One of Key West's largest public beaches, Smathers is a pretty stretch of sand with a few palm trees providing shade. It's east of the Old Town, and best reached by bike, scooter or car. The location beside the highway is a bit of a minus.
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Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
Museum of Art & History at the Custom House
2.25 MILES
This excellent museum, set in a grand 1891 red-brick building that once served as the Customs House, covers Key West's history. Highlights are the…
2.32 MILES
Take all those energies, subcultures and oddities of Keys life and focus them into one torchlit, family-friendly (but playfully edgy), sunset-enriched…
Nancy Forrester’s Secret Garden
1.82 MILES
Nancy, an environmental artist and fixture of the Keys community, invites you into her backyard oasis where chatty rescued parrots and macaws await…
21.06 MILES
Dry Tortugas National Park is America's most inaccessible national park. Reachable only by boat or seaplane, it rewards you for your effort in getting…
1.82 MILES
Key West’s biggest darling, Ernest Hemingway, lived in this gorgeous Spanish Colonial house from 1931 to 1940. Papa moved here in his early 1930s with his…
1.99 MILES
This nonprofit showcases about a dozen artists’ studios in a three-story space, and hosts some of the best art openings in Key West on the first Thursday…
1.9 MILES
Key West locals have a love-hate relationship with the most famous road in Key West (if not the Keys). Duval, Old Town Key West’s main strip, is a miracle…
Florida Keys Eco-Discovery Center
2.23 MILES
This 6000-sq-ft center is one of the best places in the Keys to learn about the extraordinary marine environments of South Florida. Start off with the 20…
Nearby Key West attractions
1. Fort East Martello Museum & Gardens
1.07 MILES
This old fortress was built to resemble an old Italian Martello-style coastal watchtower (hence the name), a design that quickly became obsolete with the…
1.16 MILES
This artificial beach, located at the southern end of Reynolds St, has barbecue grills, picnic tables and a long pier, where you can go out and watch the…
1.4 MILES
This small sandy beach is a pleasant spot for a dip. A restaurant sits on the edge of the sands, and rents out lounge chairs and umbrellas. South Beach is…
1.51 MILES
A darkly alluring Gothic labyrinth beckons at the center of this pastel town. Built in 1847, the cemetery crowns Solares Hill, the highest point on the…
5. Key West Butterfly & Nature Conservatory
1.6 MILES
This vast domed conservatory lets you stroll through a lush, enchanting garden of flowering plants, tiny waterfalls, colorful birds and up to 1800…
1.65 MILES
The most-photographed spot on the island, this red-and-black buoy isn’t even the southernmost point in the USA (that’s in the off-limits naval base around…
1.82 MILES
Key West’s biggest darling, Ernest Hemingway, lived in this gorgeous Spanish Colonial house from 1931 to 1940. Papa moved here in his early 1930s with his…
8. Nancy Forrester’s Secret Garden
1.82 MILES
Nancy, an environmental artist and fixture of the Keys community, invites you into her backyard oasis where chatty rescued parrots and macaws await…