Sombrero Reef: The Keys’ Best Snorkeling

Sombrero Reef is a protected Sanctuary Preservation Area marked by a 142-foot iron lighthouse, with coral heads in 2–25 feet of gin-clear water — the single best snorkel in the Middle Keys. Charters run daily from Marathon marinas, and mornings are calmest and clearest.

Insider note from the island: our guests don’t even need the charter for a warm-up. The natural moat around East Sister Rock — formed by a fossilized reef-rock wall — holds snappers, rays, and the occasional nurse shark, so you can test the kids’ masks off our own dock before committing to the reef trip. When you do go, our concierge can book the charter and have the boat pick you up at the island.

The Turtle Hospital: Marathon’s Most Famous Address

The Turtle Hospital at 2396 Overseas Highway has been rescuing and rehabbing sea turtles since 1986 — the first licensed veterinary sea turtle hospital anywhere. Guided 90-minute programs walk you through the operating room and rehab tanks, and you’ll meet permanent residents who can’t be released.

Book ahead; programs sell out most of the year. Host tip: go early, then watch for the payoff back home — turtles surface in the flats around the island most evenings, and they mean more once you’ve seen the hospital’s work up close.

Seven Mile Bridge & Pigeon Key

The Old Seven Mile Bridge reopened in 2022 after a $44 million restoration, and walking or biking the 2.2 miles out to Pigeon Key — the tiny island that housed the workers who built Henry Flagler’s Overseas Railroad — is the best free-ish history lesson in the Keys. The little museum on Pigeon Key is worth the modest admission.

Time it for late afternoon: you’ll walk back with the sun dropping behind the new bridge. It’s about a 15-minute drive from our mainland dock at 99 Ocean East, and the skiff ride back to the island afterward is the day’s second-best sunset seat.

Sombrero Beach: The Sand the Keys Rarely Have

Real sand beaches are rare in the Keys — Sombrero Beach is Marathon’s genuine article: free parking, palm-shaded picnic pavilions, calm swimming, and a curve of white sand that faces the same water our island sits in. May through October it’s also a protected turtle-nesting beach.

Families staying with us often split the day: Sombrero Beach morning, then back to the island pool when the afternoon crowd arrives. Curry Hammock State Park, 15 minutes up the highway, adds kayak trails through mangroves and — September to November — one of the world’s great raptor migration counts. Fall migration also brings hummingbirds in the Florida Keys — the island sits right on the flyway.

Fishing: Why Marathon Calls Itself the Heart of the Keys

Marathon fishes twelve months a year: tarpon stack up in the bridge channels April–June, mahi run offshore May–September, sailfish show December–April, and lobster mini-season (the last Wednesday–Thursday of July) turns the whole town into a festival. Stone crab season opens October 15 — order claws the week they open.

From the island, you’re fishing before your coffee cools — guests catch snapper straight off the 100-foot dock, and basic tackle is included with the house. For offshore days, our charters and tours from the island can be arranged to collect you at the dock.

Day Trips: Key West, Islamorada & Bahia Honda

Marathon’s underrated advantage is being the middle of everything. Key West is about an hour west — do Duval Street, the Hemingway Home, and Mallory Square’s sunset celebration, then come home to an island with no bar crowd. Bahia Honda State Park, 20 minutes away, has the Keys’ most photographed beach. Islamorada, 35 minutes east, means feeding the tarpon at Robbie’s and the best gallery-hopping in the islands.

Where we send guests to eat in Marathon: Keys Fisheries for the lobster reuben (order under a celebrity alias — house rules), Burdines Waterfront for fish tacos and fried Key lime pie, and Sunset Grille at the foot of the Seven Mile Bridge for exactly what the name promises.

When to Do What: A Season Cheat Sheet