactly exciting stuff yet and not much of a reason for that 5 star rating. They have a Wildlife Rescue center and a wildlife trail; which the kids always love. What sold me on this place is the brand new BOCCE BALL courts (approximately 8 of them). I very much enjoy playing and finding a professional made court is very hard to find in Florida. Most parks in Broward and Palm Beach County only have grass courts and a couple on har-tru (like a tennis court) and couple are done on artificial grass (the worst). Also the majority of parks that do have them, do very minimal maintenance so the courts are usually in a state of deterioration. These courts are made professionally (I have never seen this quality level in any public bocce ball court within 200 miles (literally). They have composite boards (so no worries regarding wood rot), they have concrete walkways (including dips to hold the out of play balls, fully lit for night play, tons of local leagues and the course material is rock sand and clay (and the play surface is incredible) Be sure to check this place out

So, as far as Key West attractions go, this popped up because it was free and off the beaten path,…read moreliterally it's in a really nondescript off the main street where the beach and pier are. I found it because I wanted to see the Key West chickens and I hadn't seen any at the point and there were a few there that I would be guaranteed to see. Besides chickens though are a lot of local species that are kept for conservation and education. It's a small space but we had fun, particularly the myna bird which could talk and was cute would kick out eggs from other birds' nests so they could lay their own. Devious little guys. It's a short loop around and while not quite a zoo you can get pretty close to a lot of the animals here; the turtle pond in particular, those guys wake up really quickly when you make any hand or arm gesture. All in all, it's a good find and definitely a quirky little find in quirky Key West.

The Key West Aquarium is probably one of the smallest aquariums I have ever been to, so if you're…read moreexpecting something massive, where you can wander for half the day, adjust your expectations. That said, we had a really nice time here. It has a small intimate feel so you are close to the tanks and you can take your time. We came later in the day and we were able to catch the game fish and shark feeding. The tank itself was pretty dark and it was honestly hard to see much happening in the water, but the staff member giving the talk was engaging and informative. We learned a lot especially about mangroves and how important they are to the ecosystem. We also stayed for most of the touch tank tuck in tour which I found to be surprisingly sweet. They secure the animals before closing to ensure everyone is safe and protected while the staff is not on site. They also encourage audience participation and there was only one child there at the time I was present, but she really seemed to enjoy helping put the animals away. It was very cute and the staff was very kind to her and made sure she understood what was going on. All the staff were very knowledgeable and genuinely friendly and you could tell they care about what they do. I personally liked seeing the clownfish and learning about them, but my favorite was probably the queen triggerfish. She was beautiful and full of personality. There was also a large tortoise which my husband really enjoyed watching swim around the large tank. The aquarium is dog friendly and since we were traveling through the area we probably would not have come otherwise. I love dog friendly activities and I always give extra stars just for that. Our pup was safe and felt curious and it was enjoyable for her too. They also have a little kiosk where you can take a free digital souvenir photo so I snapped one of us with our dog. It's a small touch but all the patrons loved it. I did read a lot of reviews before coming that made it seem like the price of admission was not worth it because the aquarium is small. I live near the Monterey Bay aquarium and have visited it many times. It's one of the best aquariums in the world and you can spend hours inside, but it costs $65 per person. The key West aquarium cost us around $20 and I doubt many people spend more than an hour - 90 minutes here but I think if you put it into perspective the price is absolutely reasonable. There was a lot of empty space and spots under construction, which is understandable but makes more of an impact when the aquarium itself is so small. Overall, this is a quick educational, easy stop in Key West and we are definitely glad we visited.

Such a cute aquarium! The first open-air one in Florida!…read more Sharks, tarpon, turtles, rays, fish - including the invasive lion fish (one of over 150 invasive species in the state). We loved that we could feed the fish for free (with entry). We loved hearing stories of the rescued turtle residents. We loved how small and cozy the space is. The employees and marine caretakers are very knowledgeable, kind, and truly care for the creatures in their care.

Not much to say…read more Small park, but surprisingly, it has everything you need all crammed into a tiny space. It has a community center, workout stations, playground, and basketball court. Super quiet -it is never busy. There are a few parking spots, but there is also street parking.