Clarence S. Higgs Memorial Beach in Key West

Anchoring the western end of Higgs Beach at 1100 Atlantic Boulevard, West Martello Tower is a vaulted brick coastal fortress constructed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers beginning in 1863. Designed as part of Key West's coastal defenses alongside Fort Zachary Taylor and East Martello Tower, the fortification never saw combat and fell into disrepair by the mid-20th century.

In 1955, the Key West Garden Club stepped in to save the brick ruins from demolition, transforming the arched casemates, gunpowder magazines, and courtyard into a world-class botanical paradise. Today, visitors can wander winding brick pathways beneath a canopy of native strangler figs, royal poincianas, bromeliads, rare palms, and hundreds of blooming orchids mounted directly to the weathered 19th-century brickwork. Admission is free (donations gratefully accepted), and an oceanview gazebo atop the old gun mount offers sweeping vistas of the Atlantic.

Higgs Beach is home to one of the most profound historical memorials in the United States. In the spring of 1860, the U.S. Navy intercepted three illegal American slave ships—the Wildfire, the William, and the Bogota—bound for Cuba with over 1,400 captive Africans on board. The rescued Africans were brought to Key West, where the federal government built temporary housing for them along this beach while negotiating their return to Africa.

Tragically, 295 of the rescued individuals (primarily children and young adults) succumbed to cholera, dysentery, and starvation caused by horrific conditions during the Atlantic crossing. They were buried with solemn honors in the beach sands. Rediscovered using ground-penetrating radar in 2002, the African Cemetery at Higgs Beach is now commemorated with a moving outdoor memorial featuring engraved granite pedestals, bronze boundary bands, and traditional West African adinkra symbols honoring their memory.

Extending straight out from the sands, the wooden Reynolds Street Pier is a favorite stroll for fishermen, photographers, and pelicans. Looking over the railings into the translucent blue-green water, you will regularly spot small bonnethead sharks, spotted eagle rays, and needlefish patrolling the seabed.

The swimming area at Higgs Beach is protected and shallow, with a soft sandbar running parallel to the beach. Paddleboard and kayak rentals are available from local beach shacks, and two public fenced dog parks (one for small dogs, one for large dogs) sit directly across the lawn.