Higgs Beach

Higgs Beach runs along the Atlantic side of Key West on White Street and Reynolds Road, and the section near the White Street Pier has served as the island's gay beach for as long as Key West has been a gay destination. The beach is modest in scale — this is a small island, and the beaches are nothing like the broad strand of Miami Beach — but the water is the brilliant turquoise of the Florida Keys, the snorkelling off the pier is accessible, and the scene on a summer afternoon or a warm winter day is the relaxed, clothing-minimal outdoor social life that Key West does better than almost anywhere in America. The White Street Pier extending into the Atlantic gives the beach a distinctive focal point and a good vantage point for watching the ocean. The nearby Higgs Beach facilities include picnic areas, a small playground, and a beach bar. The beach is a fifteen-minute walk from Duval Street. For gay visitors to Key West, an afternoon at Higgs Beach combines well with the nearby Casa Marina area and provides a quieter alternative to the bar-heavy atmosphere of Duval Street.