Crane Point Hammock, Marathon FL

What do flowers, honey, and fish pedicures have in common? You can find them all at Crane Point Hammock! Located in Marathon, Florida on my favorite Key, this is an absolute paradise!

When we first arrived, we were amazed at the beautiful tropical flowers blooming. Multiple varieties of orchids caught our eye, each one as beautiful as the last. We were captivated by the gorgeous colors and unique shapes of each one.

The Crane Point Museum and Nature Center sits on 63 acres in Marathon, FL. It’s quiet, full of nature, and was an incredible experience for our family.

Before we went into the museum and nature center, we wanted to stop and learn about the railroad car out front. We were excited to learn about the history of Marathon. In 1908, Marathon began as a stopover and shipping terminal for the Flagler Railway. Juliana was intrigued since she learned about the Flagler Railway last year in history. It was interesting to learn that Marathon was the construction headquarters while the Seven Mile Bridge was built to transport people and supplies to Key West. I thought it was super cool to see the Golden Orb Weaver spider that we tried to find at Long Key State Park, but were unsuccessful. We also enjoyed seeing the beautiful flowers growing.

After we paid the admission, we stopped at the Lagoon and enjoyed seeing the different creatures swimming around.

Next on our agenda were the nature trails and hiking. Although they offer guided tours, we opted to find our own way around and take our time to experience everything at our pace. The maps were easy to read, so we found ourselves hiking through a beautiful forest on our way to something beyond our imagination.

The path led to a road, the road led to the Crane House. It was a really neat house with the main living quarters on the second floor so the wind could act as a natural air cooling system. It was interesting to learn about Mary and Francis Crane and their desire to protect and enhance the hammock. We also met Art (photo below) who graciously allowed us to join his group and tour the home.

After we toured the home, we went on a most excellent adventure. We followed the path and dipped our feet into the pool for a fish pedicure! So, you may be wondering what a fish pedicure is. According to their website, “Dip your toes in the tidal pool located near the Point and let these gambusia fish nibble on your feet. They will emerge shiny and new, and look like you just had a professional pedicure.” https://cranepoint.net/things-to-do-while-youre-here/

We’re always up for interesting and exciting things, so we decided to try it. There were some squeals from other people at the tidal pool, and we didn’t understand why until we felt the pedicure process. It tickled and surprised us as the gambusia fish fed on our feet. It was a unique experience to say the least! The pedicure didn’t hurt at all and after we were done, our feet really did feel quite refreshed. It was so much fun! We will definitely visit for a fish pedicure again!

After our feet were freshly cleaned by the fish, we decided to take the trail to see the Adderley House. Built in the early 1900’s, George & Olivia Adderley built this Bahamian-style home. Outside of Key West, this is the oldest house in the Keys and is on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places. It was a fascinating place to explore and we felt like we were stepping back in time as we looked around and learned about the lives of George and Olivia.

We were so happy to see that there is a bird sanctuary at Crane Point Hammock. Learning about birds and seeing their different phases of recovery before they are released is such a rewarding experience. The Marathon Wild Bird Center is also home to Rita. It was amazing to see this beautiful bald eagle who is a semi-famous YouTube star! She captivated us with her majestic presence. We also got to meet Sandra Lee of Sandra Lee Photography, and she graciously told us about the wild bird center.

The Museum & Gift Shop was our final stop for the day. In the museum, there were quite a few historical artifacts. Our favorites were the shipwreck artifacts. It was quite educational and we highly recommend taking a look! The gift shop is in the same building and we were excited to purchase some of their honey! We chose the Black Mangrove honey, but all the ones I tasted were quite delicious!

That wraps up our fun-filled day at Crane Point Hammock. If you’re interested in seeing videos of our day, including the super cool fish pedicure, you can click on the photo below or link here: Our Crane Point Hammock Adventure & Fish Pedicures!

We hope you enjoyed traveling along with us!

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We’ve also shared videos on our YouTube channel to complement this post and bring the experience to life.

Thanks so much for traveling with us, and stay tuned for more adventures with Traveling with the Trapps.

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