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Anne’s Beach in Islamorada: calm, shallow water, and leashed dogs welcome

The short answer

Anne's Beach, at Mile Marker 73.5 on Lower Matecumbe Key in the Florida Keys, is the Village of Islamorada's calm, shallow beach where leashed dogs are welcome. The Village lists it as open sunrise to sunset with no entry fee posted, as posted October 24, 2026. No grills, no fishing, no motor boats, and no lifeguards posted; swim at your own risk.

By the Florida Keys Beaches Editorial Team4 min read Last checked November 1, 2026

Narrow strip of pale sand curving along the edge of dense green mangrove and buttonwood trees on the right, with a band of brown seagrass wrack at the waterline. Very clear, pale green-to-turquoise shallow water fills the left half and runs to a flat horizon under a mostly cloudy sky. A few small figures sit on the sand in the middle distance; the backs of two heads are cut off at the bottom-right corner.
Photo: Abujoy, CC BY 3.0 (cropped)

Anne’s Beach is the Islamorada beach people have in mind when they ask for water that barely moves. The Village of Islamorada runs it, and its parks page describes little to no wave action over a shallow swimming area the Village calls great for young children and dogs. Put those two together and you have something uncommon in the Keys, where several of the beach parks we track either say nothing about dogs or keep them off the sand. We read the Village’s Parks & Beaches page on October 24, 2026, and everything below comes from it unless we name another operator.

TL;DR, checked October 24, 2026

Anne’s Beach sits at Mile Marker 73.5, Oceanside, on Lower Matecumbe Key. The Village of Islamorada lists it as open sunrise to sunset, as posted October 24, 2026, with leashed dogs permitted and a shallow, calm swimming area. The Village posted no entry fee. No grills, no fishing, no motor boats, and the Village posts no lifeguards.

Where it is, and what the Village rebuilt

The Village places Anne’s Beach at Mile Marker 73.5 on the ocean side of Lower Matecumbe Key. Hurricane Irma destroyed the earlier park, and the Village replaced it in full. It reopened on August 23, 2019, with 300 feet of boardwalk, six pavilions and a restroom at the north parking lot. Parking is paved, and the picnic tables are covered.

The six pavilions and the covered tables are the shade on offer. The Village page does not mention chair or umbrella rentals, so bring your own shade in case every pavilion is in use when you arrive. The restroom is at the north parking lot, which is worth knowing before you pick a spot.

Calm, shallow water, in the Village’s words

The Village keeps its description short: little to no wave action, and a shallow swimming area. For a parent with a toddler, shallow and calm water is what lets an adult stay within arm’s reach of a small swimmer without fighting a shore break. It is still open water. The Village’s own line is swim at your own risk, and none of the beach operators we checked, the Village included, posts lifeguards.

  • Anne's Beach is open sunrise to sunset with little to no wave action and a shallow swimming area the Village calls great for young children and dogs. Paved parking, boardwalk, covered picnic tables and public restrooms. Swim at your own risk. Dogs permitted, must be leashed. No motor boats or PWC, no open flame or grill, no fishing. Islamorada, Village of Islands: Parks & Beaches
  • Not confirmed: None of the beach operators we checked posts lifeguards; swim at your own risk and confirm with the operator.

The dog rules, and how fast they change down the road

Dogs are permitted at Anne’s Beach and must be leashed, per the Village. Do not assume the rule carries over to the next park you pass. Library Beach Park on Windley Key, also a Village park, permits no dogs. At Monroe County’s Harry Harris Park in Tavernier, leashed pets are allowed, but not on the beach area. In Marathon, the City says all of its parks are dog friendly on a leash, except the Community Park soccer and baseball fields, and owners must pick up after their dogs.

Our dog-friendly beaches page keeps the operator wording for every beach in the inventory, including the many where no dog rule is posted at all. Where a page is silent, we say so and leave the call to the operator rather than guessing.

What you cannot do there

  • No motor boats or personal watercraft.
  • No open flame or grill, so pack food that does not need cooking.
  • No fishing.
  • Swim at your own risk.

The no-grill rule is the one that catches people out. The same Village page lists a pavilion with grills at Library Beach Park, a small beach overlooking a mangrove-lined creek. If a cookout is the plan, that is the Village’s grill option, with the trade that dogs stay home.

Hours, fees and who to call

The Village of Islamorada lists Anne’s Beach as open sunrise to sunset, as posted October 24, 2026. The parks page we read posted no entry or parking fee for it. Library Beach Park keeps different hours, 8 a.m. to sunset with the restroom closing at 5 p.m., as the Village posted them October 24, 2026.

Village parks are maintained by the Public Works Department at 305-852-6933. That is the number for a closed restroom, a question about a rule, or a check on conditions before you drive down.

Other Islamorada beach names you will see

The Village lists ten parks on about 105 acres, including Founders Park, Library Beach Park, Sea Oats Beach and Anne’s Beach. Two beach names come up in other guides that we could not pin down. Sea Oats Beach is on the Village list, but we found no posted hours or facilities for it, so anything beyond the name is not confirmed. A public Whale Harbor beach is also not confirmed by any operator page we read. Founders Park is the Village’s large community park; ask Public Works about its water access.

  • The Village of Islamorada owns and maintains ten parks on about 105 acres, including Founders Park, Library Beach Park, Sea Oats Beach and Anne's Beach. Islamorada, Village of Islands: Habitat
  • Not confirmed: Sea Oats Beach is on the Village's park list; we had not found posted hours or facilities when we checked.
  • Not confirmed: We could not confirm a public Whale Harbor beach; the confirmed Islamorada beach parks are Anne's Beach and Library Beach Park.

For both confirmed Islamorada beach parks side by side, see our Islamorada beaches page, or filter every beach in the Keys by island and dog rule in the beach finder.

Anne’s Beach questions

Is Anne's Beach in Islamorada good for kids?

The Village of Islamorada says Anne's Beach (Mile Marker 73.5 Oceanside) has little to no wave action and a shallow swimming area great for young children and dogs, with a 300-foot boardwalk, six pavilions, covered picnic tables, public restrooms and paved parking. It is open sunrise to sunset; swim at your own risk.

Source: Islamorada, Village of Islands: Parks & Beaches

Are dogs allowed at Anne's Beach?

Yes. The Village says dogs are permitted at Anne's Beach and must be leashed. By contrast, dogs are not permitted at Library Beach Park in Windley Key, and leashed pets are allowed at Harry Harris Park but excluded from its beach area.

Source: Islamorada, Village of Islands: Parks & Beaches

Written by the Florida Keys Beaches Editorial Team. Some content may be AI-generated. People check every fact before it publishes.

Dates, rules and hours can change. The organisers have the final word: Florida State Parks (official site)

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