Florida Keys Fun – Marathon Seafood Festival

If you are looking for fun, sun, and seafood, head down to Marathon in the Florida Keys the weekend of March 10-11, 2012. Those are the dates for the annual Original Marathon Seafood Festival, which drew a crowd last year of almost 25,000. This is Marathon’s largest event and the second largest event in the Keys.

What You Need to Know

Since 1976, local commercial fishermen have been celebrating their catches with this festival, which originally was held in a parking lot in the center of Marathon near the current Publix Supermarket. These days, the festival takes place at Marathon Community Park, located at Mile Marker 49 on the Overseas Highway. Hours are from 10 a.m. till 9 p.m. Saturday and 11 a.m. till 5 p.m. Sunday, and you are guaranteed to have a great time in Marathon. For a $5 admission charge (kids under 10 are free), you can’t beat it for a fun weekend.

Fun for Kids and Adults

The Original Marathon Seafood Festival offers something for all ages, with all-day live entertainment and over 200 vendors. For the kids there is a rock climbing wall, rides, and other games as well as arts and crafts. There will be plenty of shopping available with jewelry, fashions, T-shirts, and souvenirs from the Keys.

Seafood Choices

But the real draw is the fresh seafood right off the commercial fishermen’s boats, and it doesn’t get any fresher. All the seafood cooked at the festival is from the waters around Marathon, and you have your choice from lobster to stone crab. For reasonable prices, much lower than in most mainland seafood restaurants, you can feast on seafood dinners of shrimp, grouper, oysters, crab claws, and more. Are you hungry yet?

The Heart of the Keys

Marathon, considered to be “the heart of the Keys,” has always been known for its fishing rather than sandy beaches, and it is a very laidback place without all the crowds and touristy attractions that Key West claims. I stayed in Marathon a few months ago and totally loved the relaxed atmosphere and friendliness of the locals. Marathon is also in a great location because it isn’t that far if you do want to check out Key West for a few hours. Of course, you can’t deny that watching the sunset from the Seven Mile Bridge is an awesome experience.

Where to Stay

It’s a good idea to start looking for hotel reservations now, and the Marathon Chamber of Commerce has a list of places to stay on and around Marathon. The Florida Keys are a great travel destination, and the Original Marathon Seafood festival is a perfect excuse to plan your next vacation in the sun.


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