Key West
Lower Keys, Florida · Florida Keys · Long public shoreline, watersports and after-beach island energy
Key West right now
Current access/status
Smathers Beach is open sunrise to sunset. The City of Key West lists restrooms, shower facilities and beach-volleyball nets at the beach. Official status/source →
D’s Event Page does not display a guessed water temperature. Check the official beach or water-quality source before a long drive.
Official water/conditions source →See more of Key West
Smathers Beach is the anchor because it is Key West’s largest public beach and gives this guide a real public-access shoreline rather than using a generic Old Town or resort image as the beach itself.
Where it is
Main scoring anchor: Smathers Beach, South Roosevelt Boulevard, Key West, FL 33040. The half-mile public beach along South Roosevelt Boulevard is used for parking, facilities, walkability and beach-use scoring.
Beach-day essentials
Parking and access
Smathers Beach parking is currently $5 per hour. The City lists paid hours Monday-Saturday from 8 a.m. to midnight and Sunday from noon to midnight. No overnight parking is allowed.
Food near Key West
The city beach page does not provide a stable official restaurant count at Smathers Beach itself, so the guide keeps the food score moderate rather than importing Old Town dining into a beach-walkability score.
Activities and watersports
Verified beach-day activities include swimming and volleyball. Key West has broad commercial watersport inventory around the island, but this anchor receives only a conservative activity score unless the operator is directly tied to Smathers Beach access.
Before you go
Parking is expensive relative to many Florida public beaches. Visitors should also check current water-quality and city notices before a long beach day.
D’s Beach Ratings
Overall Beach Rating: 7/10
Key West scores strongly for overall destination energy, activities and after-beach options, while Smathers Beach itself is more moderate for beach quality, parking cost and direct walkable food. The score deliberately separates the public beach experience from the broader appeal of Old Town.
The public score is derived from the current D’s standardized 100-point rubric. Only verified evidence is counted; incomplete evidence is not filled in by assumption.