Key West Photoblog » Key West Beaches

The View from White Street Pier

Caty — Thu, 08 Apr 2010 13:16:36 +0000

White Street Pier is a great walk, any day. You can stroll out the edge and gaze south over the Atlantic Ocean, or you can look back on the beaches and condos that line water’s edge. You might see shrimpers heading out from Stock Island, or sport fishers doing the same. At night during summer you might see a line of lights during a hurricane warning. That’s big boats waiting out the rough weather on the inshore waters, where it’s safer than being banged around at a dock. You can check the visibility of the water if you are a diver or snorkeler. During windy weather you can watch kiteboarders jump the wind right in front of you. If you like sunsets but not crowds, White Street Pier is your spot at sundown.

Smathers Beach Condos

Caty — Tue, 06 Apr 2010 12:12:19 +0000

Smathers Beach offers the most convenient beach experience in Key West. It’s easy to find, has plenty of parking, and offers shade, tables, and the widest stretch of sand on the island. Located on the south side of the island, you can easily find this beach by driving along South Roosevelt Blvd, which is the southern perimeter road of Key West. You can park right on the street next to the beach, along a mile-plus stretch. There’s a public restroom, and a few vendors parked near the beach, selling shaved ice, seashells, and other beach-related treats and baubles.

If you’re biking, lock up at any of the bike racks along the sidewalk in several spots along the road. A row of cute palm trees separates the dune area of the beach from the sidewalk, providing a nice backdrop for pictures of your Key West vacation. The other side of South Roosevelt is lined with condos and hotels, and vacationers staying at these properties can be seen dragging beach chairs, coolers, and towels across the road all day long, so drive slowly in this area.

The most popular vacation rentals along Smathers Beach would probably be the condos at La Brisa. Many of these units offer ocean views, covered parking, and great location at the western end of South Roosevelt Blvd. This end is closer to the Casa Marina area and Old Town. They are condos, so of course if you rent them as Key West vacation rentals you get full kitchen, bathrooms, living rooms, all furnished and ready to go.

Spring Break 2010

Caty — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 14:26:56 +0000

Spring Break 2010 – Smathers Beach is covered with bodies- from water’s edge to the cop-occupied dunes behind the sand, it’s mass people. So many bikinis- the kids not wearing bikinis or board shorts stick out like awkward guests wearing pajamas to a hip nightclub.

Boats pull up providing soundtrack and vibrating pods of bikini girls, moving and dancing as one organism.ï¿½ Almost everyone is on the sand, not in the water but some venture in, shoulders raised instinctively against the cold shock of in-shore frigid waters. These kids come from all over the country, many from colleges and universities in Florida but others from colder parts, like the upper midwest.

We get the full range of schools here, from large state universities to small private colleges, all come to enjoy the sun and water in Key West. It’s probably the highest concentration of learned minds you’ll find all year here in the Southernmost City. Key West isn’t known for its academic culture…we do have one community college here, and there’s something on the Navy base offering college courses, but otherwise it’s all about fun and sun here.

If you want to get ahead and work on a new degree, you have to search out and choose one of the accredited online schools that suits your needs. There are more and more of them these days, catering to the academic needs of people who have chosen island living or who are otherwise isolated from academic institutions.

Boca Chica Beach

Caty — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 14:30:55 +0000

Well, it’s been blowing almost 30 knots for days now. March is windy in Key West, bad for casual snorkelers and fishing. Bad for anyone who wants to go out in a boat. We are land-locked, going stir crazy. This is what it’s like to live in Key West and not ever go out on the water. How do people do it? The water, the coral reef, the marine life…that’s what makes Key West extra special and exciting.

We went in search of land-based adventure, and found a super place to explore on Geiger Key. It’s called Boca Chica Beach, around mile marker 10. Take a right onto Boca Chica Road and go as far as you can, then park and get out. You’ll walk along a narrow strip of rocky wild beach facing the Atlantic, in front of a military fence that keeps civilians off the base.

Boca Chica Beach is unspoiled and untouched, except by nature. Hurricanes have wiped out a lot of the beach and moved things around. There are rocks everywhere between the beach and the water:

Boca Chica Beach near Key West

If you park and get out, walk the beach and eventually you’ll come across a boat washed up on the beach. It’s a Cuban freedom boat. Next to it there is a stone fortress. Some kind of artsy project built to shelter kids or hobbits, it’s a winding, fabulous network of rooms, passageways and trinkets woven into the driftwood walls. Climb up on the roof for a good view of the beach and ocean beyond. We didn’t know what to make of it, but what a great discovery. The explorers in all of us were definitely satisfied. Take a look at this:

Cuban Freedom Boat on Boca Chica Beach

And here’s the hobbit hut.

The Stone Hobbit Hut on Geiger Key beach