Easter in Key West: Egg Roll, Worship and Dining

Easter in Key West offers three distinct ways to mark the holiday: the family Easter Egg Roll at the Truman Little White House, worship at the Basilica of St Mary Star of the Sea and a restaurant meal. Include the Saturday before Easter in your stay if the Egg Roll is your priority. Sunday is the day for Easter worship and brunch, rather than a repeat of the children’s event.

You can combine these activities without making the whole weekend a scheduled celebration. Choose the public event or service that matters to you, then arrange accommodation and any reserved meal around it. Four Marlins at The Reach is one holiday dining option, including for visitors staying elsewhere.

Easter dates and local programmes

Easter Sunday

First Sunday after the Paschal full moon, the first ecclesiastical full moon on or after 21 March

Possible months

March or April

Local activity span

Saturday before Easter through Easter Sunday

Egg Roll participation

Free for all ages

Dining

Paid separately

The Easter calendar uses an ecclesiastical calculation, so the date moves rather than returning on the same weekend each year. Choose your travel dates around Easter Sunday, not a fixed April weekend. The local activity span covers separate events, not a continuous festival with one admission ticket.

The Truman Little White House publishes the Egg Roll programme on its official website, on the annual Easter Egg Roll event page. That is the programme to use when planning a family visit. Arrange your stay to include the event itself, rather than arriving in Key West only for Sunday brunch.

The Easter Egg Roll and worship

Moment	Day	Usual time	Venue
Easter Egg Roll	Saturday before Easter	9am–11am	Truman Little White House
Easter worship	Easter Sunday	—	Basilica of St Mary Star of the Sea

The annual Truman Little White House Easter Egg Roll gives children an active way to join the holiday, with the egg roll itself alongside arts and crafts. Live music and refreshments make it a family outing rather than simply a children’s race. Easter Bunny photographs and a commemorative wooden Easter egg for each child are also part of the programme.

Accompanying adults and siblings can come together, making the event a shared family outing. Plan for the outdoor activity with sun protection and water, and leave room for children to enjoy the crafts rather than treating the roll as the only reason to attend. Event participation is separate from an ordinary museum visit, so decide whether the children’s programme or the house itself is your priority.

The Basilica of St Mary Star of the Sea offers a different way to experience Easter: joining a working parish for Mass. Visitors are welcome at worship, but this is a religious service rather than a sightseeing session. Arrive ready to take a seat and participate respectfully, and save photographs and casual exploration for outside worship.

The parish publishes its Easter service programme in the current bulletin, reached through the “current bulletin” link on the Basilica website. Use the service you choose to shape your Sunday plans, allowing time to arrive and settle before it begins.

Easter brunch and holiday dining

Four Marlins at The Reach offers an oceanfront setting for an Easter meal, with an à la carte brunch, meaning you order individual dishes rather than take a fixed buffet. Easter specials and bottomless mimosas are part of its holiday offer. You do not need to stay at The Reach to reserve brunch, so the restaurant can be part of your Sunday even if your accommodation is elsewhere.

The Reach publishes the dining programme on its official website, on the “Celebrate Easter in Paradise at The Reach Key West” news page. Its “Reserve Now” link leads to OpenTable for online reservations. Choose a meal time that leaves space after worship, rather than needing to leave a service early to reach the table.

For a general Key West meal budget, allow roughly $25–$45 per person for an ordinary casual restaurant meal, or around $50–$100 for a special holiday meal with drinks, before tax and tip. A simple main course keeps the bill lower, while several courses, seafood and cocktails push it up. An à la carte brunch lets you choose the size of the meal, but drinks can still make it a substantial expense.

Rooms and reservations

Choose your Easter activities first, accommodation second and the reserved meal third. That order keeps your arrival date tied to the celebration you want, while allowing you to select brunch around worship rather than the reverse.

For a private double room per night for two adults, budget roughly $250–$400 for simpler accommodation away from the most sought-after Old Town locations, or $400–$700 or more for central boutique rooms and waterfront resorts. These are Easter planning estimates before taxes and resort charges. Location, room size and a water view can change the total substantially.

Getting around at Easter

Key West Transit operates on Easter Sunday, so the holiday does not mean a system-wide bus closure. Walking is a useful choice from nearby accommodation, while a taxi or bus can suit a longer trip across the island.

For the Truman Little White House, the Basilica or Four Marlins, decide how you will arrive before setting off. Driving adds the search for parking to the outing, and arrival queues can take away time you wanted at the event. Leave a gap before a reserved meal rather than planning to reach the restaurant immediately after another activity finishes.

Sources & fact-checking

Checks against the sources below cover: services, key figures, and opening hours.

• Celebrate Easter in Paradise at The Reach Key West
• The Reach Key West — key figures
• City of Key West Department of Transportation — service
• Key West Harry S. Truman Foundation — service
• United States Conference of Catholic Bishops — opening hours
• Florida Keys Tourism Council — opening hours
• Dining at The Reach Key West
• The Basilica of Saint Mary Star of the Sea — opening hours