Hi there!
Higgs Beach is one of the main beaches in Key West of the Florida Keys.
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Can you swim at Higgs Beach?
Yes, you can swim at Higgs Beach in Key West!
Although, when I went, the water color was not all that inviting along the shoreline of Higgs Beach.
I did not get in the water from the shore.
Instead, I entered from the stairs located along the pier at Higgs Beach.
Higgs Beach still wasn’t the amazing water color that I saw at other Key West beaches of Smathers Beach or the Fort Zachary Taylor State Park snorkeling beach, but it looked a little better a bit further out than it did directly near shore!
Can you snorkel at Higgs Beach?
Higgs Beach is one of the snorkeling beaches of Key West!
And Higgs Beach is part of the Key West Marine Park, and there is a designated area that is best for snorkeling from Higgs Beach.
So yes, you can snorkel at Higgs Beach. And yes, you have a chance to see lots of fish!
Although, marine life is wild, so there is never any guarantee to see anything!
But for the best chance of having a fun Key West shore snorkeling experience from Higgs Beach, be sure to go swimming around the ruins of the old pier! You will know when you see it!
I did have a fun Key West Marine Park snorkeling experience at Higgs Beach by swimming almost the entirety of the old pier.
So bring your snorkeling gear to Higgs Beach to see if you can try to spot some underwater life!
You might see some birds on top of some of the old pier ruins too!
See more for your Higgs Beach trip:
Is Higgs Beach free?
There is no Key West beach entry fee at Higgs Beach, so Higgs Beach is a free public beach.
So there is free public access to Higgs Beach!
Is parking free at Higgs Beach?
There is free parking at Higgs Beach!
So with no beach entry fee and no parking fee, Higgs Beach can be a completely free Key West beach trip!
Seaweed in Key West
Seaweed is a thing in Key West and the Florida Keys.
Nearly any beach you go to in Key West will have seaweed.
There’s a good chance you won’t find a public beach in Key West without seaweed.
So you will more than likely see seaweed on the shoreline of Key West beaches, and that includes Higgs Beach.
Seaweed is said to be an important part of the coastal ecosystem, and there is generally no proactive measure by the City of Key West to remove it.
Chickens in Key West
Chickens are a thing in Key West.
You might see wild chickens in Key West at Higgs Beach!
More for your Florida Keys road trip and beyond
- One day in Key West
- Smathers Beach
- South Beach Key West
- Southernmost Point of the continental US
- Bahia Honda State Park (1 hour from Key West)
- Looe Key National Marine Sanctuary (best snorkeling in the Florida Keys)
- Key Largo to Key West
- Miami to Key West
- Naples to Key West
- Marco Island to Key West
More below about a Key West beach trip to Higgs Beach!
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You can take a walk through Higgs Memorial Beach Park.
The entire shoreline of Higgs Memorial Beach Park is not entirely one connected beach.
You can drive from one end to the other (there is parking at both ends), or you can walk from one end to the other!
On both sides, there is a sandy area.
But on the far right end (as you are facing the ocean) is the main swimming area where you can walk directly into the water from the beach. For google maps, you can navigate to Higgs Beach near the Higgs Pier.
On the far left end, you can also enter the water, but you will be taking stairs to get into the water.
This is the quieter side of Higgs Beach, and there are no facilities on this side. For google maps, you can navigate to Higgs Beach near the African Refugee Cemetery.
Higgs Beach pier
You can go to the Higgs Pier from Higgs Beach.
You can simply go for a walk along the pier, or you can use the pier to get to the best Higgs Beach snorkeling spot!
Higgs Beach rentals
Yes, you can rent beach chairs at Higgs Beach, along with beach umbrellas!
You can rent kayaks and stand-up paddle boards at Higgs Beach.
There is a bathroom at Higgs Beach.
There is also a “changing room” inside the bathroom which is a stall with a toilet and bench.
There are basic outdoor beach showers.
You can play beach volleyball at Higgs Beach.
There is a beachfront restaurant at Higgs Beach.
For a Key West beach front restaurant, there is Salute on the Beach at Higgs Beach. (menu + reviews)
According to Salute on the Beach:
Salute! On The Beach is Italian prepared with with our island lifestyle and tastes in mind.
Featuring lighter Caribbean-influenced takes on Italian classics with fresh breads, vegetables and local seafood.
There is free parking at Higgs Beach.
If you want to go to the main area of Higgs Beach, then the Higgs Beach parking lot you want to go to is in front of the tennis courts.
If you don’t see tennis courts, then that’s not the side of Higgs Beach park you want to be on!
Higgs Beach memorial: Key West African Cemetery
Higgs Beach is another one of the Florida beaches that remembers a tragic piece of black history.
On the other side of the Higgs Beach park from the main Higgs Beach swimming area, on the far left side towards the Edward B Knight Pier, there is the African Burial Ground memorial at Higgs Beach.
It is also called the African Cemetery, and it is to remember those who died in Key West as part of the tragedy of the transatlantic slave trade.
The Mel Fisher Maritime Museum also has an exhibit to learn more about it.
The African Cemetery in Key West is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
You can make a visit to the Higgs Beach Memorial to read the historical marker sign and take a moment to reflect upon the times, then and now!
And that’s a bit about Higgs Beach in Key West!
More for your Florida Keys road trip and beyond:
- Key West chickens
- One day in Key West
- Smathers Beach
- South Beach Key West
- Southernmost Point
- Bahia Honda State Park (1 hour from Key West)
- Looe Key National Marine Sanctuary (best snorkeling in the Florida Keys)
- Key Largo to Key West
- Miami to Key West
- Naples to Key West
- Marco Island to Key West
- 2 hours in Miami Beach
- Things to do in Everglades National Park
HAPPY BEACH TRIP TO HIGGS BEACH IN KEY WEST!
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