Marathon

The city of Marathon Florida is located at the approximate half way point between Key Largo and Key West. Its central location and bustling waterfront activities have earned it the name “Heart of the Florida Keys”.

Driving south on US1 you enter the city proper as you cross Toms Harbor Bridge at MM 60. The municipality extends to the southwest on over a dozen named islands and ends just prior to the start of the Seven Mile Bridge at MM 47.

The name Marathon is rumored to have originated in the railroad days of the early 1900s when scores of workers put in long sweaty days with many grueling hours of hard work laying ties and track for Henry Flagler’s railroad.

This city offers a unique blend of shops, family life, and recreational opportunities filled with outstanding diving, world-class fishing, sailing, and snorkeling.

The local airport, with its 5000-foot paved runway, has facilities to handle small private planes up to large corporate jets and has on occasion had scheduled airline service. Two fixed base operators provide service on the field.

Sombrero and Coco Plum Beaches are inviting spots to stop and picnic, catch some rays, swim, and snorkel. As you sink your toes into the warm sand, visually take note of the interesting shapes of the granules created by the special algae that live offshore. Both of these city run beaches open at 7:00 a.m. and close at dusk. On any given night between April and October you might find turtles using these beach as nesting grounds.

You’ll also find four city parks, including the Marathon Community Park at MM 49, with its tennis courts, basketball courts, baseball fields, and soccer fields. This park also has a skate park, shuffleboard courts, picnic areas, and restrooms. Kids will love the playground at Rotary Park. This beautifully landscaped three acre park is located at US1 and 75th street Oceanside.

Crane Point Museum, Nature Center, and Historic Site, open seven days a week and located at MM 50.5, sits on 63 acres of hammock and wetlands. You can hike several miles of trails and see over 100 species of pant and animal. The site hosts a plethora of activities to see including a hospital for injured wild birds that are nursed back to health and returned to their natural habitat, a preserved original settler’s house, and a museum where the life cycle and actual carapaces of sea turtles are displayed.

Come and experience the outstanding fishing, warm tropical climate, and relaxed attitude of this midway destination city in the Fabulous Florida Keys.