Sombrero Beach — Attraction in Marathon

We knew that the keys didn't have sandy beaches like the panhandle or beyond, but this had some sand to walk & lay out on. There were lots of old reef areas to walk on or explore. There were different colored waters to enjoy just steps from the sand. We arrived a week/days after storms/rains, so it had an effect on the grass pushed ashore & clarity of the water. That being said, we still had a lovely experience relaxing in the water. We didn't do any snorkeling ourselves but saw a few doing it a bit. There were 2 nice restroom areas with outside showers & great shaded playground for the kids & several covered patio areas complete with grills between restrooms. There were several boardwalks connecting to the beach. There was even 1 blue path that went directly to the waters edge that I assume was for wheelchair accessibility. Cool feature for many I'm sure! It was new to us to have to pay for beach parking, but considering the nice play & picnic areas, showers & restrooms, it was understandable. Price was $5 per 2 hrs or could pay 1 fee for the day (don't recall amount). We enjoyed our 4 hrs there drifting, watching boats/kayaking tours passing or...

Warning: beware of the parking fees. $10 for the first 2 hours, then $2 for any additional hour. They closed all neighborhood roads for beach parking, so you have to find free parking farther away (about 5 min walk, acceptable). The city cashes the parking fees but doesn't bother cleaning or servicing any facility. The restroom is extremely dirty and disgusting, heavy urine smell and trash everywhere. One day the wind was blowing from that direction and you could smell it from the beach. The door handle is corroded. When I used it neither soap nor towels were available. The playground is being renovated, expect loud machinery at random hours every day. One day a guy was using a leaf blower and raising a cloud of dust across half of the beach. Ironically, being public works, they only make noise or raise dust for a few hours each day! The beach itself is nice but usually overcrowded. They don't empty trash cans often, so one day trash was blowing across the beach. We come here only because it's one of very few beaches that allows dogs, the only positive side...

My wife and I along with our dog spent an evening, one full day and then the following morning here. The dates we visited the beach were 02/11/18 to 02/13/18. This was our first time driving to the Keys, so we cannot compare what is was like before the hurricane.

The beach was overall clean with lots of space for people, though seaweed would tend to pile up from high tide. In the water there were pieces of rock/coral from the size of golf balls to soccer balls, but they were only here and there. There was some seaweed on the bottom as well, but it was easy enough to move to a different spot.

Our dog LOVED it there, though he is not a water dog. We had him on a 20 ft. leash but kept a close eye on him. Others who had dogs kept a close eye on their dogs and we respectful in cleaning up.

The bathrooms and showers were not the cleanest, but far better than at a lot of beaches I have been to.

About half of the beach was closed still from the hurricane, but the parts that were open were greatly...