Marathon

1. A Deep Blue Dive Center

Located in the city of Key Colony Beach, A Deep Blue Dive Center offers a variety of water-based activities including snorkeling and scuba diving excursions, snorkeling and scuba-diving courses and lessons, and dolphin and whale watching cruises. Daily trips are offered on one of three fully equipped vessels, namely a 34-foot, six-passenger vessel called the Turtle, a 30-foot, 22-passenger vessel called the Sea Diver, and the 45-foot Corinthian Catamaran known as the Tortuga. Two daily trips are offered daily as well as equipment sales and rentals, the use of an air station, snorkeling and scuba diving instruction, and special water-based kids camps.

400 Sadowski Causeway, Key Colony Beach, FL 33051, Phone: 800-978-DIVE or 305-743-2421

2. Catch 'Em All

Catch 'Em All is a fishing charter company that offers a range of deep sea fishing charters and excursions with Captain Jeff Shelar. Located in the middle of the Florida Keys, the Marathon-based company offers charter fishing trips that target a variety of fish, from barracuda, billfish, tarpon, and marlin to sailfish, snapper, various types of tuna, and dozens of other sportfish species. Catch ‘Em All offers a “No Fish No Pay” guarantee, ensuring guests go away happy. They also offer diving and eco tour adventures.

71 Coco Plum Dr, Marathon, FL 33050, Phone: 888-8TA-RPON

3. Crane Point Museum, Nature Center and Historic Site

Crane Point Museum, Nature Center and Historic Site is a natural history museum and nature center in Monroe County that is dedicated to showcasing the history of the region. The 63-acre tropical oasis is tucked away in the heart of the Marathon shopping district and features forests of hardwood trees, a network of nature trails, and a range of educational displays for visitors of all ages. Established on a slightly elevated patch of land known as a hammock by Bahamian immigrant, George Adderley, who set up a homestead in the early 20th century, Crane Point still boasts the beautifully restored home for visitors to explore and also offers trolley tours of the botanic gardens and historic sites around the property.

5550 Overseas Hwy, Marathon, FL 33050, Phone: 305-743-9100

4. Curry Hammock State Park

Curry Hammock State Park is a state park in the Florida Keys and the largest uninhabited piece of land between Big Pine Key and Key Largo. Established to protect large areas of mangrove swamp, seagrass beds, and rockland hammocks that are essential to the Florida Keys ecosystem, the beautifully maintained park features a beautiful mangrove creek and miles of pristine coastline with shallow, protected waters that can be easily explored by kayak or paddleboard. When the wind is up, the park offers excellent kiteboarding and windsurfing and has a 28-site campground with primitive sites. The park also offers excellent opportunities for shallow water fishing, hiking through the bayside hammock of the park, birdwatching, and a variety of ranger-led activities.

56200 Overseas Hwy, Marathon, FL 33050, Phone: 305-289-2690

5. Dolphin Research Center

The Dolphin Research Center is an education and research facility that was founded in 1984 to rescue and protect dolphins for life. The center is home to several bottlenose dolphins and California sea lions, half of whom were born at the center, while others arrived from other facilities or were rescued, rehabilitated, and deemed to be un-releasable back into the wild.

In addition to providing a home for rescued animals, the center also takes part in various conservation and educational programs, workshops, and classes to encourage the community to promote peaceful coexistence, cooperation, and communication between marine mammals, humans, and the environment.

The Dolphin Research Center, 58901 Overseas Highway | Grassy Key, FL 33050-6019

6. Florida Keys Aquarium Encounters

Florida Keys Aquarium Encounters is based at the Florida Keys Aquarium & Conservation Center and offers visitors the opportunity to enjoy up-close encounters and one-on-one interactions with a wide variety of local fish and other marine species.

The aquatic facility provides a variety of exhibits such as guided aquarium tours, a tide pool touch tank, a coral reef tank, and a predator reef tanks, while encounters range from a lagoon snorkel encounter, a shark bay encounter, a nursery encounter, stingray encounters, and private aquarium tours. The Florida Keys Aquarium & Conservation Center also offers a range of educational programs, summer camps, group and field trips, and more for visitors of all ages.

11710 Overseas Hwy, Marathon, FL 33050, Phone: 305-407-3262