The Islands of Marathon
The island community of Marathon in the Florida Keys is a tropical getaway for your whole family. It maintains a retro, nautical atmosphere with family-friendly festivals and attractions. Activities include dolphin swims, snorkeling, and boating. Seafood festivals are scheduled throughout the year, and plenty of local restaurants feature fresh catches. Fishing is ideal off the pristine Sombrero Beach. Visit Crane Point to hike to the preserved home of a 20th century settler family.
Below is information on things to do, dining and info for boaters. Also check out our fun video at the bottom of this page to get you in a Keys-state-of-mind!
Places to Go & Things to Do
Sunset cruies and snorkeling trips
http://spiritsnorkeling.net
Curry Hammock State Park: http://www.floridastateparks.org/curryhammock/
Kayak rentals: http://www.kayakrentalsmarathonflorida.com/, http://www.marathonkayak.com/
Fishing Charters: http://seadogcharters.net/, http://www.runandgunfishing.com/
Sunset cruise: http://floridakeyssunsetcruise.com/, http://www.oceansailinginc.com/
Key West http://www.fla-keys.com/keywest/
Keys Hopper http://www.ravenair.net/
Hawks Cay http://www.hawkscay.com/
Swim with the Dolphins http://www.dolphinsplus.com/
Dolphin Center on Grassy Key http://www.dolphins.org/
Hawks Cay Resort – lots of activities including kiteboarding, kayaking, diving and parasailing
Small Children and babies
Fishing, boat ramps and bait
Captain Pips – snorkel trips and sunset cruises
If you are interested in renting a boat, contact Bad Company Adventures at 904-669-8411. They can arrange to have the boat waiting for you at the slip upon your arrival. https://badcompanyadventures.com
http://catch-em-all.com/ (fishing charters)
http://ci.marathon.fl.us/boatramp/(boat ramps)
http://www.thetacklebox.com/ (bait)
Boat trailer storage: The Moose Lodge 305-481-7187
Trailer storage: Emil, 305-731-3386
Golf
Sombrero Key: http://www.sombrerocc.com/
Ocean Reef (Key Largo): http://oceanreef.com/Golf-7.html
Airports:
Key West www.keywestinternationalairport.com/, Miami http://www.miami-airport.com/, Marathon http://www.fla-keys.com/marathon/marathon_airport.cfm, Fort Lauderdale http://www.broward.org/airport/Pages/Default.aspx
Beaches:
Sombrero Beach: http://thefloridakeys.com/parks/sombrero.htm
Keys Beaches: http://www.keystravel.com/Beaches.html
Dining
Marathon
The Lighthouse Grill
Mike’s Hideaway…romantic: http://hideawaycafe.com/
Burdines (lunch): http://www.burdineswaterfront.com
Lazy Days (dockside): http://lazydayssouth.com/
Wooden Spoon: great breakfast!
The Stuffed Pig…breakfast: http://www.thestuffedpig.com
Porky’s: great barbeque! http://porkysbaysidebbq.com
Frank’s Grill: great Italiain….Walking distance!
Fish Market (Lobster Reuben): http://www.keysfisheries.com/
Island Fish House..Tiki Bar: http://www.islandfishco.com/
Butterfly Room at Tranquility Bay: http://www.tranquilitybay.com/dining/cafe.php
Herbies (for conch chowder)
Seven Mile Grill: http://keysdining.com/7milegrill/
Plaza Grille: http://www.plazagrillflkeys.com
Cracked Conch: http://www.conchcafe.com
Sweet Savannahs: www.sweetsavannahs.com
Fish Tales..walking distance: http://www.floridalobster.com
Islamorada
Islamorada is about 45 minutes north of us, so these might be good choices on your drive to Marathon:
Peace, Love and Hogfish: http://www.foodtotalkabout.com (good food but not on the water)
Marker 88 – Has been there for many years and you can sit out by the water and docks, great food
Morada Bay – Has beach dining. Each month, they have a full moon party that is awesome. http://www.moradabay-restaurant.com/index.php?id=79
Robbies (Hungry Tarpon) http://www.hungrytarpon.com You can feed the tarpons there.
Ziggy and Mad Dogs (not on the water, but really good food)
Holiday Isle Tiki Bar: http://holidayisle.com/tikibar/
Made to Order…in Tavernier…great breakfast!
Dillions Irish Pub (on the way…in Tavernier): http://www.dillonspubandgrill.com
Key Largo
Key Largo is about an hour north of Indigo Reef. We aren’t very familiar with dining there, but here’s a couple of suggestions:
Buzzard’s Roost: http://www.buzzardsroostkeylargo.com It is on the ocean side, just as you get off the 18 mile stretch.
Hobo’s: Great fish tacos! http://www.hoboscafe.net
Information for boaters
If you are visiting Indigo Reef, there are several boat rental companies in the area. See some links above. Boat trailers cannot be brought on to the Indigo Reef property so you will need to make arrangements to store your trailer elsewhere prior to your arrival. There are companies close by that provide this service and we recommend you call them ahead of time to make arrangements. The prices will vary depending on your needs (hours of operation, in and out service, proximity, etc).
Boat dock spaces are assigned to your designated unit. Unit number and dock space number are located on the dock pedestals. A sticker (located in your Villa) is to be attached to your boat correlating the numbered allocated slip to your unit. All lines are to be tied to the cleats provided on the docks and no lines are to be tied to the pedestals. No boats larger than thirty-one (31) feet length over all (LOA) are permitted in any dock space. You may not to tie up in any other unassigned dock space. When tying up your boats please use proper line tying techniques as the tides are often severe and if your boat is improperly secured you will risk the sinking of your boat in the canal if the boat should get caught under the dock at low tide.
Each villa in Indigo Reef has an assigned boat slip that will accommodate a boat up to 31′. There are fish cleaning stations and hose hook ups close to the boat slips. There is an ice machine next to the pool that can be used for filling your coolers. In your check in instructions, you will be provided with a code to gain access to the ice machine.
