Higgs Beach

If your from the west coast, no beach in the keys will be remotely close to being a «good» beach. It does have sand, but like other reviewers you have to wade out 150 yards to get water to your waist and you better like bath water temperature. Also this is a free beach so the homeless and druggies where ever present while we where there. Go to Ft. Zachary instead, it’s worth the cost.

As amazingly beautiful as Key West is, they are not known for the beaches. First of all, there isn’t much beach to speak of. There are 3 or 4 small public beaches that aren’t attached to a large resort complex, and Higgs Beach is one of them.
It’s next to a large swimming pier which is very odd and yet dangerous because you can fall off a tall pier into very shallow water which is littered with sharp coral as hard as rocks. This is why you won’t find a ton of people in the water as well. The water is gorgeous and crystal clear and blue, but it’s difficult to even get wet, because you wade out 100 yards and you’re still at thigh deep. Even wading out that far requires you to carefully dodge the coral for a while, or take the pier and then take the stairs down into the water where it’s a bit deeper. I can’t help but wonder why there isn’t a railing on that thing!
The sand here is pretty soft with not too much seaweed, the beach gets pretty crowded because of the lack of space. There are chairs and umbrellas here but they will cost you to rent them so bring a towel or blanket. There’s also a little café right on the beach to grab some drinks or noms in case the mood strikes you. I love this little strip of beach because a vacation in the Caribbean without some relaxing on the beach is no vacation.

Key West, shocking to me at least, is not known for its beaches. Beaches here are small and usually littered with sharp coral. Higgs Beach is probably the closest thing the island has to a proper beach in terms of size. Still, it is not very wide and a lot of activities are smashed together here where space is at a premium.
Two volleyball courts, reclining chair rentals, two gazebos, a bathroom/​water fountain, and a playground about exhaust the amenities. Given the tiny space, if you are playing volleyball, any wild serves or missed returns will invariably wind up in the parking lot 10 feet away.
With the scorching summer sun above us, both gazebos were puzzlingly closed to the public.

Large public beach on the east side of Key West
Fabulous soft fine light sand on the beach. Plenty of room for everyone. Only a few palm trees. Lounge chairs and umbrellas are available for $ 10 each.
Sand volleyball court is in the middle of the beach. There are also a couple of covered gazebos. There’s a pier that stretches out into the water with a couple of entry ladders. Decent restrooms with a outdoor shower to rinse of the sand. And a small restaurant called Salute is in the backside of the beach and very convenient to grab a bite at. Also a couple of fruit pop/​coconut vendors.
Really a nice public beach area

I went straight out to the pier after I went to South most early in the morning drinking a cup of coffee and watch the sunrise. Made for an uplifting experience. Something I would recommend doing for a couple on vacation

So if you’ve never been to Key West, I’m sure you picture a tropical island surrounded by many lush beaches. You would be wrong. Despite being surrounded by water, it’s not that easy to find a good beach.
Luckily, they do have a few gems like Higgs Beach so you can get your beach fix.
There’s free parking, free public restrooms and an opportunity to rent beach chairs and umbrellas. They also don’t mind if you bring your own chairs and settle down in the sand for free.
The sand was lush or picturesque, but the view of the blue and green Atlantic was.
Pro tip: walk out on to the dock and use the stairs to get into the ocean. There’s too much aqua foliage to walk in from the beach.
If only I made it to Higgs earlier in my trip. It’s a great place to get some sun, sand and swim.

Okay, considering there’s really not traditional beaches here this beach rates high in my book. Pluses for the soft sand on the beach and that it’s pretty shallow for quite a distance. My son went in without reef walkers but I needed them as the bottom can have rocky spots.
You can frolic in the water and not worry whether you’re carried out to deep waters. Fun for adults and kids with subtle waves and warm water – I’d def go back here.

I really wanted to get In the water while in Key West but it seems like all the beaches here are not very ‘nice’ compared to say South Beach in Miami. The water looked scary and very murky so I passed.
The actual beach sand looked clean and not rocky like the other beach not far from here.
There were a good amount of people and few shaded areas. There is a pier you walk out on and stairs that lead you in the water.

There are more facilities here but no sand.
We looked at this beach and went down to Smathera beach. It’s tons better as far as entry into the water and sand. Not as rocky.
I’ve checked Higgs off my list no need to go back.

It’s okay for a key west beach. There’s a halfway decent shallow area but the seaweed and grey water were not the best for snorkeling. Other then that not bad… None of the Key West beaches are that great in general.

As far as beaches are concerned, this one has its plusses and minuses — I’ll lay them out here, starting with the bad:
Bad: not very large, sand is bordline rough (sand on the parkinglot side of the pathway is rocky), overrun with seaweed along the entire shore (and thus a heavy smell of seaweed)
Good: White sand, available chair and umbrella rentals, available water sports from stand right on the beach (paddleboard, kayak), nice pier with stairs down to water
Great: FREE SNORKELING (assuming you bring your own equipment) with views of some pretty neat fish along the existing pier and ruins of old pier
It is key west, so it is an okay size all things considered — it wasn’t too crowded when we visited (early June), plenty of sunbathing space as well as a good numbe of palms if you want shade (or a place to tie up a hammock). Parking was ample when we came (we didn’t have trouble finding a spot). Good location relative to downtown if you want to bike from here to dinner or the southernmost point. Clear water. Free — free to enjoy, free to park, free to snorkel, did I say free?
We will be back.

This is the best beach in Key West. Here are my reasons:
1) It’s FREE as all beaches should be.
2) two beach lounges and an umbrella are only $ 20 all day.
3) the employees who rent the umbrella and chairs are friendly.
4) there is a nice sand bar 50 feet out into the water that runs the length of the beach.
5) there are two volleyball courts.
6) they rent kayaks and towels.
7) they sell snorkeling gear and sunscreen.
8) there is a pier that is cool to the feet that you can use to get into the water past the rocks and grassy bottom, and there are two stairs from the pier that drop you right onto the sandbar.
9) Salute’ restaurant is right on the beach. It’s owned by the same person who owns Blue Heaven. The good is very good and priced reasonably considering its location. Also, they have the same key lime pie as Blue Heaven.
10) they have a kid zone with slides and swings.
11) the homeless population is to a bare minimum. Not sure what incentive or disincentive the city used to make this happen.
12) there are palm trees to provide natural shade in case you don’t want an umbrella or it’s too windy for one.
13) there are free showers and public restrooms.
14) there are vending machines that sell soda and water.
15) parking is free.
16) there are two large covered pavilions that can be used for cover in case of a violent storm.
17) there are wooden pilings about 100 yards off of the beach that are great for snorkelers as they act as a reef, attracting fish and sea life. Also, they act as a sea wall keeping the waves to a minimum.

Very nice beach as compared to NJ.
We got to see the naval jets flying maneuvers while sunbathing.
We rented chairs and umbrella, the attendants were very nice.
Outdoor showers, beach bar, watersport rentals.
They have a pier that goes out in the water with steps down into the water, easy in and out of the water.

While there’s parking along white and Casa Marina this place isn’t the place for beaching. It’s more of a park. On the west side of the park there’s rocks and stars so it looks more like a place for mooring instead of swimming. I’m not really sure what that section of the beach is for really.
There’s a pier, ok but…
I took a snap of the African Cemetary and then got in the car and drove over to Smathers beach because we were looking to get our touristing on.

I’ve visited Higgs on many occasions throughout the years, but last month was my first as a mom. Looking to take a relaxing stroll away from Duval? This is your spot. Have kids and looking for a great little playground? It’s here. There’s always been a vibe of old Key West nuttiness combined with the tourist transient feeling. It’s an interesting place.
Enjoy with your pets, your kids or just yourself.

This is a beautiful FREE locals beach that has awesome snorkeling off the back side of the pier. There is also a kids play area, beach volleyball court as well as kayak rentals. There are public restrooms and decent parking for scooters, cars and bikes. This beach is very small and often has a lot of seaweed washed ashore, but that’s pretty much close to normal for the Keys. There is also a terrific beach path for strolling, biking or running.
Directly across the street are tennis courts, a racquetball court and two dog parks for large and small dogs.

Higgs Beach should be your second stop in the morning after Starbucks on Duval. Come early and enjoy the peaceful emptiness the white sand still warm from the day before the waves lapping the waters edge, walk out on the pier and watch the shrimp boats trawling for this evening’s dinner. As the sun rises its apparent that this is no isolated beach but I’ve never seen it overly crowded just a few people in chairs and a few laying out on towels catching some rays.
The African Memorial and Aids Memorial are both located along the parking area at the entrance to the beach there always seems to be a few people sitting on the benches having their morning fix and getting their minds right or just simple enjoying a break from their normal life and for a few lucky one this may be their normal life.

Really lovely beach we stopped at on our way to buy plants from the Key West Garden Club. Admittedly, this isn’t a beach for tourists. It’s sleepy and the wind can kick up off all the unobstructed ocean. When we were visiting it was chilly, but almost empty and serene. Are there cabanas to rent? No. Is there a place to snag a mimosa? Absolutely not.
Don’t come here for that stuff. Come here to walk, relax quietly with friends and revel in ocean and the sky and their Key West magic.
Bonus: There is an historic African memoral next to the Martello Tower I found very interesting. Though it is a little sad and morbid, I find it hearteningly that the community of Key West would honor this unfortunate event rather than just forget about it. It adds, instead of subtracting.

This beach is good for everything — walk, run, chill, take pictures, drink TONS of booze, you name it! It’s wasn’t very crowded.
We took like crazy amount of pictures. You will also see many cool spots while driving there. We strolled along the beach and ended up at White Street Pier. The pier was fabulous and very long and has some great views of the ocean and the shore. Water was not that cold for Nov. I loved this beach. Also there is a Italian restaurant on the beach where you can enjoy some good food.
This beach does have a boardwalk that you can jog, bike, etc. along the coastline and has a wider sandy shore to picnic, lay, play, swim, surf, people watch and chill.

Higgs Beach in Key West is a sun-​worshipers haven.
When we went it didn’t seem very swimmer-​friendly. Maybe because it was during the week there was hardly any one there and the water pretty murky. We also noticed the sign warning about jelly fish. So, we walked the shoreline and sat at a picnic table to enjoy the sun for a bit.
It does have a lot of activities for kids with a huge playground and BBQ grills for families along with tables. It was a short walk from one of the trolley stops on a beautiful day.
So if you want to chill with friends and loved ones this is a nice little quiet beach to do so. As mentioned in previous reviews, it is a free beach and they have chairs available for rent. I noticed they also have beach towels and sunscreen in case you forget.
They also have outdoor showers and restrooms in order to change so you can continue to see the island.

In Key West gibt es leider nicht so viele Strände, dieser hier liegt direkt gegenüber der Sheraton Suites und ist gut gepflegt und überschaubar.
Es geht ganz langsam ins Meer, daher hervoragend für Kinder geeignet. Ein Fisching-​Pier (Steg) führt ins Meer hinein und lässt den Blick bei dem warmen seichten Wasser auf die Meeresbewohner frei. Wir haben Krabben, Fische und Rochen gesehen. Ein kleines Café am Strand versorgt einen mit dem Drink oder einer Kleinigkeit, die man essen möchte. Parken kann man direkt am Seitenstreifen, die Preise sind für Key West Verhältnisse ok. Im Vergleich zu Bahia Honda, das ca. eine halbe Stunde entfernt Richtung Festland liegt ist hier ein bisschen mehr los aber der Strand und der Sand sind bei weitem nicht so schön, daher nur 3 Sterne. 5 Sterne gibt es nur für Traumstrände bei mir. Eintritt natürlich frei — kein Zaun oder ähnliches sperrt das Gelände ab, es wird abends nur von der Polizei abgegangen.