17 Things to Do in Marathon Florida (2024)

Looking for things to do in Marathon, Florida? You’re in the right place.

We chose to make Marathon our home base while visiting the Florida Keys with our kids, and we were glad we did.

Marathon is considered ‘the heart of the Florida Keys,’ its a laid-back town, with lots of things to do nearby.

Marathon is all about the island lifestyle – tiki bars, sunsets, outdoor adventure, wildlife.

It’s a very spread out town, which means you’ll almost certainly need a car to do most of these things.

I’m going to let you know:

• all the things there are to do in (and near) Marathon
• where to eat, and a few good places to stay
• other helpful tidbits about ‘the heart of the Florida Keys’

So, let’s jump in – things to do in Marathon Florida!

17 Best Things to Do in Marathon Florida

1. Do a tour of the Turtle Hospital

One of the most rewarding things we did while staying in Marathon was visiting the Turtle Hospital.

The Turtle Hospital is a real hospital (not a zoo or aquarium) and they truly seem to hold the best interests of the sea turtles that they care for at heart.

The only way to visit the hospital is to do a 90-minute tour. (We were a little worried that our 3-year-old wouldn’t be able to sit through the whole tour, but she actually did fine.)

The tour at the Turtle Hospital is as follows:

• a 20-25 minute presentation (
• a walk through the ‘hospital’ part of the hospital
• meeting the turtles currently being cared for
• meeting the permanent residents, who’ve been deemed unreleasable. You also get to feed them.

There are other people on the tour, and you spend time walking around the premises (both indoor, and outdoor.)

You can check out our YouTube video of what the experience of visiting, but we would highly recommend it – not only did we learn so much, but we also felt we were supporting a really good cause.

You can book your Turtle Hospital Tour here.

2. See sea life up-close at Aquarium Encounters

Aquarium Encounters is a partially indoor and open-air aquarium with lots of marine life, some which you may not normally see at other aquariums.

I loved visiting here, because it wasn’t crowded, it felt like a relaxing visit and I loved all the animals we got to see.

It’s called “Aquarium Encounters” because there are many ways to pay a little extra in order to have more interaction with the animals.

You can:

• Buy a feed pass (usually 5 or 6 feedings) and then get to feed any of the animal on their list. You simply get the food for that specific animal, and bring it to them
• Sign up to do a more one-on-one encounter with one of the animals. We paid for my daughter to assist in feeding the nurse shark

Aquarium Encounters is likely a huge priority if you’re in the Florida Keys with kids, but I saw lots of adults visiting here (without kids) as well.

There is a lot of education about what is being done to protect sea life in the ocean as well.

3. Visit Sombrero Beach

Sombrero Beach is the main beach in Marathon, and its absolutely stunning – almost exactly what you’d think of when you picture a beach in the Keys.

Some of the things you can do at Sombrero Beach are:

• play at the playground (for kids) and its shaded!
• swim or snorkel
• sunbathe
• play in the volleyball court
• go for an early morning walk to look for Turtle nests (from April through October only)

I’d recommend water shoes, because of rocks and also lots of clumps of algae near the edge of the water.

We aren’t huge beach people, but it’s worth it to get a look at Sombrero Beach, even just to get a beach view from the Keys.

There are a limited number of parking spots for Sombrero Beach, and last I checked, it costs $5 to park for the first 2 hours.

Pro Tip: There is a live stream of what Sombrero Beach looks like right now here.

4. Do a snorkel tour

There are half a dozen snorkel/scuba companies in Marathon, so you have lots to choose from if you want to explore the reefs that the Florida Keys are famous for.

One of the best snorkel and dive sites near Marathon is called Sombrero Reef (same name as the beach, but located much further out in the open water.)

• Starfish Marathon
• Marathon Mermaid Charters – I like how this one does all-ages snorkel tours, so you can bring toddlers and babies on the boat with you too
• Captain Hook’s – this is the one we went with, they had good prices compared to some of the others that I looked at
• Spirit Snorkeling at Captain Pip’s
• Snorkel King
• Better Than Most SCUBA (does snorkel tours as well)
• A Deep Blue Scuba Diving & Snorkeling Center – the average Google rating for this one is a bit lower than the others, but it still has many positive reviews

The Florida Keys is supposed to have some of the best diving in the world. To be completely honest, I was a bit underwhelmed by it.

The visibility was low, and most of the coral is dead so there isn’t any colour. We did some sea life from our snorkel tour – lots of fish, and jellyfish. But it was so windy that it was hard to really enjoy it – my daughter and I are strong swimmers, but my husband had to stay on the boat has he isn’t as confidant as we are.

I want to add, we were there after Hurricane Milton, so that may have played a part in the low visibility and the waves.

5. Get coffee at Georgie’s Coffee Shop

Once we went to Georgie’s, we knew that it wasn’t going to be our last time.

The café is named after a Beagle named Georgie. (Who isn’t there anymore, she passed away.) But its a really cute little coffee shop, with some seating indoor and outdoor.

It’s a bit pricey, but its good coffee and the baked goods are yummy.

It’s worth knowing that there aren’t any food foods at Georgie’s (they didn’t have sandwiches, soups, or anything like that.) Just purely the coffee and drinks, and baked goods.

You can check out their menu, and order online too. Just keep in mind, they’re only usually open until early afternoon, and usually sell out of baked goods by then – so its best to get there early.

6. Get an adrenaline rush at ‘The Lagoon’

The Lagoon is an area that is connected to Bongo’s Beer Garden restaurant. You can visit the restaurant and do activities at the lagoon beforehand, or just one or the other.

Here are some things you can book at the Lagoon:

• the Keys cable park
• an obstacle course called the Rhum Runner

At the restaurant, there are also events (often on weekends) such as performances and live music.

We didn’t have time to do the obstacle course, but we did eat at Bongo’s. It has a very relaxed, ‘island life’ vibe.

The food at Bongo’s was great – we were surprised that they had sold out of fries, but there plantain chips they offered as a substitute were really good (my husband doesn’t normally like plantain chips but he liked the ones at Bongo’s.)

You can book their lagoon activities, see their upcoming events and menu on their website here.

7. Walk the Seven-Mile Bridge

One of the most unique things to do in the Keys is walk, jog, or bike across the Old Seven Mile Bridge.

This bridge is over 100 years old now, and you can actually see a lot of sea life from the edges. You’ll also see people fishing off of it.

If you were to walk the full length of the bridge, it would be 4.2 miles (6.8 km) – but you can walk as little or as much as you want.

I saw a few people walking the seven-mile bridge when we were in Marathon, but not very many – it;s not busy. (Partially, likely, because of the heat.)

We didn’t walk across the bridge, because I found it so hot during the day, and we had limited time in the area.

Next time we’re in Marathon, I do plan to take a walk across this bridge – where else can you get views like this? Here are some ways to make a stroll across the Seven Mile bridge extra special and fun.

8. Take a photo of ‘Fred the Tree’

Fred the Tree is a mostly ordinary looking tree that unless you know about it in advance, you’d probably drive right passed it without realizing that its a landmark, or a local celebrity.

Fred the Tree is just a tree (an Australian pine) growing off of the Old Seven Mile Bridge – not the part that you can walk across however.

You can get views of Fred the Tree from walking across the bridge, or driving on the Overseas Higheay.

There are Instagram profiles and Facebook pages devoted to this tree, and a few legends/rumours attached to it too!

I didn’t know this was a thing until after we left Marathon, unfortunately, so the above is a stock photo of Fred the Tree.

The tree is located just outside of Marathon, about a 10 minute drive from the Turtle Hospital.

9. Learn about Dolphins at the Dolphin Research Center

The Dolphin Research Center, was without a doubt, one of the highlights of our visit to Marathon and the Keys.

I will say, I’m someone who doesn’t believe in dolphins being held in captivity, its something I’m strongly against.

However, if you want to see and learn about dolphins, I think the Dolphin Research Center in Marathon is one of the best places to do it. Here’s why:

• The dolphins are still in the ocean
• They are able to get back into the wild if they want to (so we were told by a staff member)
• Most of the dolphins are rescues
• They have lots of freedom. When we were there, there was one dolphin that insisted on keeping her hoola hoop with her
• While the dolphins did a few tricks at the presentations that they put on, it did feel that the presentations were more education-focused, rather than for entertainment to see tricks (like something you’d see at Sea World)
• The dolphins seemed genuinely happy. I’ve seen many animals in captive, and sometimes you can just tell that the animal isn’t happy

We initially just bought general admission, but then my daughter was dying to swim with a dolphin – we decided to let her do it. It’s about a 25 minute experience, where you’re grouped with other people also partaking. There are 2 dolphins that you with others in the group get to meet.

The dolphin research center is quite large, and you could spend a good hour walking around the whole premesis.

There are other animals that live there, such as a giant tortoise, many wild lizards and birds.

Whether you do general admission, or another experience, I’d budget to spend at least a few hours here. There’s no food sold on-site, but there are picnic tables where you could sit and eat a snack.

10. Spend an afternoon at Crane Point Hammock

Crane Point Hammock is a museum and nature center that is partially indoor, and partially open-air.

It’s quite extensive, and there are a few different components to it:

• a butterfly garden
• a nature trail
• a museum
• a wild bird center
• an area to get fish pedicures (wild fish eat the dead skin off your feet – yes you read that right)

You can also book snorkelling and kayaking, and let your kids play on a pirate ship on the edge of the water. Explore the full extent of things to do at Crane Point Hammock here.

We unfortunately, didn’t get a chance to go into Crane Point Hammock last time we were in Marathon. It was high on my list, but we didn’t have enough time. It’s at the top of my priority list for next time we’re in the Keys.

11. Play minigolf

Porky’s (a restaurant) in Marathon offers a really nice minigolf course. It’s all tropical themed, and is its own little oasis.

You can book a table at their restaurant and enjoy the mini-golf, or you can just drop in to do the minigolf.

It’s actually one of the view things in Marathon that’s open late, until 10pm. See info for Porky’s minigolf here.

12. Visit a tiki bar

Marathon has many tiki-themed, where you can enjoy a fancy drink, and great food right on the water.

In case you didn’t know, what makes a tiki bar unique to other kinds of bars is that they’re on water, and usually have those thatched huts.

They also typically serve elaborate drinks with fruit and flowers decorated on the side of them.

Here are the places in Marathion that are tiki-themed

• Barnacle Barney’s Tiki Bar and Grill has a tiki bar
• Burdine’s
• Island Fish Company
• Sparky’s

13. Shop for Island Souvenirs

As you’re driving through the keys, you’ll probably start noticing a store called the Sandal Factory.

There are a handful of them throughout the keys, and two of them are in Marathon.

If you’re thinking of checking them out – I say do it. We were actually impressed at the nice souvenirs they have in there (it isn’t just sandals.)

We bought some T-shirts, caps, and a few other souvenirs. We found it to be one of the nicest places to get souvenirs in the Keys.

14. Do some drop-in yoga

With Marathon being such a pristine place right on the water, you can imagine that there are a few good places to do seaside yoga.

FL Keys is right downtown Marathon. You can see their schedule and reserve a class on their website here.

The other is called Yoga Keys, and its a bit further (just a 5 minute drive outside town.) They offer yoga under the stars, and some other interesting rituals.

15. Watch a fish feeding at Captain Hook’s

This would be something to do only if you’re in Marathon with young kids. There is a small encosure of water right outside Captain Hook’s Dive Shop.

We noticed when we were there that they do feedings every day at 4pm.

The fish are HUGE. (I am not sure exactly what kind of species they were.)

There is a huge parking lot beside Captain Hooks, and their shop has lots of neat souvenirs -unique to their shop, as well as the Keys in general.

16. Catch a sunset

The Marathon sunsets are amazing, and worth catching.

You can see them from either side – but it’s probably better to get views of it on the north side of the island (regardless of what time of year you’re here.)

One of our favourite places to see the sunset was at the restaurant Island Fish Company.

It can get really busy for dinner at Island Fish Company, but we managed to find a parking spot, just to get a few photos of the sunset there. (The photos don’t do it justice.)

Other places you could enjoy the sunset in Marathon are:

• Sunset Bay Park on Grassy Key (10 minutes from Marathon)
• Florida Keys Wildlife and Environmental Area
• Barnacle Barney’s Tiki Bar
• Walking along the Old Overseas Highway

Of course, sunset viewing spots aren’t limited to just those spots – they’re just ideas. We also enjoyed sunsets from the place where we stayed, too. you can check out the sunset times for Marathon here.

17. Spot wildlife

We saw so much wildlife in Marathon, much more than we were expecting:

• wild chickens (there were lots of them at the parking lot outside the Publix supermarket
• large lizards
• lots of birds, that I’d never seen before
• lots of tropical marine life in the water, which you can spot from the bridge, the beaches or any river or stream

Pro Tip: If you drive to Big Pine Key, you will also see wild deer roaming around. It’s about 30 minutes from Marathon, towards Key West. They’re most easily spotted in the residential areas, in the morning. But we also saw some of them in other afternoon.

Where to Stay in Marathon

One thing to know about accommodations in Marathon is that there aren’t a lot of ‘luxury’ accommodations. If you’re looking for resorts, you may want to look elsewhere.

We rented a cabin from Bonefish Bay Motel, and we can’t say enough good things about it – we loved it.

If you were to book Bonefish Bay, just be sure of which accommodation you’re booking.

We stayed in one of their cabin homes, which have 3 bedrooms and sleep up to 5 (at the most.) Just their regular cabin can be booked here.

Here are some other good places to stay in Marathon.

• Budget: Aqua Lodges and Coconut Cay Marina – we looked at these as well, they have really nice boathouse (aqua lodges) to stay in, for a similar price as Bonefish Bay. We may stay here next time.
• Mid-Range: Captain Pip’s Marina & Hideaway offers studio and 1-bedroom apartments in colourfully painted buildings. They look very cute, and there’s also a restaurant and swimming pool on-site

Where to Eat in Marathon

We found the food in Marathon to be pretty decent, with a decent amount of variety. Here are some of the best restaurants in Marathon, according to what you might be looking for:

• Breakfast: Island Fish Company, Wooden Spoon, Cracked Conch Café, Food for Thought, Marathon Bagel Co.,
• Cafe: Georgie’s Coffe Shop (only coffee and seets)
• Healthy: Food for Thought
• Great environment: Island Fish Company, Bongo’s Beer Garden, Burdine’s,
• Lunch or Dinner: Brutus Land and Sea, Driftwood Pizza, Pasta, & Subs, Porky’s Bayside Restaurant and Marina
• Upscale: Mahina, Hideway Café
• Waterfront: Island Fish Company, Burdine’s,
• Vegetarian/vegan: Bongo’s Beer Garden, Irie Island Eates, Food For Thought, Butterfly Café,

Marathon, FL FAQ

Here are some of the most commonly asked questions about Marathon

Is Marathon, FL worth visiting?

Marathon Florida is definitely worth visiting, because it has a bunch of attractions that are unique to that part of the Keys – the Turtle Hospital, Crane Point Hammock, and many other things.

What is the Marathon key known for?

Marathon is known for being the ‘heart of the Florida Keys,’ and the capital of the Keys. It’s a small town and fairly spread out, but has a decent amount of things to do.

Do you need a car to get around Marathon Florida?

You need a car to get around Marathon, but this is the same for anywhere in the Keys. Everywhere in Marathon is pretty spread out, as its a town along a highway. So you need to drive down the highway to get to other parts of town.

Does Marathon Key have a beach?

Yes, there are beaches in Marathon, Florida – the best one is Sombrero Beach.

Final Thoughts on Marathon

I hope that this guide on things to do in Marathon Florida has shined the lined on the things to do in this small town in the Keys.

Marathon is a good place to stay and visit, and there are a number of things to do there that can’t be found elsewhere on the Keys. We were glad that we made it our home base, and hope you found this article helpful!