Smathers Beach

Last day adventures in Key West, FL. Went to Smathers Beach. Parking is plentiful, but there maybe some luck involved depending on date/time when you come to the beach. We got lucky today, and it was awesome. The beach is super clean, quiet and family friendly. I was able to get chairs and umbrella rented for 1/2 price since we came after 2:00 p.m. Today was windy, but it was still a great day on a beach. There was food for purchase, and the vendors took credit cards which was perfect. The bathroom was clean, and the beach was just as clean.

Nice beach. They were cleaning up the seaweed when we got there. The storms really brought it to shore. Sandy beaches. I think the water would have been prettier if not for the storms. Plenty of parking. There was a rental area for kayaks, tubes, chairs, and loungers. Not really busy. We enjoyed it.

Easy beach access. Lots of parking. Restrooms were closed at the end of the day -early evening hours. Had a few different shower areas at each beach entrance/exit. Did see a lifeguard that was closing up his station - this was around 5pm. There are lots of picnic tables and seating by the parking area. A section of the water that was close to the shore had a dip in the sea level...so be mindful, especially with kids. Can play beach volleyball. Huge long stretch of sand to stretch out between people. Great for kids, families- and everyone.

Excellent beach. But the seaweed is encroaching and the rocks can be hard on your feet. Best to wear ‘ocean shoes.’ But the sand was wonderful, the water easy to wade in, and it’s a good beach for Key West. Free snd ample parking - which is unique here. Showers and permanent bathrooms. Plus a rental place for umbrellas and water sports equipment. A bit far from the center of town - but worth the trip.

Smathers Beach is an amazing, absolutely stunning beach! It has soft, white sand, swaying palm trees, and a tropical vibe that feels just like the Dominican Republic. It’s also perfect for families with kids — the water is calm with no waves, making it safe and relaxing for little ones. There are delicious hot dogs available nearby, and we were happy to find free parking, which made the whole experience even more convenient. We loved everything about this beach and will definitely be coming back again!

One of the best spots to unwind in Key West. The sand was soft, water was clear and calm, there was plenty of space to spread out and enjoy the sun. We loved how peaceful it felt in the evening. Parking was easy to find along the road, and the beach was clean and well kept during our visit.

Smathers is a beautiful beach. We went during low tide and we're able to walk out onto sand bars with the water never being deeper than 2.5 feet for about 100 to 120 yards. The beach is a quieter beach, which we appreciated as we just wanted to enjoy the beauty of the ocean, get some sun and enjoy each other's company. Parking is also very close to the beach, some of the closest I've ever seen at it is free. 🚩🚩One thing to be mindful of: If you look through my photos of Smathers and see the section of rocks extending into the ocean, be careful of where you step. My husband and I went out onto that section and he ended up contracting Poison Ivy. So watch your step.

We have visited all of the beaches in the keys and Smathers is either number one or number two depending on who you would talk to on any given day. It is a white sand beach with plenty of room to spread out and get comfortable. Even on a day when there was a bunch of seaweed coming in from the ocean, Smathers still felt clean and inviting. The bottom is relatively shallow for quite a distance out, so if you’re uncomfortable getting into ocean water over your head, you have a lot of room to get out into the ocean as well. The only other beach that compares is sombrero in marathon. We like the beach at Fort Zachary Taylor as well, but it is much rockier and more difficult to navigate than either Smathers or sombrero.

So fun to go out to the sandbar! I see a baby stingray so just remember to do the stingray shuffle. There's a slight sulfur smell but if you go in the water you won't smell it anymore.

Definitely not my most favorite beach, the sand has a weird slimy feeling to it, almost like it's covered in moss, the sand also smells really bad, like rotten eggs. We tried to dig for seashells near the shore but stopped once we realized the sand was stinky. The most fun we had was renting the kayaks!

Decent beach with sand, rare to find in key west. Sometimes it can be overrun with seaweed but they do a pretty good job at clearing it up. There are umbrellas and chairs to rent as well as sailboats. A lot of weddings take place here and sunset is gorgeous. Parking during construction has become annoying but still best Sandy beach in key west.

Pretty empty beach with all white sand. A lot of construction happening around it though not too noisy. If I had to choose, I prefer the Taylor state park beach since it felt more natural with trees and rocks jutting into the water. This one definitely winds as far as sand though.

Beautiful beach with white sand. There's a shop along the beach that offers water activities and water sport rentals.

During our trip to Key West this past summer 2022, we spent four days in town taking in as many of the sites as we could. We visited several different beaches, including this one. Of all of them that we enjoyed, this one probably is the largest... which is to say the longest, running a couple of miles on a straight away up the eastern side of the key. Parking was free and easy if you arrive early, but by mid morning, it's pretty much solid wall-to-wall cars, and you're zooming and packing to wait for someone to pull out so you could pull in. The beach has pretty much everything you would expect in Key West: farm trees for shade, rentals like chairs and umbrellas, and that blue color water that seems to only exist here and in postcards. Interestingly, pretty much every beach in Key West during our visit was covered in Sargasso; a local suggested that the bloom has been worse in the past several years, with no sign of letting up. Once it stacks up on the beach, it tends to start decomposing, leading to that sulfur rotten egg smell that can be quite unpleasant if you're not used to it. Kind of like low tide in the bay. We sort of made the best of it, and really only spent a few hours here. I did enjoy a nice run up the concrete "boardwalk" that spans the length of the beach, and then moves about 10 feet above the surface of the water as you head north. Beautiful part of the world, and can't wait to go back.

This is a nice little beach in Key West. There was a lot of construction along the roadway so it was not easy to access, but the beach itself was very clean. There are beach chairs and water equipment to rent. There were a few people nude sunbathing, which doesn't bother me at all, but if you're looking for a place without nude sunbathers this may not be the place for you. I'm not sure if this is a "nude beach" or if they were just taking advantage of the low number of people on the beach.

Although this beach was very beautiful and had amazing views, be wary of the bikes that are ready to run you down, and be ready for the awful sewage stench. Also be ready for the road construction to ruin your views.

This is the classic key west beach. We used to play volleyball and eat tacos here every weekend decades ago. It's not great for swimming due to seaweed and coral but it's awesome for hanging out and enjoying the day! Life is good in key west!

So not really knowing the beaches in the Key West area we decided to hang out at this beach for a couple of days while visiting. It is easy to find and close to our friends house. The beach itself is pretty but the water in November was kinda brown. The water had just started to get a lil chilly but still felt good to jump in for a quick minute. The beach is large and you can easily spread out and away from others so great for social distancing. There are clean restrooms and plenty of street parking. There are definitely prettier beaches in the area we discovered after driving the area.

Free Florida beach fun with stunning views. So picturesque sometimes, seems like it's a wedding or photo shoot factory up in here; especially in the evenings. There's metered parking or free parking a walkable distance away towards the airport but for whatever reason, people seem to like parking across the street in a ridiculously over-marked "no parking" zone. Not sure why ...despite the welcoming trash cans and picnic table, I see them writing tickets there all the time. Tricky tricky. There's two bathrooms, several really cool pavilions along the way, and a vendor letting chairs, umbrellas and toys on the south side. Sometimes there's food carts. So if you're looking for some of Florida's best beaches, this isn't it; you'll have to look north of Key Largo for that unless you're staying at a beach resort with well-tended manicured beaches. Keys beaches are of rocky limestone, broken coral, trashes, and whatever sand was brought in. And while they do a really good job of maintaining this beach, just about every morning you'll see them out there scraping it up, you're also going to have to deal with sea grass. And though it's good for the environment, people only ever see it as a smelly nuisance. So's you know, there's also Higgs, Zachary State Park, and small Simonton Beach on the island as well as Bahia Honda and Sombrero Beach towards Marathon worth exploring within an hours drive. All of them suffer from the same maladies. Always wear water shoes.

I liked this beach. It wasn't very crowded and there was not a bunch of garbage in the sand or water. There was a coffee truck and a bubble tea truck on the street right outside the beach entrance every day I was there. There was also a rental booth on the beach that looked to have umbrellas, chairs, kayaks and paddle boards.

Don't waste your time here like we did! It serves its purpose as a beach spot but there's much better/nicer options in KW! Check into fort Zachary!

Nice public beach, you can rent chairs and an umbrella. It is a small beach, and the occasional smell of the seaweed can be off putting. We still enjoyed it for about an hour. We walked down to The Corner Sandwich shop for a Cuban and a coffee. Try the Cuban Coffee iced, it was a game changer. It was a 10 min walk from Smather's Beach. Beautiful views and clean bathroom.

Pretty chill spot and you have to pay for chairs and umbrellas. Bring your own. Clean beach street parking but you should get there early especially on holidays because parking will go by fast.

Pretty decent size beach for key west. Amazing sunrises. Parking available along the road. Had a wonderful morning here.

It's not a deep beach, but it's very long with lots of parking on the road, parallel to the beach. However, the parking costs ($4 per hour) are far too high for what you get: dirty water, seaweed, and a slimy beach floor. One of the restrooms was even closed down. About all this is good for is laying out in the sand, don't bother going into the water.

It's not as popular as Higgs Beach but it is prettier; at least I think so. When you drive along South Roosevelt you can see the water along the really wide sidewalk and seawall but the special part is where there is a lot of parallel parking but you can not see the beach. Along the road is a wall holding back the sand and bushes (I was told that all this is important to protect the beaches and erosion). As you walk through the steps and path toward the beach, you are welcomed to a really pretty view. The beach is clean and there are some covered picnic tables. Further down the beach there are a couple of places to rent sailboats and there is a section of beach with no sand where you can see whats left of an old pier or dock. The only issue with the beach is over the years we stopped coming as much and starting going to Higgs instead because they kept having these signs posted about water contamination. Not where I want to swim really

I like to come here to jog or watch the sunset. It's a pretty and clean beach. The water is warm and crystal clear. There are vendors renting water sports gear and beach chairs. Expect to see many people performing all sorts of aquatic activities. The beach also has restrooms, shower facilities and volleyball courts. Parking is available along S. Roosevelt Boulevard for a fee. 5 stars, beautiful beach.

Smathers Beach is a wonderful beach on the Atlantic side of Key West. The island chain is not known for great beaches, but there are these little pockets of paradise for such a small island. Key West is only about 6 sq. miles. Others worth checking out are Higgs Beach, Dog Beach (next to Louie's Backyard) and Fort Zachary Taylor State Park. The Reach Resort and Casa Marina also have respectable beaches and wonderful pools and bar service.

Great for the scenery, not so great for swimming. The views are nice, the shore is good to walk, and there's amenities like washrooms and a spot to rent beach accessories. However the water was just full of seaweed, which, if you don't like seaweed touching you when swimming, then this is not the best beach for you. Even with the seaweed, I did get in the water for a bit. It was warm and pretty calm. I noticed different vendors would set up on the road next to the beach. Parking is alongside the road and pretty plentiful.

This is probably the longest and nicest beach in Key West!! We were riding scooters, just exploring all that Key West had to offer, and we came across this awesome beach, it just stretched on so long!!! White sand with no rocks, very walkable without shoes. There weren't too many people here, more of a chill vibe, relaxing, great place just to take it all in with a get away from it all vibe. The kind of beach you can chill at with a cooler for a few hours, that would be perfect!!!

Mad seaweed there right now. When we first got to KW in February it was fine at high tide. Seems like it always reeks now. Such a bummer cos it was our go to spot for ocean kayaking.

Very famous beach on the island of Key West. The water here is very clear, we can enjoy in water with group of friends. The beach also has water sports like speed boats, boats and surf etc. We can also hangout in the sand, just resting on sunny days. The beach also has washrooms, showers and changing rooms. So it is perfect spot to spend your weekends or holidays.

Paradise on Key West. I was here on a Monday and it was quite empty. Much better than the Fort Zachary Taylor State Park which is filled with tourists, trash and people lying next to each other. No privacy. Smathers Beach was very idyllic, calm and quiet. Go to the palm trees and occupy one. Lay in the shades of a palm tree and relax. The people who gave this place who negative reviews complaining about the seaweed or seaweed smell are the same people who complain about saltwater being salty or how ice is cold. Stupid. It's mother nature for Christs sake. And I didn't smell anything at all. The restrooms were clean too. Free parking.

One of the top beaches in the Keys. But don't think because this is a top FL KEYS beach that it will look anything like some of the top beaches in all of FL, because it won't! The Keys Beaches are just different, and they aren't the main show or attraction when visiting, because they aren't big or luxurious like Florida is usually known for. All this aside, Smathers beach is still nice, and it helps you to get your day in the sun and sand and salt water, even if it's not exactly what you'd expect on first thought. There's chairs and umbrellas you can rent right on the beach, as well as other activities like kayaks and paddle boards. They have bathrooms and a water fountain at intervals, and when I was there they even had a couple food trucks on the sidewalk curb for a certain time of day. I went there on Christmas Eve 2020 and it was a beautiful day, and it didn't feel overcrowded to me even though it's a skinny stretch of beach so that was encouraging. Basically, if you're in Key West and need a beach fix, Smathers will fill that request, but just throw away any and all prior expectations!

Best swimming beach we've seen in Key West! Miles of soft white sand, with very view swimmers or sunbathers. Not much shade, but if you get here early - you can set up under some of the scattered palm trees. The water is shallow for at least 100 yards offshore, so it is comfortable to relax in the water! Two thumbs up!

Beautiful beach; so peaceful and tranquil with clear emerald water and artsy palm trees. I'm so happy we visited here and experienced slice of heaven away from hustle and bustle of city life. Anyone who can visit this place everyday is lucky!

"Might be i am at wrong spot at the beach bt it was stinking like hell" - I know, I know Smathers beach is one of top beach in KW and blah bla. I almost walked app half a mile on the beach. Some part was really stinking due to shells/and dunno what, but I did not find any good spot (except few patches) People were lying down here and there under an umbrella.I might be wrong but did not have good exp at all at this beach. Longshore, wide beaches - go Hollywood / especially Fort Lauderdale Beach in Miami. You ll feel the diff.

This is a Beautiful Beach! Very small but private. The water has some seaweed. It's also nice and warm. I love Florida key's water. This beach also has chairs and umbrellas for rental. It is a family beach but we went late in the evening which was very peaceful. I saw numerous couples which makes this the perfect romantic setting. It wasn't overcrowded like some of the public beaches. Parking was available in front of the beach and directly across the street. We would definitely return if in the Key West area. It's also a short distance from Mallory Park. Approximately a 10-15 minute drive. We arrived the perfect time. Peace & Serenity yes!

This beach is so calm and shallow, making it perfect for kids and families, or anyone who doesn't like huge waves. The downside to our visit was that it was peak seaweed season. It was stinky and you had to move seaweed out of your way to get to the sandbar where it was more clear. Due to the seaweed, not many people were there. We had adequate space to ourselves both in the sand and water. By the end of the day, my kids were playing with the seaweed, making it part of their sandcastles and creations.

While on vacation here we read a lot of recent reviews from August 2020 that almost made us change our mind on coming here. We decided against that and I'm glad we did. The beach is very clean, the water is clear, parking is free, there are bathrooms. The only way it could be better is if there was a shower and a bar. You'll live. The water is shallow so you can walk out and enjoy for about 100yards.They have umbrellas, chairs, paddleboards, kayaks, snorkels and even small sail boats for day rentals. Chair rental is $15 or you can do 2 chairs and umbrella for $40 (this is what we and several others around us did). I would highly recommend this spot

Beautiful, amazing beach in Key West. This is definitely a "feet friendly" beach, and if you've visited any of the beaches in Key West you know what I mean. This was one of the only beaches that was all sand and easy to walk on, most Florida beaches tend to be made of seashells and they hurt your feet! Lol. But I digress, this was a quiet, calm beach and the water was a decent temperature as well. The water was no more than a couple of feet deep(which seems pretty normal around Key West), and the most amazing blue is ever seen. Even though your still in Florida, you feel transported to a tropical island in a different land. The best thing about Smathers is how it is not crowded at all, it's almost a hidden gem or something! If you're looking for a quiet, calm, and relaxing beach, this is the one I'd recommend!

I gave this Beach a 5 stars because it is one of the nicest available in Key West. If you've experienced any of the other beaches along the keys (public) they aren't really that large and barely qualify as being a beach. This is a man-made beach that's larger than most public beaches in Keys. I heard that the sand was imported from the Bahamas. There are two public restrooms available, one at each end of the beach. The "stone-looking" one has an outdoor shower available. There is also one of those watersports companies that offer beach chair and umbrella rentals. You should also know that there aren't huge or even hardly any waves and sometimes seaweed in the water. The keys are surrounded by a coral reef that prevents large waves. So don't expect the same type of beach like you normally see i.e. Myrtle Beach. The only problem is one that I didn't experience but my husband did, he saw some homeless people in the bathrooms giving them selves showers in the sinks. But they were harmless and where else would they go anyhow?

For anyone not familiar with Key West the past 10 years they have a huge seaweed bloom issue that literally suffocates the beaches while rotting at the shore line, especially the southern ones, like Smathers. When we landed in KW we were shocked at the sanitation station-like smells along the southern roads. We had almost had our elopement on Smathers and would have been devastated to have to get married in sewer-like conditions. For anyone looking to get married on KW I highly advise either the Garden Club/West Martello or go west and north of Higgs beach. I know KW is trying to resolve this issue, and I hope they find a solution. I would love to come back and spend time at Smathers and Higgs beaches. A friendly reminder. If you are brave enough to swim here or Higgs make sure you shower with soap afterwards.

Good place. Could use more cleaning though. I am really disappointed with the way this beach is maintained.

Don't waste your time on this pathetic man made beach. Not natural sand, parking is expensive $5/hour on the street. The vibe isn't high, water is murky.

To start off if you want to go swimming here in key west I wouldn't recommend, and or walk along the beach. The only reason this beach is nice is because of the nice staff, views and how it's free. Also there is washed up sea grass all over the beach which some people might not like. The water isn't as clear as Fort Zachary's too. Not a great place to snorkel. Pretty decent beach for it being free.

This is one of my favorite beaches. I happen to stay a less than 5 minute walk away from this beach, which gives this beach major perks. I don't have to get in a car or ride a bicycle to put my toes in the water. I also like that there is a Sunset Watersports kiosk to rent paddle boards and catamarans as desired. They also rent beach chairs and umbrellas. I don't often lounge at the beach on a beach towel or chair. I love to be in the water. If I need a bit of time out of the water I spread out a towel and read a book. The water here is shallow for a decent distance so you can walk quite a decent length out before actually needing to swim. There is a small jetty you can walk along but the rocks are quite jagged so it is definitely not for the barefooted! There's a few volleyball courts. A few years ago I took a kiteboarding lesson here - which leads me to my only warning. The wind can pick up and make for quite a sandblast facial here. The wind does make it nice on a warm day however. The palm trees scattered all along the permitter make it easy to find ample shade to relax in. Parking is easy if you arrive early as you can park along the street as well as across the street in small parking areas. Bring your suit and settle in for a day at the beach.

This should be ranked one of the top beaches in Key West. GO HERE. The only downside is there are not many bars/restaurants close by. You should definitely bring a cooler with food/drinks.

Beautiful but not even there 5 min and my daughter got stung by a jellyfish that was our cue to leave.

We had a couple hours of sun left and we were looking for a beach to set up camp at until the sunset. Smathers Beach popped up on our radar, so we made a beeline for it before the sun could get any lower in the sky. Free parking - always a plus. We haven't had too much trouble with parking in Key West, which is always a bother in touristy areas. There are a lot of tree roots around the palm trees that I kept tripping over and catching my foot under - it hurt a lot... Especially when the roots were slightly hidden under the sand. I wonder if there's a way to do maintenance on that. The beach has a beautiful view of the sunset. So be sure to come for the sunset, especially if you missed the sunrise like us. They rent out beach chairs for $10 a piece - we rented one so we could put our stuff on a chair instead of in the sand. It was so windy that day so sand was blowing everywhere. There are food trucks set up along the street where we parked. Most of them seemed overpriced, but I'm not surprised, with it being so close to the beach and a whole bunch of tourists. Overall, a beautiful beach - and you're not paying the cost for parking or park entry like other beach options in Key West.

I stopped at a few beaches out on the Keys and this one was nice . Lots of parking and the views were pretty great .

This is a great shell collecting beach, however shade is limited and for some weird reason it stinks !!! especially if you wade into the mud deeper in the water, yes mud not sand, the smell does not leave you easily

We were staying in the Sheraton Suites right across the street so Smathers beach was a convenient walk for us from our hotel. This beach for us at the time was very quiet and peaceful and not what I'm used to seeing in Miami because of it simply being more tranquil. The waves here weren't as strong either and overall it was a much more private experience. While it's not quite as nice as Bahia Honda it's definitely not a bad beach as some of the reviews here may say. I've been to much worse than this like the so called beach at the Waldorf which is muddy, rocky and just ugly.

This was a nice, clean public beach and wasn't very crowded. There are a few spots with palm trees if you'd prefer to be in the shade. Free parking is easy to find on the street. There are plenty of garbage cans and porta potties.

Nast smelly, full of seaweed, rotting sea grass. No sand in the water just rock ledge. At least the city could clean up all the seaweed that washes up daily.

I stayed at the hotel across the street from the beach and was all excited. When I got to the beach, it was dead as you can be. There was nasty seaweed all over and of course nobody was here. I am not sure if I was here at the wrong time of the year or if it was unlucky. The nice coconut trees on the beach was a nice touch tho. A lot of free parking a long the sidewalk with a short walk. If it just rained, be prepared to smell nasty standing water on the roads and sidewalks as it floods a lot here.

It didn't deserve a star, the water was full of standing rotten seaweed, it smelled so bad, I wouldn't doubt you will catch something if you dare swim, we did see a few people in the water though, like a handful, we couldn't believe it, the smell was horrendous, i think they need to update their pictures on the website, one of the comments was that it was a perfect place to watch the sunset...WRONG!!!! Only if you can stand the smell