Along with your water gear, pack some food and charcoal: This beach has plenty of barbecue grills. You can either bring your own or rent equipment on-site. While the beach might not be as powdery soft as some other Florida beaches, it does offer some great snorkeling opportunities, according to recent visitors. Recent visitors noted the clear waters, making it an ideal snorkeling spot, but travelers also warn that the sand is not soft and that beach shoes are needed to traverse the rocky terrain safely. There, you can sunbathe, hike, bike, fish and get a dose of history all in one place. Oh and if you have a camping hammock, you should bring it because the trees are perfect for setting them up between them.For the cleanest beach and best waters in Key West, you should head for the westernmost point of the island to Fort Zachary Taylor Historic State Park. Beach, food, clean bathrooms, shade, beautiful sunset. It is really a special spot for sure… if you have kids that love the beach, it’s a must do. The park rangers shoo you out right after sunset. The sunset was magnificent and watching all of the sailboats go by was really beautiful… the party boats not so much. The kids had an awesome time playing in the water and climbing on the rocks. Ok, the beach is a little rocky but not bad… there is soft sand in the ocean. ![]() Also, bring a garbage bag because you need to pack out your own trash. I’d recommend bringing a picnic dinner with you. Yes, it was expensive, but hey, they have a captive audience. Check, check, and check! Got there around 5:00… paid our $8 to get a n…the cafe kitchen had closed at 5, but they still served hot dogs and pizza until 6:00, so we loaded up and found a picnic bench in the shade. We came with our family (7 and 12 year olds) to relax, have dinner, and enjoy the sunset. We went early (10am) and only had a 10 or 15 minute line of cars in front of us. I don't know that I'd do that because when we were leaving someone just getting there said that they were in line for 45 minutes getting into the park. You can come and go in and out of the park all day. Grab something to eat or drink at the beach Cafe, pack a picnic lunch, or throw something on one of their grills. ![]() You can rent beach chairs, umbrellas, and snorkel gear or bring your own. ![]() There is one thing that this beach doesn't have that almost all other Keys beaches have, and that's seagrass. It's made up of rock and coral so you need water shoes. Unlike coral reefs, if you want to take a break and rest for a few minutes you can get out of the water and sit or stand on the rocks. There are some man-made rock reefs that attract a lot of different fish. There is a beach where you can snorkel and swim. There are short, easy hiking/biking trails. ![]() There are more things to do inside the park besides the awesome fort tour. We were able to climb to the top of the fort and see some beautiful views. After the tour we were free to go exploring on our own. He provided a lot of fascinating info on them. We were very fortunate because part way through our 90 minute guided tour we met Ranger Alton who was dressed in a civil war uniform and had several artifacts from that Era on display. I read the brochure and the signs which had some very good information but Ranger Grim had much, much more very interesting background stories. Yes, there is a brochure and informational signs for you on the self guided tour. We normally steer clear of guided tours because we like to move at our own pace but I highly recommend the guided tour on this. You can do a self guided tour or a tour with a ranger as a guide. This old fort has some very interesting history.
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