Pigeon Key

Biked over on the bridge. Amazing day of snorkeling! Love it here.

What a wonderful little museum that talks about the building of the 7 mile bridge back in the early 1900s. We took a short tram ride of about 3 miles to pigeon Key. Our tour guy gave us good information about the island and its history and after about a 30 minute tour we wandered around. There’s a building with several artifacts and diorama’s as well as good informational pictures on what life was like back around 1910 and how all of these workers had to endure the hurricanes and the mosquitoes and bugs and insects to build this bridge. Such an incredible feat. Take your time and wander around. Many of the buildings are closed to visitors as it turns out one of the local universities have students that live on this island as part of their study. If you look close, you might find an osprey as well as a nest. This is well worth your time and money to visit a little piece of history over 100 years ago. I have included a few pictures (many more to see) from the museum that show the hardships involved. The people that endured to help build this bridge should not be forgotten and this museum does a good job at continuing the remembrance of their journey there.

Took the little train to the island. CT was our tour guide, she’s amazing. Lovely woman, extremely knowledgeable of the islands history. Her passion for the place clearly shows and is contagious. Pigeon Key is an interesting place. Personally, I could see myself living there as it is now. Back in the day when they were building the railroad over 400 men lived on the 5 acre island at once. I can’t imagine how rough that would have been. Today the island has a museum, gift shop, restrooms, water fountain, dock, living quarters for the staff, many varieties of birds, botanical and sea life. Shady areas with seating for picnics, you can snorkel, or walk around the island and enjoy your time there. Beautiful piece of Florida, must see. (Tip your tour guide.)

Anniversary celebration continued here at Pigeon Key. Loved the train ride to Pigeon Key. The views from the 7-mile Bridge are breathtaking. Our tour guide Eric whose a volunteer is very knowledgeable and answered any questions we had. Bring your snorkeling gear as well as a beach towel. We stopped by the COMMISSARY and got refreshments. Overall we throughly enjoyed our day and would highly recommend adding to your list of places to visit in the lower Keys.

Great tour; highly recommend! Once of the best parts of our trip to the Keys! Our tour guide was C.T. and she was incredibly knowledgeable and engaging. We opted for the train ride across the bridge to get to the island and did the late tour (2pm), which was great because we got to watch/participate in the shark feeding at 3:30pm, though you can apparently also take the train for one of the earlier tours (10am or 12pm) and stay all day through the shark feeding and leave on the last train back or walk back over the bridge at any point. We didn't have time to snorkel or swim since we were on one of the later tours and needed to take the train back, but I am sure if we had come earlier that would have been an awesome activity too, as the water there looked to be so clear you could see a lot of the fish just from the dock. The history of the island and the building of the overseas railway which became the overcoastal highway is so incredible, and the information about Henry Flagler and even the history of Florida was so great.

What a great day we spent on Pigeon Key. We road our bikes the 2 miles on the new road. It was quick and beautiful. To get onto Pigeon Key we did have to pay the $15 per person fee. The ladies on the island were very inviting and knowledgeable. We did the tour with C.T. and loved her. She knew her stuff snd loved Henry Flagler. The views from thevisland are amazing. There is a "pool" (no swimming) where we saw tons of fish and 2 small hammerhead sharks. There is a small beach, bring water shoes and snorkel. Make sure to bring water and food. Only thing available on the island is a water fountain. There's a museum and restrooms. Most of the building are closed off to the public because they are used by schools. Would definitely recommend it.

Very expensive for what is offered. We have arrived 30 minutes prior to closure and still had to pay full daily price for whole family ($90). Most things were shut down, and still 10 minutes of that 30 was taken by paperwork, wavers, signatures, data collection. Płacę had not much to offer for the price and effort required. I’d suggest simplifying the paperwork and offering late entries for less. I don’t mind supporting local foundations, but if paperwork is majority of what the place has to offer, I would not recommend it. Staff were nice. Place was nice, but overpriced.

Highlight of the trip! What is that tiny island that seems to be in the middle of the 7 mile bridge? That was my thought the first drive over the bridge. After reading "Last Train to Paradise", I knew I had to take a tour of the island to learn more about it. We bought our tickets for the 2 p.m. ferry in the morning. You purchase them from a little shop on the US 1. In there is also a gift shop. After buying the tickets, we were nervous that we would not find the dock of where we would be picked up. It was incredibly easy! We were taken to the island buy 2 very knowledgeable men. While waiting at the dock, they were showing my fiance and I tarpon and nurse sharks at the dock. It is a short ferry to the island, it was perfect to see how vast the old railroad was. You have a hard time seeing where the railroad ends. Upon arriving, a tour guide was waiting for us. They said we can get the tour or choose to go straight to snorkeling. I was so intrigued by the tour. I couldn't stop asking questions. It was nice to learn more of the island after Flagler's railroad ended. Now driving across, I know what the rectangle shaped pool was originally for! After the 1 hour - 1:15 tour, we were able to jump in the ocean to try and cool down from the heat. If you are going to snorkel, I would recommend water shoes because it is rocky. The only thing I didn't like is that no portion of the gift shop is online! After taking a tour of the island, it makes you appreciate it so much more. My fiancee and I wished we grabbed some souvenirs after it was done.

I really enjoyed this place! It's been on my to do list awhile. We bought our tickets at a spot on side of road just up a little from the seven mile bridge. Once you pay for time slot you get on trolley ( or you can walk, bike the bridge and just pay entrance fee when you get there). It's a 15 min ride onto the island from bridge. Our drivers name was Julie.. she told us about island and what to expect when we get there.. if you come by trolley you are confined to time slot to get the trolley back I think it's 2 hrs.. we had time to snorkel by dock and go gift shop and walk around the multiple buildings and get the history. They have restrooms where you can change clothes which we did. Also water fountains to fill your water bottle because it's hot in summer you need to hydrate! CT was our greeter to island she gave us choice to do guided tour or self guided.. we self guided because we wanted to snorkel.. they do not furnish snorkel equipment you must bring in bag to island so keep that in mind but you can just swim if you want. The water was very refreshing! Toward end of our stay here CT was nice enough to allow us to get cut fish pieces and feed the fish including a nurse shark.. we enjoyed this place wished we had taken an e-bike and stayed awhile because it's very peaceful and could have spent more time snorkeling.. we will next time! I highly recommend taking trip here.. big part of the keys history

What a great experience! We had the 1pm tour and it was perfect! Our driver Julie was awesome! The tour guide at pigeon key was so nice and knew everything! We even fed the sharks which was soooo cool!

2nd visit to Pigeon Key, 1st since they reopened the old 7 mile bridge. Learned some new facts about the history of the bridge. Where you park your car, to board the train, there are no bathrooms, but there are bathrooms on the island. After getting off the train, we met under a large tree, that had chairs, and our guide gave us the history of the island, and what purpose it serves today. Gift shop is on the island, with drinks and other snacks. There was a cold water fountain at the building with the bathrooms. If you want to relax after the tour, walk under the old bridge, where the bridge is cut from the old part. There were 2 chairs there, with a great view of the old part of the bridge.

After a wonderful bike ride across the Old Seven Mile Bridge, my wife and I spent a wonderful morning learning about the Key West Extension of the Florida East Coast Railway. CJ gave us a captivating history lesson and her admiration of Henry Flagler. FYI, the polentas in the commissary are fantastic.

Beautiful train ride over the old 7 mile bridge and educational tour guiding once you get there. I loved feeding the sharks in the shark pool! We loved getting in the water as well. Very unique and beautiful experience. I highly recommend to anyone coming to The Keys. Good duration of tour, entire adventure is from 1-3:15 ish Staff is all very kind. Would definitely do it again.

My wife and I paid about $50 for "train"ride to Pigeon Key. The ride over across the water was nice. Once there, the guide strayed from the discussion, rambled and didn't keep the interest of the group. The beach was small and not attractive. We would not do this again.

I totally LOVED this experience and can't wait to go again. We took the 2pm train tour to the island. My son loved the little cute train. You go over the old Seven Mile Bridge to get to Pigeon Key. There you first sit down and hear about the history of Flagler's Overseas Highway Railroad before you do a tour of the island. It was so interesting that I really got into the whole Flagler history afterward that I even bought some books at their gift shops and went to St. Augustine to see all the building mentioned during the tour. Once you're done with the tour, you get to explore the island on your own. Since we had to take the last train back at around 4pm, we didn't have a lot of time. Next time, we want to take the early train out and go snorkeling and swimming on the islands

CT did such an amazing job at detailing the history about and around the whole Pigeon Key story...all of us were hanging on her next words. She was do knowledgeable and answered the many questions that were presented to her throughout the tour. A great ride by boat to and from the island was part of the tour that sounds like may be coming to an end unfortunately as things continue to change and progress with all the changes these days. A great experience for people of all ages

You will walk 2 miles and can't enter or use a bathroom. No Porta potties. awful . They really need to address this issue. You can't do anything unless you pay to go on a tour.

Absolutely wonderful. I've been on many tours to many locations, and CT is hands down the most helpful, friendly and knowledgeable guide I have had EVER. Thank you so much! The train was fast. All staff was friendly and the tour blew away my expectations!

We visited in November, 2023. We were driving and noticed the train, Googled, and discovered a little more information about Pigeon Key. We booked our seats for the next day and had a lovely visit. The tour was informative , the atmosphere was laidback, and we enjoyed the freedom of just poking around. Is this an "action packed" place? Nope. But that's what makes it appealing. Just a peaceful way to spend some time learning some history. We quite enjoyed ourselves.

We so enjoyed our trip to Pigeon Key! From the train ride across the bridge, to the in-depth tour around the island, this was a trip to remember. This small unassuming island is full of history and amazing stories. Everyone we met today was so friendly and passionate about sharing the story of the island. We got really lucky with the weather and loved our time walking around and sitting by the water. Could not recommend this spot enough.

We were vacationing in Marathon, had our bicycles with us - so we rode out to Pigeon Key on the Seven Mile Bridge. The Key is maintained by a non-profit organization that offers daily tours, a museum, a summer camp experience and for school groups - organized overnight experiences during the school year. On our randomly selected day to visit, a school group had left the day before, so the island was quiet. We wandered a bit until it was time for the tour - we learned the story of how Flagler built his railroad connecting Key West with the Florida peninsula. Pigeon Key was a central point in the progress, since it was in the middle of the seven miles between Marathon and the next stretch of keys. Some of the original buildings are still standing. The museum includes photographs and artifacts from the time of the building and some of the post railroad history as well. Interesting break to our bike ride. While we rode, some people walked to Pigeon Key and others came via the Ferry that departs from the Pigeon Key Visitor's Center in Marathon. Nice spot and good to support an organization that is teaching students about marine science and ocean conservation.

The tour is a waste of money and there are no bathrooms at the Visitor Center or on the key.

History preserved - loved the bike ride to Pigeon Key - loved the preserved buildings and tour. Glad this was saved.

I loved the tour of Pigeon Key. The guides were very knowledgeable. I would go again and tell everyone that it was very interesting learning what all the workers had to live through during their time building the railroad. What an amazing story. Thank you so m;uch!

Pigeon Key is a very interesting place, relative to the Flagler Railroad extension and it's history when built and in the aftermath. The guide was Eric and he had good knowledge and great enthusiasm for the island, it's buildings, how the workers were taken care of, etc. A tourist train brings people 2-3 miles from a visitor center to the Key. We rode bikes instead. Accidentally I paid for the tour and the train. Since we didn't ride the train, I just needed to pay for the tour. My girlfriend had ridden her bike on an earlier visit and was unfamiliar with the train. The web-site did not explain it clearly. But if you are going to walk or bike the 2-3 miles to Pigeon Key, just buy the tour.

CT did a great job with her presentation about Henry Flagler. We highly recommend this tour because she was terrific and we learned a great deal! Thanks, CT!

Favorite Peauful Place to Visit Enjoy the awesome view Brings Water & Enjoy your Day Plan to swim also . Your History Guide will be Awesome Enjoy

Our tour guide Jennifer was great. Linda at the front was very nice. We enjoyed learning the history on 7 mile and Henry Flagler. We would definitely go again !!

Very interesting history! Enjoyed the tour; worth visiting.

This is a great stop in the keys! Fun to take the boat out here and get the history of the island. Saw a lot of fish, nurse shark and conch shells. Only $15 per person and you can snorkel if you want to.

We have been taking friends and family to the 7-mile bridge walk for more than 20 years. We have always been able to go down to Pigeon Key to use the bathroom with no issues at all. Today we were stopped by a person and told it is $5.00 to come on the Island. We asked about just using the restroom and the answer was $5.00 each. Needless to say - we skipped the bathroom because, number one - we didn't have any money on us and number two - who, in their right mind is paying $20.00 for 4 people just to use the restroom. Don't think I will be doing this walk again!

This was such an awesome experience. The island is beautiful and well kept, there's lots of to explore and the islands museum is adorable and worth the visit. The islands history is very interesting and is just a nice getaway. You can take the train (for an additional cost), ride your own bike or walk across the bridge to the island. If you are taking the train know that you will have about 2 hours to explore before having to take your train back!

We've been visiting the keys for years. This has been on our list of things to do for some time and we finally got to go this visit. It had damage from Hurricane Irma but it's functioning and is well worth visiting. The boat ride from Faro Blanco is nice. Plenty of parking. If you are on a day trip and need to change or shower after snorkeling, Faro Blanco has nice clean restrooms with a shower. The tour is short - about an hour. The guide was very good . You can then picnic and snorkel. The day we went the water was busy with campers (they have marine camps) and murky, but there are a lot of fish under the docks as others have noted. I would recommend having water shoes... it's rocky if you enter the water from the beach and past the rocks there is a lot of grass which I personally don't like the feel of. A nice half day trip :)

RJ and I walked the bridge to Pigeon Key which was 2 miles in each direction, on Sat, May 28. It was 92 degrees, but it's a beautiful walk and we saw spotted rays, tarpon, and baby sharks from the bridge. But nowhere is there a sign advising you that you can't access Pigeon Key. We didn't plan to when we started out, but once we got there we thought it would be interesting to check it out. Except Pigeon Key is locked up and chained. That sucked.

Definitely a highlight of our trip. A 10-minute boat ride, a 2 1/2 hour stay on "our own private island" (there were only 10 other people there so it really felt like it)....it was great. My suggestions for you to bring: A picnic lunch Watershoes Snorkel gear if you have and are interested A ball, if a nice game of volleyball sounds like fun (we found one and played both volleyball and horse at the basketball hoop) A book to read on the beach chairs It was one of everyone's favorite stops on the trip. Reasonably priced and includes a boat ride!

Great tour and highly recommend. We had so much fun, educational, and inexpensive. Will go again!!

Amazing, we have been interested in the RR since a trip to st augustine. Decided to stop here, and blown away. The hidden beauty here is awesome. The boat trip that's included is perfect!

This little island is like a Secret Gem. After driving past it on the way to Key West over the years, we recently had a opportunity to visit. We took the boat shuttle from Marathon and were e given a tour of the buildings and a personal history of Henry Flagler and his railroad. Our tour guide, CT, really brought the people who built the railroad and those that later lived there to life. I would recommend a visit to anyone interested in the island and old Florida.

Can't say enough good things about this great visit to pigeon Key. $12 round-trip for the boat ride out to the key and back. A guided tour explaining the entire story of the railroad built through the Florida Keys

Great place of florida keys history. We've been visiting here for 20 years, and always learn something new. Very inexpensive and includes a boat ride out to the Key. I included a pic from 10 years ago of when we use to ride our bikes there on the old bridge before they closed it, and now make you take a boat to get there.

A great day trip! Visiting Pigeon Key was a spontaneous stop that has become one of our favorite things we did on vacation. The boat ride over gave you an extra perspective of the bridge and complimented the historic significance of the island. The tour was very informative. It was also great to know that science education is part of the current services of the foundation. What a wonderful location and opportunity to inspire students. I also enjoyed meeting "Bud" the cat, who is the mayor of Pigeon Key. We would highly recommend visiting Pigeon Key to anyone visiting the keys.

Took a tour $15 for an adult to ferry from marathon to the island about a 10-15 minute ferry ride. You can go every two hours from 10am 12pm 2pm last shuttle leaves island at 4:00pm. The docks have the best snorkeling, lots of fish and building artifacts from the railroad above. They offer a history tour as well. You can walk out a ways from the shore. They are rebuilding the bridge to allow doe travelers to the island by walking trolley and biking.

Pigeon Key is a great way to spend a couple of hours learning about the Overseas Railroad that is such an important part of the history of the Keys, Henry Flagler the man who made that history, and the men who worked and gave their lives to make it a reality. You can walk to Pigeon Key via the original existing portion of the Overseas Railroad, but we went to the "visitors center" in Marathon just before you get on the new Seven Mile Bridge to buy our tickets which included a ferry ride to the island and they pick you up two hours later. All of the brochures talk about a "train" that can take you there, but it was not really a train but rather a tractor and they don't use it any more. The ferry ride is a great part of the experience, giving you an opportunity to see wildlife such as Portuguese Men of War and sea turtles. The ferry's crew were friendly, informative and pleasant, answering all of our touristy questions from how deep is the water to where is a good place for lunch. The five acre island served as the base camp for building the Overseas Railroad which was completed in 1912 connecting Key West with the mainland by train. Even though miles of track were destroyed in 1935 by a hurricane which put the railroad out of business, the bridges later served as the basis for the original Overseas Highway. The buildings on the island preserve the living quarters used by the workers as well as the men responsible for overseeing the construction and maintaining the bridges, some dating back almost one hundred years. Some are still used for groups to stay in and one of the buildings has been turned into a surprisingly good museum explaining how the railroad was constructed and telling a little about the lives of those who lived there. The only negative about the experience was our tour guide turned us off a little by making modern political commentary, but otherwise we she was knowledgeable and we enjoyed the buildings and their history. While we just went for the history, you can also use the island for recreation such as snorkeling, they have educational programs for groups, and I believe you can rent the buildings and still stay overnight.

Have you ever driven over the 7 mile bridge and looked down and wondered about the houses below? For $12 you can take a ferry there and explore. There's a guided tour and time to explore the key on your own. When I was paying, I noticed a sign that said you could snorkel there but you had to bring your own dive flag. Pigeon Key was used to house workers that were building the railroad to Key West. It was fascinating to learn the history and see how the workers lived. Now it's used to teach school kids about marine life. There are options to stay/have an event there.

This was a really good and reasonable tour. They took us on a boat to the Pigeon Key. We spend a few hours learning about the Railroad. Very interesing. Great for familys.

This place is incredible, a true key island experience. The tour guide was incredibly knowledgeable and friendly the place had tons of history if you're interested in that sort of thing, if not the tour guide made it clear that you could relax on the beach or explore the island.

Nice and lace to visit take boat ride out of north side of 7 mile. Bring supplies like water and beer. Enjoy the scenery. Take the tour learn about American history.

One of my favorite spots in the keys. Great place to relax and have a picnic. Great tour. There are no amenities once you are on the island so make sure to bring everything you need with you. No playground so kids need to be able to entertain themselves.

Did a couple miles of biking on the 7 mile bridge hoping to ride onto pigeon key. Turned out the ramp was closed and condemned by the DOT. Not alot of info on their website to have given a heads up on this. Only way on was a boat ride. From the tripadvisor pics you can pretty much get a clue how the key is set up. In person it's pretty unkept but nastalgic just the same. Time for an update to our national heritage historical sites if we're gonna keep them alive and thriving.

A great way to spend the afternoon. Nice little boat trip over to the island. Interesting tour with a lot of historical information. Pete is a great guide. Take a picnic. Very scenic.

A wonderful family outing. Tour was very informative and entertaining. Everyone in our family (parents plus kids ages 12 and 15) loved the tour. Fascinating insight as to the building of the railroad and subsequently the highway to the Keys. Highly recommend this tour for visitors to the Key who want to get to know the history of the Keys. A+ tour.

Great place for a WorldStrides Trip! My son went and stayed here for four days, and the staff was very welcoming and helpful with the students. Matt, Nicole, and Casey were a big help with the students, to even playing with the students during free hours. 10/10 would recommend

A visit to Pigeon Key is great fun. An adult ticket for the boat ride and tour is only $12 !! The boat ride alone is worth more than that. It is so much fun being on the water. A super knowledgeable guide will walk you around Pigeon Key and tell you all about its amazing history. You don't need to make advance arrangements - just show up at the Pigeon Key Visitor Center (currently located in a temporary, modular-type building) located at 2010 Overseas Highway (aka: approximately Mile Marker 48 Bayside). Their phone number is 305 743-5999. They give tours daily at 10, noon, & 2. Just arrive 30 minutes early to buy your ticket, find a parking spot and board the boat. The boat boards off the main pier, in the immediate vicinity of the Faro Blanco Lighthouse. The Pigeon Key Foundation also provides other educational opportunities and camps for kids. Our boat pilots, Jennifer, our tour guide, and Buddy, the resident cat were all so gracious. I strongly urge everyone to take this tour.