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Plan a Marathon day
High oblique aerial looking north over Boot Key Harbor: a broad green-turquoise harbour packed with well over a hundred moored sailboats, lined on the far side by the canals, docks and buildings of Vaca Key along the Overseas Highway, with the open water of Florida Bay beyond. In the foreground is the dark-green mangrove forest of Boot Key cut by winding tidal creeks, and at right a fenced grassy field with a small building beside waterfront homes, canals and a golf course.

Middle Keys · Monroe County, Florida

Things to do in Marathon Turtles, reef, beaches and the harbor, with every fee, hour and season read at its source

Marathon runs from about Mile Marker 47 to 60 on US 1 in the Middle Keys. Visitors come for the Turtle Hospital's guided tours, the Dolphin Research Center, Sombrero Beach and Curry Hammock State Park, the reef off Sombrero Key, Pigeon Key's railroad camp, Boot Key Harbor and the seafood festival each March, plus fishing in FWC's seasons.

Plan a Marathon day What's in season?

Published by LPE Realty LLC as a community guide (561) 652-6917

Kayaks on a mangrove creek at Curry Hammock. A film cut from 9 real photographs of Marathon in the Florida Keys. Credits

Coming up in Marathon

Dates on the Marathon calendar

Each date below comes from the City, the chamber or the organizer running the event, read October 22, 2026. Tap a card to add it to your calendar.

The full calendar
Nov5Thu

Annie (Marathon Community Theatre)

Organiser date for 2026
  • Nov 5 – Nov 28
  • 7:30 p.m.; Sunday matinees Nov. 15 and 22
  • Marathon Community Theatre

First main-stage show of the theatre's 2026/27 season. Performances Nov. 5 to 7, 12 to 14, 19 to 21 and 27 to 28, plus matinees Nov. 15 and 22.

Add to calendar: Google Apple / Outlook (.ics)

Decision tool · Marathon day planner

Lay out a day in Marathon

Tell it how much time you have and what you enjoy. It picks stops from our checked list and orders them by mile marker from Marathon Community Park at MM 49, so the day runs one way along US 1 instead of back and forth.

Or begin with one of these three days:

Turtles, dolphins and a beach

The Turtle Hospital's tour, Sombrero Beach, then the dolphins on Grassy Key.

  1. The Turtle Hospital (2396 Overseas Highway, Marathon, FL 33050 MM 48.5): A working hospital for sick and injured sea turtles at MM 48.5; guided programs start every half hour from 9 a.m., last one at 4 p.m.
  2. Sombrero Beach (South end of Sombrero Beach Road): The City's Atlantic beach park at the end of Sombrero Beach Road, open 7 a.m. to dusk, with pavilions, playgrounds and restrooms.
  3. Dolphin Research Center (58901 Overseas Highway): A nonprofit marine mammal center on Grassy Key, open seven days a week; last admission is an hour before closing.

Railroad days and the hammock

Pigeon Key's work camp, a walk on the old bridge, Crane Point's trails, then fish at Keys Fisheries.

  1. Pigeon Key (Visitors center: 1090 Overseas Highway): The 1908 railroad work camp island under the old bridge, open daily 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., weather permitting; tours start at its visitor center.
  2. Old Seven Mile Bridge (Knights Key trailhead) (Knights Key, west end of Marathon, FL 33050): Walk or bike out from the Knights Key end at MM 48 on the old railroad bridge, now closed to cars.
  3. Crane Point Museum and Nature Center (5550 Overseas Highway): A 63-acre preserve and museum with hammock trails and the Adderley House, which Crane Point calls the oldest house in the Keys outside Key West.
  4. Keys Fisheries (End of 35th Street, bayside): A restaurant, seafood market and wholesale fishery on the bay side, open daily 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Paddle and a bayside supper

Kayak from Oceanfront Park or Curry Hammock, then dinner on the water.

  1. Oceanfront Park and Kayak Launch (9805 Overseas Hwy): A free City park behind City Hall with floating kayak docks onto the paddling trail, open 8 a.m. to dusk.
  2. Curry Hammock State Park (56200 Overseas Highway): A state park beach and mangrove paddling on Crawl Key, open 8 a.m. to sunset every day of the year.
  3. S.S. Wreck & Galley Grill (58835 Overseas Highway): Fresh fish, conch fritters and key lime pie on Grassy Key at MM 59, open daily from 11 a.m.

Stops come from our list of Marathon places, each read on its own website or the agency's page on October 22, 2026. Distances are straight lines between OpenStreetMap points, not road miles. Time at each stop is your total split evenly, not a figure from the place. Hours change, so check each stop before you set out.

Already planning the next visit? Read what a longer stay in Marathon involves.

Living in Marathon

From the reef light to a city

How Marathon came together

An iron light on the reef, a railroad work camp, the highway that replaced the trains and a city formed in 1999, each step as the agency or the place itself records it.

  1. 1858

    Sombrero Key light is built off the reef

    The U.S. General Services Administration described Sombrero Key Lighthouse in 2022 as a 142-foot cast iron octagonal screw-pile tower with keeper's quarters, built in 1858 and sitting seven miles off the coast of Marathon.

    Source: U.S. General Services Administration: GSA Announces Public Auction for Three Historic Lighthouses in Florida Keys, checked 2026-10-22

  2. 1908

    Pigeon Key becomes a railroad camp

    Pigeon Key's timeline says the island started as a railroad construction camp for the 7 mile bridge in 1908 and became a bridge tender maintenance camp when the railroad was completed in 1912.

    Source: Pigeon Key: The History of Pigeon Key, checked 2026-10-22

  3. 1938

    The Overseas Highway opens

    The marker says the Overseas Highway was completed on March 29, 1938, letting people drive from Miami to Key West without taking a ferry.

    Source: Florida Division of Historical Resources: Historical Marker, Old Seven Mile Bridge, checked 2026-10-22

  4. 1976

    Fishing families start the seafood festival

    The festival says it began in 1976 as a way for Marathon and Middle Keys commercial fishermen and their families to enjoy the fruits of their labor.

    Source: Original Marathon Seafood Festival: About, checked 2026-10-22

  5. 1986

    The Turtle Hospital opens

    The Turtle Hospital says it opened in 1986 and is a 501(c)(3) charitable corporation (Hidden Harbor Marine Environmental Project, Inc.).

    Source: The Turtle Hospital: About Us, checked 2026-10-22

  6. 1999

    Marathon incorporates as a city

    The City says Marathon incorporated in 1999, which set its boundaries.

    Source: City of Marathon: About Marathon, checked 2026-10-22

Marathon's history

Elevated view over two white wooden historic buildings with grey roofs on Pigeon Key, one with a brick chimney and propped-open awning shutters, set on mown grass among palms, a white-flowering shrub and silvery buttonwood. Beyond them a long wooden pier with a thatched shelter and a few boats runs out into brilliant turquoise water that stretches to a flat horizon under a pale-blue sky.
Historic wooden buildings on Pigeon Key, March 2011. Photo: Ebyabe, CC BY-SA 3.0

Up US 1 by mile marker

Four stops from the bridge to Grassy Key

The City puts its limits at about Mile Marker 47 at the Seven Mile Bridge and about MM 60 at Toms Harbor. These four stops come in the order you reach them heading north; the day planner orders any mix for you.

Things to do in Marathon
  1. High view from the Seven Mile Bridge of Pigeon Key: a small low island ringed by rock and very clear turquoise shallows. A curved ramp rises from the island to the old steel-truss bridge that runs across the background on concrete piers. On the island are a solar-panel canopy over a sign reading 'Tour Pigeon Key', a small walled boat basin, white historic buildings, palms and lawns. Power lines cross the blue sky with scattered white cloud.
    Photo: Sharon Hahn Darlin, CC BY 2.0 (cropped)

    MM 47.5 · Pigeon Key visitor center

    Pigeon Key

    Tours leave from the visitor center for the island that began as a railroad work camp in 1908. Pigeon Key posts its hours as 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily, except major holidays.

    Visiting Pigeon Key

  2. Top-down view of a sea turtle swimming at the surface of a bright turquoise tank with rippling light patterns. Its shell has brown, amber and cream radiating plates, with a name hand-painted on the shell in yellow (it appears to read 'Spot'); its head is just breaking the surface and its pale, scaly front flippers are spread. A few small food pellets float nearby.
    Photo: Tori Siebecker, CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)

    MM 48.5 · Vaca Key

    The Turtle Hospital

    Guided programs every half hour from 9 a.m., the last at 4 p.m. The hospital lists admission at $38 for adults and $19 for children 4 to 12.

    Turtles and wildlife

  3. High view down a calm, dark-blue mangrove creek that mirrors the clouds. Dense green mangroves line the left bank and form small islands on the right. Two people paddle long wooden-toned sea kayaks with yellow paddles away from the camera: one in a wide-brimmed hat on the left, a woman with her hair tied back on the right. Above is a bright blue sky with wispy and puffy white clouds.
    Photo: U.S. National Archives (Florida Keys Scenic Highway collection), Public domain (cropped)

    56200 Overseas Highway

    Curry Hammock State Park

    Florida State Parks keeps the park open 8 a.m. to sunset every day of the year, with a beach, paddling routes through the mangroves and a campground.

    Beaches and parks

  4. A bottlenose dolphin leaps clear of calm greenish lagoon water, arching head-down toward the surface with a splash trailing from its tail. Behind it are wooden docks on pilings, a white floating platform with a blue tub and an orange bowl, chain-link fencing around the lagoon pens and a mangrove thicket at the upper right.
    Photo: Reinhard Link, CC BY-SA 2.0 (cropped)

    MM 59 · Grassy Key

    Dolphin Research Center

    A nonprofit marine mammal center on the Gulf side, open seven days a week; last admission is one hour before closing.

    Dolphins and sea life

Decision tool · what's in season?

What's in season or on in Marathon on a given date?

Choose a day and see it against the rules and calendars as published: FWC's recreational seasons for the fish people chase out of Marathon, where lobster and stone crab stand, events with organizer-posted dates, sea turtle nesting and hurricane season.

The published seasons and schedules this checker uses

  • Spiny lobster regular season open (Aug. 6 to Dec. 31 portion): Regular season: August 6 through March 31, six lobster per person a day, carapace over 3 inches measured in the water, landed whole (FWC). No harvest from April 1 until it reopens, apart from the two sport-season days. FWC: Spiny lobster recreational rules
  • Spiny lobster sport season (mini season) 2027: FWC sets the 2027 sport season for Wednesday, July 28 and Thursday, July 29. In Monroe County the limit those days is six per person, and FWC bans diving for lobster at night during it. FWC: Spiny lobster recreational rules
  • Stone crab claw season open (Oct. 15 to Dec. 31 portion): Claws only, from October 15 through May 1 in state waters, then closed from May 2 (FWC). Claws must measure at least 2 7/8 inches; keep 1 gallon per person or 2 per boat, whichever is smaller. FWC: Stone crab recreational rules
  • Snook harvest closed (December): FWC counts Monroe County in its Southwest snook region. Harvest is closed December 1 through February and May 1 through September 30; in the open months, one fish a day inside a 28 to 33 inch slot, with a snook permit. FWC: Snook recreational rules
  • Atlantic grouper open (red, black, scamp, yellowfin, yellowmouth, hinds, coney, graysby): FWC applies its Atlantic grouper rules to every state water off Monroe County, ocean side and Gulf side. Red, black, scamp, yellowfin and yellowmouth grouper, hinds, coney and graysby: open May 1 to December 31, closed January 1 to April 30. FWC: Grouper recreational rules
  • Atlantic gag grouper open (May 1 to Aug. 1): FWC's Atlantic gag season is May 1 to August 1, and an FWC order shut recreational gag in Atlantic state waters, all of Monroe County included, from August 2, 2026. FWC: Grouper recreational rules
  • Hogfish open (Atlantic rules, Florida Keys): Marathon falls under FWC's Atlantic hogfish rules: keep one a day, at least 16 inches to the fork, from May 1 to October 31; closed November through April. FWC: Hogfish recreational rules
  • Mutton snapper open all year (Atlantic): Open all year under FWC's Atlantic snapper rules: 18 inches total length or longer, five per person within the 10-snapper aggregate. FWC: Snapper recreational rules
  • Atlantic red snapper recreational season 2026: FWC's 2026 Atlantic recreational red snapper season ran October 9 to 22, one fish per person. No 2027 dates were posted when we checked. FWC: Snapper recreational rules
  • Greater amberjack open (Atlantic, January to March): FWC's Atlantic greater amberjack rules: closed in April, open the rest of the year, one per person at 28 inches fork length or more. FWC's page does not name Monroe County and its Gulf season differs, so confirm which applies where you fish. FWC: Amberjack recreational rules
  • Gray triggerfish open all year (Atlantic state waters): FWC lists gray triggerfish in Atlantic state waters as open all year (12 inch fork length, 10 per person). Gulf state waters run a different season and FWC does not say which covers Monroe County, so ask FWC before keeping one. FWC: Triggerfish recreational rules
  • Tarpon: catch and release only: Release every tarpon (FWC: hook and line only). One longer than 40 inches stays in the water unless the angler holds a tarpon tag and is going for a record. FWC: Tarpon recreational rules
  • Bonefish: catch and release only: Release every bonefish: FWC made the species catch and release only on September 1, 2013. FWC says the Keys flats hold bonefish all year, best from about March to October. FWC: Bonefish recreational rules
  • Atlantic hurricane season: The Atlantic season runs June 1 to November 30 (NOAA National Hurricane Center), busiest from mid-August to mid-October. Charters, tournaments and events can be cancelled at short notice. NOAA National Hurricane Center: Tropical Cyclone Climatology
  • Sea turtle nesting season: The City of Marathon gives nesting season as April 15 to October 31 and asks beachgoers to keep lights off the sand, fill holes and leave nests alone. City of Marathon: Sea Turtle Nesting Season
  • Trick-or-Treat at the Beach (City of Marathon): City of Marathon: Friday, October 23, 2026, 5:30 to 8 PM. The City's notice does not name the beach. City of Marathon press release #86-26 (Aug. 28, 2026)
  • Florida Keys SantaCon Poker Run 2026: Saturday, December 5, 2026, 11 AM to 3:30 PM, from Florida Keys Aquarium Encounters to Havana Jack's Oceanside; 21 and over (Greater Marathon Chamber of Commerce). Greater Marathon Chamber of Commerce: 2026 SantaCon Poker Run
  • Florida Keys Celtic Festival 2027: Saturday and Sunday, January 9 and 10, 2027 at Marathon Community Park (the festival). Hours were not posted when we checked. Florida Keys Celtic Festival
  • 51st Original Marathon Seafood Festival: Saturday and Sunday, March 13 and 14, 2027 at Marathon Community Park; $5 a person, 12 and under free (Greater Marathon Chamber of Commerce). Original Marathon Seafood Festival (Greater Marathon Chamber of Commerce)
  • Marathon Premier Sailfish Tournament 2027: Kickoff Thursday, April 15, 2027; fishing Friday, April 16 and Saturday, April 17, awards at Aquarium Encounters (the tournament). Marathon Premier Sailfish Tournament
  • 21st Tom Thumb Marathon Offshore Bull and Cow Dolphin Tournament: April 30 to May 2, 2027: register Friday, fish Saturday and Sunday 8 AM to 3:30 PM, weigh-ins 4 to 6 PM (the tournament). Marathon Offshore Tournament
  • 41st Father's Day Dolphin Derby: Captains' meeting Friday, June 18, 2027; fishing Saturday, June 19, lines in 8 AM and out 3:30 PM, weigh station at Two Conchs Marina (the derby). Father's Day Dolphin Derby: Schedule of Events

Built from the seasons and schedules each agency or organizer posted on its own page, read October 22, 2026. FWC can change a season with little warning, so read its current rules, and the Sanctuary's rules for the reef, before any trip. Use this to plan; it is not the law.

Back every winter? See what a longer stay in Marathon involves.

Build the rest of the day

Wide phone panorama from the stern of a fishing boat over brilliant green-turquoise water above a reef, with dark patches of reef visible below the surface. The rust-red iron skeleton of Sombrero Key Lighthouse stands on the horizon at left in front of a bank of white cumulus, and small boats are moored across the middle distance. In the foreground are an outboard engine, four upright fishing rods and a child in a blue life vest seen from behind.

Off the ocean side

Sombrero Reef and its iron light

GSA describes Sombrero Key Lighthouse as a 142-foot cast iron tower built in 1858, seven miles off Marathon, inside a Sanctuary Preservation Area. NOAA says anchoring in those areas will be banned starting in 2027, with mooring buoys required instead.

Snorkeling and diving Where can I get in the water?

Photo: Haligator987, CC BY-SA 4.0

Seafood and more

Where Marathon eats

Hours come from each restaurant's own website, read October 22, 2026, and we list only places with a working site. Kitchens change their hours, so check before you drive over.

All places to eat

  • Keys Fisheries

    Seafood restaurant, seafood market and marina

    End of 35th Street, bayside, Marathon, FL 33050

    Calls itself 'The Middle Keys' most popular restaurant, seafood market, and wholesale fishery', on the edge of Florida Bay just north of the 7 Mile Bridge. The restaurant serves lunch and dinner around the Keys Fisheries Marina; the market ships seafood.

    Restaurant open daily 11:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m.

    Source: Keys Fisheries: Restaurant Information; Location and Directions, checked 2026-10-22

  • Burdines Waterfront

    Waterfront bar and grill with marina

    1200 Oceanview Ave, Marathon, FL 33050

    A marina bar and grill 'serving the Keys for over 30 Years', with fresh seafood and burgers; its site lists a full-service marina and a 15 percent food discount for boaters who buy 30 gallons of fuel or more. Hours are not posted on its site.

    Source: Burdines Waterfront: home page, checked 2026-10-22

  • Sunset Grille & Raw Bar

    Oceanfront tiki restaurant and raw bar

    Mile Marker 47, Knights Key, Marathon, FL 33050

    At the foot of the historic 7 Mile Bridge, designed like a thatched South Seas tiki hut, with an oceanfront deck and one of the largest pools in the Florida Keys; home of the weekly 'Sunday Funday' pool and beach party. Serves breakfast, lunch and dinner 7 days a week; happy hour 3 to 5 p.m. Opening times are not posted.

    Source: Sunset Grille and Raw Bar, Marathon: home page, checked 2026-10-22

  • Porky's Bayside Restaurant & Marina

    Barbecue and seafood restaurant with marina

    1410 Overseas Highway MM 47.5, Bayside, Marathon, FL 33050

    An old-Keys style tiki restaurant on the Gulf side serving smoked barbecue and seafood, with a fried key lime pie on the menu.

    Every day 8:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m.

    Source: Porky's Bayside Restaurant & Marina: home page, checked 2026-10-22

  • Lazy Days South

    Oceanfront seafood restaurant

    725 11th Street Ocean, Marathon, FL 33050

    Describes itself as 'an oceanfront dining gem in the heart of Marathon'.

    Sunday to Thursday 7:00 a.m. to 9:30 p.m.; Friday and Saturday 7:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m.

    Source: Lazy Days South: home page, checked 2026-10-22

  • Castaway Waterfront Restaurant & Sushi Bar

    Waterfront seafood restaurant and sushi bar

    1406 Ocean View Ave, Marathon, FL 33050

    At the end of 15th Street, oceanside. Its site says the Castaway was originally built in 1951; seafood, sushi and breakfast, with happy hour 1 to 5 p.m.

    Monday to Friday 11:00 a.m. to close; Saturday and Sunday 10:00 a.m. to close. Breakfast until 2:00 p.m. every day; sushi from 12:00 p.m. to close.

    Source: Castaway Waterfront Restaurant & Sushi Bar: home page, checked 2026-10-22

  • The Stuffed Pig

    Breakfast and lunch restaurant with tiki garden

    Mile Marker 49, Marathon, Florida Keys

    A breakfast and lunch spot that says it has served the Florida Keys since 1984 as 'the locals' place'; its garden patio and tiki areas can be rented for events.

    Closed Tuesday and Wednesday. Open 7 a.m. to 1 p.m.; until noon on Sundays.

    Source: The Stuffed Pig: home page, checked 2026-10-22

  • Fish Tales Market & Eatery

    Seafood market and eatery

    11711 Overseas Hwy, Marathon, FL 33050

    Locally, family and veteran owned; serves seafood 'fresh from our market to your table', plus burgers, steaks and daily specials, and says it serves the best fish sandwich in Marathon.

    Restaurant: Monday to Friday 11 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Market: Monday to Friday 11 a.m. to 7:30 p.m., Saturday 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

    Source: Fish Tales Market & Eatery: home page, checked 2026-10-22

When a trip becomes a plan

Thinking about more than a week in Marathon?

The Census Bureau counted 9,689 people in Marathon in 2020. LPE Realty LLC, the licensed Florida brokerage that publishes this guide, can go through the questions to ask before you buy or sell in the Middle Keys.

Living in Marathon

Three coconut palms silhouetted against a pale, streaky grey-and-cream evening sky, with tall dune grass in the foreground. Beyond them calm, silvery water reflects the light and a long low dark-green mangrove island runs across the frame; a single post sticks out of the water in the middle.
Photo: AmberGirl, CC BY 3.0 (cropped)

Short answers

Questions people ask about Marathon

When did Marathon become a city?

The City of Marathon says it incorporated in 1999, which set its boundaries.

Source: City of Marathon: About Marathon

What mile markers does the City of Marathon cover?

The City says its limits run from the east end of the Seven Mile Bridge, about MM 47, to the west end of the Toms Harbors Bridge, about MM 60.

Source: City of Marathon: About Marathon

Which islands make up Marathon?

The City lists Boot Key, Knight Keys, Hog Key, Vaca Key, Stirrup Key, Crawl and Little Crawl Key, East and West Sister's Island, Deer Key and Fat Deer Key, Long Pine Key and Grassy Key.

Source: City of Marathon: About Marathon

How far is Marathon from Key West and Key Largo?

The City says Marathon is about 1 hour from both Key West and Key Largo, which is why it calls itself the Heart of the Florida Keys.

Source: City of Marathon: About Marathon

Why is it called Marathon?

The City says railroad workers building the Overseas Railroad worked night and day, and the exclamation 'This is getting to be a real Marathon' gave the town its name.

Source: City of Marathon: About Marathon

How many people live in Marathon?

The U.S. Census Bureau counted 9,689 people in Marathon city in the April 1, 2020 Census.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau: QuickFacts, Marathon city, Florida

Where is the Marathon visitor center?

The City lists the Greater Marathon Chamber of Commerce and Visitor's Center at 12222 Overseas Highway, phone (305) 743-5417.

Source: City of Marathon: Greater Marathon Chamber of Commerce & Visitor's Center

When a trip becomes a plan

Came for the reef, keep thinking about a place on the water?

This guide is published by LPE Realty LLC, a licensed Florida real estate brokerage. If time in Marathon has you asking what owning in the Middle Keys would involve, phone or email us and start with your questions, not a sales pitch. If an answer needs someone who works the Keys every day, we will tell you that plainly, and your details go to nobody else unless you say yes.

Go to LPE Realty LLC Phone LPE Realty LLC (561) 652-6917

What is it like to live in Marathon? · Thinking of selling a home in Marathon?