Last Updated: July 4, 2026
Grassy Key is one of approximately 1,700 islands that make up the Florida Keys. Located in the Middle Keys just northeast of Marathon, it sits at roughly mile marker 58 on the Overseas Highway — far enough from Key Largo to feel genuinely remote, close enough to Marathon to have access to restaurants, groceries, and activities. In the past we stayed at Big Pine Key, which is southwest of Marathon, but at the time we made our reservations, they were still rebuilding the RV park there from Hurricane Irma. Grassy Key turned out to be a wonderful alternative — a peaceful, waterfront retreat that we ended up staying at for two full weeks.
Grassy Key, Florida
Outside of Grassy Key RV Park and the S.S. Wreck Grill, there is not much on the key itself — and honestly, that is exactly what we needed. Marathon, just a few miles southwest, has all the stores, bars, restaurants, and activities you could want. We were there over Christmas and enjoyed a wonderful pot luck dinner with our neighbors at the park. We made a key lime pie for the pot luck and kept the quiche for ourselves — one of the better decisions of the trip.
Grassy Key RV Park & Resort
From Key Largo, Grassy Key was about an hour’s drive south on the Overseas Highway. Our site at Grassy Key RV Park had completely unobstructed Gulf views and was wonderfully private — we felt like we had our own piece of the Keys. The park offered full hookups and good satellite reception, though the internet connection left something to be desired. For two weeks we barely noticed, because the view out our front window was endlessly entertaining.
Watching the tides change, the fishermen working the flats, and the light shift across the water hour by hour — it was the kind of slow, quiet living that reminds you what travel is really about. We could have watched the view from our chairs all day and been completely content.
Florida sunsets in the Keys are in a category of their own — vivid, theatrical, and never twice the same. We stayed here for two full weeks and never once got tired of them. Jake the dog was equally captivated, sitting at the water’s edge each evening and watching the sky change colors with the same quiet attention he gave to everything he loved.
Winter storms sweeping across the continental United States in December and January created some dramatic skies over the Keys — unusual colors, dramatic cloud formations, and the occasional full rainbow over the Gulf. There is something about the flat, low horizon of the Keys that makes weather events look more cinematic than anywhere else.
S.S. Wreck Grill, Grassy Key
The S.S. Wreck Grill is essentially the only bar and grill on Grassy Key itself, and it earns its place with reliably good food — fresh fish, oysters, and burgers in that easy, unhurried Keys style. The kind of place where you end up staying longer than you planned and not minding at all.
No Name Key & Big Pine Key, Florida
No Name Key — reached via a bridge from Big Pine Key — is one of the best places in the Florida Keys to see the Florida Key Deer, one of the most remarkable and endangered animals in North America. A subspecies of white-tailed deer, Key Deer are the smallest deer in the United States: adult females weigh only about 50 pounds and stand roughly two feet at the shoulder. They are found only in the Lower Keys and were once hunted nearly to extinction before the National Key Deer Refuge was established in 1957. The current population has recovered to several hundred animals, and seeing them wandering freely among the scrub and buttonwood is genuinely moving.
After watching the Key Deer, a stop at the No Name Pub is essentially mandatory. This legendary bar and grill on Big Pine Key has been serving cold beers and good food since 1936, and every surface — walls, ceiling, beams — is covered in dollar bills signed by visitors from around the world. The bartender told us there are over $400,000 worth of dollars stapled up there, which feels both implausible and entirely believable once you see the place. The Kentucky Bourbon burger was excellent. We left our own dollar on the wall and felt properly initiated.
Also on Big Pine Key, the Blue Hole — a former limestone quarry that now serves as the largest freshwater pond in the Florida Keys — is home to a pair of resident alligators. It is a remarkable spot: surrounded by native buttonwood forest, with a short trail and observation platform that makes the alligators easy to watch from a safe distance. Free to visit, easy to access, and one of the more unusual wildlife encounters in the Keys.
Sombrero Beach, Marathon, Florida
Sombrero Beach is one of Marathon’s best-kept secrets — a beautiful, free public beach on the Atlantic side with calm, clear water and spectacular sunset views. It is also one of the primary nesting beaches in the Middle Keys for Loggerhead Sea Turtles, which come ashore from late spring through early fall to lay their eggs. The beach is well-maintained, uncrowded, and dog-friendly, which made it a favorite destination for our daily walks with Jake the dog.
Crane Point Museum & Nature Center, Marathon
Crane Point Museum and Nature Center is an unexpected gem in the middle of Marathon — a 63-acre preserve of native hardwood hammock, mangroves, and tropical forest that somehow feels a world away from the highway that runs past its entrance. The 1.5-mile trail through the preserve leads past restored historic structures including a 1920s Conch-style house, a museum with natural history exhibits, and a touch tank with local marine life. It is dog-friendly, which meant Jake the dog could join us for the full walk. We spotted a resident Gopher Tortoise on the grounds, which Jake found fascinating and appropriately puzzling.
Frank’s Grill in Marathon has a strip-mall location that undersells what’s inside: consistently excellent food, with fresh local fish and tender steaks that rival anything in fancier restaurants. It is the kind of place locals know about and visitors stumble upon with great luck. We went twice.
Key West
Key West is about an hour’s drive southwest from Grassy Key, and exploring Duval Street again was as entertaining as ever. There is something for everyone in Key West — from the sublime to the ridiculous — and the outdoor restaurants with live music, the colorful architecture, and the general sense that normal rules don’t quite apply here all contribute to a vibe that is uniquely its own. If we had been staying in Key West itself, we certainly would have spent more time there.
Visitor Information
Grassy Key RV Park & Resort
Grassy Key RV Park & Resort is at 58671 Overseas Highway, Marathon, FL 33050 (Mile Marker 58.7 Gulfside), phone (305) 289-1606. Full hookups, waterfront sites, and direct Gulf views. Visit grassykeyrvpark.com for rates and reservations. Book well in advance for winter stays — sites go quickly.
National Key Deer Refuge & Blue Hole
The National Key Deer Refuge Nature Center is at 30587 Overseas Highway, Big Pine Key, FL 33043, phone (305) 872-0774. The Nature Center is open Wednesday through Saturday, 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. The refuge grounds and Blue Hole are open daily from a half hour before sunrise to a half hour after sunset. Admission is free. No Name Key (the best spot for Key Deer sightings) is accessible via a bridge from Big Pine Key — take Key Deer Boulevard north from the Overseas Highway. Visit fws.gov/refuge/national-key-deer for current information.
No Name Pub
No Name Pub is at 30813 Watson Blvd, Big Pine Key, FL 33043, phone (305) 872-9115. Open daily 11:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. Cash and cards accepted. Visit nonamepub.com. Bring a dollar bill to sign and add to the walls — and bring an appetite.
Sombrero Beach
Sombrero Beach is located at the end of Sombrero Beach Road off the Overseas Highway in Marathon, FL 33050. Open daily sunrise to sunset. Admission is free. The beach has restrooms, picnic facilities, and a playground. Leashed dogs are welcome. From May through October, the beach is part of a sea turtle nesting monitoring program — watch for marked nesting areas and respect any taped-off sections.
Crane Point Museum & Nature Center
Crane Point Museum and Nature Center is at 5550 Overseas Highway, Marathon, FL 33050, phone (305) 743-9100. Open Monday through Saturday 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Sunday noon to 5:00 p.m. Admission is $17.95 for adults (veterans receive a $2.00 discount). The 1.5-mile nature trail through the 63-acre hammock preserve is dog-friendly with a leash. Visit cranepoint.net.
Practical Tips for the Middle Keys
Book your RV site as early as possible. Waterfront sites in the Florida Keys fill months in advance during the winter season (December through March). Grassy Key RV Park is small and popular — if you have a specific date range in mind, reach out as soon as you know your plans.
Go slow through Big Pine Key. Key Deer are active at dawn and dusk and frequently cross the roads on Big Pine and No Name Keys. Speed limits drop to 35 mph (and lower in some areas) specifically to protect the deer — obey them. Collisions are a leading cause of Key Deer mortality.
Do not feed the Key Deer. It is illegal to feed Key Deer and carries significant fines. Feeding habituates them to humans and roads, which increases their mortality risk. Observe them from a respectful distance and let them be wild.
Bring cash to No Name Pub. While cards are accepted, the dollar-bill tradition at No Name Pub is more fun with actual cash. Sign your dollar, write where you’re from, and add it to the collection. It is a tradition worth participating in.
Plan your internet access in advance. Cell and wifi coverage in the Middle Keys can be inconsistent. If reliable internet is critical for remote work, have a backup plan — a cellular hotspot with a good carrier makes a significant difference.
Marathon is your base for everything. Grassy Key has almost nothing in the way of services, but Marathon — just a short drive away — has grocery stores, pharmacies, hardware stores, restaurants, and boat rentals. Stock up when you’re heading out to your site to minimize unnecessary trips.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is the best place to see Key Deer?
The best places are No Name Key and Big Pine Key, both accessible from the Overseas Highway. No Name Key tends to have particularly reliable sightings — drive slowly through the residential areas at dawn or dusk and you are very likely to spot them. The Blue Hole area on Big Pine Key is also productive. The National Key Deer Refuge Nature Center staff can advise on current hotspots when you arrive.
Is Grassy Key a good base for exploring the Florida Keys?
It is excellent. From Grassy Key you can easily reach Marathon (5–10 minutes), Big Pine Key and No Name Key (20–30 minutes), Key Largo and the Everglades (1 hour north), and Key West (1 hour south). It sits in the geographic middle of the island chain, which makes day trips in either direction practical. The waterfront setting and relative quiet also make it a wonderful place to simply base and relax between excursions.
What is the No Name Pub tradition?
Since at least the 1980s, visitors to No Name Pub have been signing dollar bills and stapling them to the walls and ceiling. The pub’s staff estimates that over $400,000 in bills now covers virtually every surface inside. You sign your name, write where you’re from, and add your dollar to the collection. It sounds simple, but seeing the layered history of thousands of visitors from around the world covering every inch of the interior is genuinely memorable.
Is Crane Point Museum worth visiting?
Absolutely, especially if you have any interest in natural history, native ecosystems, or Keys history. The 63-acre hammock preserve is one of the last undisturbed tracts of native tropical hammock in the Keys, and the 1.5-mile trail through it feels completely removed from the highway just outside. The restored historic structures are fascinating, the touch tank is fun for families, and the pace is peaceful and unhurried. Dogs are welcome on the trail, which is a bonus for traveling pet owners.
What is Sombrero Beach like?
Sombrero Beach is a free public beach on the Atlantic side of Marathon with calm, clear water and a pleasant, uncrowded atmosphere. It is one of the nicer beaches in the Middle Keys — well-maintained, with good facilities — and it sits on the Atlantic rather than the Gulf, so the water can be beautifully clear for swimming and snorkeling near the reef. From late spring through early fall, it is an active sea turtle nesting beach, monitored by local conservation volunteers.
