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If you are visiting Miami soon, then you have to go to the Florida Keys!
This string of tropical islands sits at the very southern tip of the continental USA, and there is genuinely nowhere else like it.
This is one of my favourite places in the whole of the United States and I’m genuinely so excited for you!
The Keys are made up of over 1,700 islands, stretching along the Overseas Highway from Key Largo all the way down to Key West.
🗒️ Planning a trip to the Keys?
Whether you are already in the Keys or just want the short version of this article, here is the practical information you need to know.
☀️ Top Experiences To Book in Advance in the Florida Keys:
- Mangroves and Manatees – Guided Kayak Eco Tour in Tavernier (incredible 5-star experience! – my personal fave)
- Key West Sunset Sail with Full Bar, Live Music & Hors D’oeuvres (most popular cruise)
- Dolphin Watching and Snorkeling Eco Cruise Tour
🛌 Top Hotel in the Keys: Simonton Court Historic Inn & Cottages in Key West
🚗 Need a car?
Click here to see the best car rental rates in the Keys.
The main stops are Key Largo, Islamorada, Marathon, Big Pine Key and Key West — each one has its own personality and its own reasons to stop.
And the drive down from Miami? It’s half the experience. I’ve written a full guide to the Miami to Key West road trip if you need help planning that leg.
1. Drive the Seven Mile Bridge
📍 Marathon — Best for: everyone, seriously
This is one of the most iconic drives in America and it’s completely free.
The original bridge was built between 1909 and 1912 as part of Henry Flagler’s Overseas Railroad — the extraordinary engineering project that first connected the Keys to mainland Florida.
After the 1935 Labor Day Hurricane devastated the railroad, the roadbed was converted into a highway.
The current bridge you drive on opened in 1982, and the old original bridge still stands right beside it — now open to pedestrians and cyclists.
Seven miles of nothing but open ocean in every direction.
If you’re driving, it genuinely feels like you’re about to take off.
If you’re in the passenger seat, keep your eyes open for dolphins jumping in the water below.
Stop at the small rest areas just before and after the bridge — they’re perfect photo spots and the views are breathtaking.
2. Kayaking or Paddling in the Mangroves
📍 Key Largo / Tavernier — Best for: all levels — ✅ Book here
If you visit the Keys and don’t get out on the water at least once, you’ve missed the whole point.
I went on a 2-hour kayaking guided tour in Tavernier and it’s genuinely one of the best things I’ve done in Florida.
My guide Steve was passionate, knowledgeable and clearly loved the ecosystem he was showing us around.
The tour starts out in the open sea — pelicans, birds, upside-down jellyfish, and if you’re lucky, manatees.
Then you head into the mangroves, paddling through a narrow canal for about an hour.
It’s unlike anything else.
You’ll also spot crabs, herons, and if you’re very lucky (or unlucky, depending on your feelings about it), crocodiles.
You can choose a single kayak, double kayak or a paddleboard.
I’ve also written a full guide to the best places for kayaking in Florida if you want to plan more water adventures beyond the Keys.
3. Exploring Duval Street in Key West
📍 Key West — Best for: bars, food, nightlife
When you arrive in Key West, head straight to Duval Street.
It’s the main strip through downtown and it’s where everything happens — bars, restaurants, live music, street performers, all of it.
Key West has a very specific energy that’s hard to describe until you’ve been there, and Duval Street is the best place to feel it.
You’ll find every kind of bar imaginable.
Roosters crossing the road, live bands spilling out onto the pavement, people carrying their drinks in the street — all completely normal here.
Most places run happy hours and you’re allowed to drink outside, so just pick a spot and enjoy.
If you want to do it properly, a a cocktail crawl on and around Duval is a brilliant way to spend an evening.
4. John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park
📍 Key Largo — Best for: snorkelling, diving, glass-bottom boats
This is America’s first underwater state park and it’s in Key Largo, which makes it the perfect first stop as you drive into the Keys.
The Florida Keys are home to the only living coral reef on the North American continent, and John Pennekamp is your best access point to it.
It won’t quite blow you away the way the Great Barrier Reef does, but it’s genuinely beautiful and it’s unlike anything else you’ll find on this side of the world.
The best ways to experience it are by snorkelling, kayaking or a glass-bottom boat tour.
You don’t need a diving licence for the snorkelling tours — just show up. Click here for more information and prices.
There are also hiking trails if you want to explore on land.
Entry to the park is $8 per vehicle.
5. Spot the Key Deer in Big Pine Key
📍 Big Pine Key — Best for: wildlife lovers
The Florida Keys are a unique ecosystem on land as well as in the water, and one of the most special things about Big Pine Key is the Key deer.
These are an endangered subspecies of white-tailed deer, found only in the Lower Florida Keys.
They’re tiny — roughly the size of a large dog — and they wander around freely, including through people’s gardens and along the roadside.
Just drive slowly through Big Pine Key and keep your eyes open.
You’ll find them.
6. Grab a Drink at the No Name Pub
📍 Big Pine Key
While you’re on Big Pine Key, go a bit further down the road to No Name Pub.
Most visitors don’t bother, which is exactly why you should.
It’s one of my favourite hidden gems in Florida — a wonderfully weird, dollar-bill-plastered pub in the middle of nowhere that feels like it belongs in a film.
Going this far also pretty much guarantees you’ll spot Key deer on the way.
It’s only a few miles detour and it’ll absolutely make your day.
7. Go To Bahia Honda State Park
📍 Bahia Honda Key / Big Pine Key — Best for: beaches, birdwatching, boat tours
Bahia Honda is one of the best state parks in the Florida Keys.
It has some of the whitest sand beaches in the Keys, it’s a great snorkelling spot, and it’s a paradise for birdwatchers — herons, hawks, osprey.
There’s also a beautiful walking trail from the Calusa area up to the Old Bahia Honda Bridge, and the state park organises its own boat tours out on the surrounding water.
It’s the kind of place where you plan to stop for an hour and end up staying all afternoon.
8. Catch the Sunset at Mallory Square
📍 Key West — Best for: everyone, free
Every evening in Key West, people gather at Mallory Square on the north-west tip of the island to watch the sunset together.
It’s free, it’s atmospheric, and it’s one of those experiences that is genuinely as good as it sounds.
Street performers, live music, people in excellent moods — the whole place comes alive in the hour before and after the sun goes down.
Get there at least 30 minutes early to secure a good spot.
If you prefer to avoid the crowd, the bar on the right-hand side of the square has its own terrace on the docks — better view, fewer people, still with live music, and drinks at normal prices.
Both options are great, honestly.
9. Try Snuba Diving
📍 Key West — Best for: non-divers who want to go a bit deeper
No diving licence and no plans to get one?
Snuba is for you.
It’s a cross between snorkeling and scuba diving — you’re not carrying a tank on your back, but instead you’re connected to an air supply at the surface via a long hose.
It lets you dive properly without any of the certification faff.
It’s genuinely unusual — you won’t easily find it elsewhere — and it’s a great way to get the best of both worlds.
10. Eat a key lime pie
📍 Key West and throughout the Keys — Best for: everyone
Key lime pie is Florida’s official state pie and it’s strongly associated with Key West and the Keys.
You cannot leave without trying one.
The best places:
- Key West Key Lime Pie Co — a dedicated shop and an institution; their chocolate-dipped slice on a stick is perfect for eating while you walk around
- Kermit’s Key West Key Lime Shoppe — another Key West favourite, great for a proper sit-down slice
- Blue Heaven — the most iconic spot in Key West for key lime pie, especially if you eat in the outdoor courtyard with live music and the occasional rooster
- Green Turtle Inn — if you’re stopping in Islamorada, this legendary restaurant has been serving key lime pie for over 75 years and it’s one of the best in the Keys
11. Go on a Day Trip to Dry Tortugas National Park
📍 70 miles west of Key West — Best for: nature and history, the adventurous
If you only do one day trip from Key West, make it this one.
Dry Tortugas is a remote group of islands 70 miles west of Key West, accessible only by ferry or seaplane.
It’s completely worth the effort.
Fort Jefferson is your starting point — a massive hexagonal fortress built from 16 million bricks, used as a Civil War prison for Union deserters.
Its most famous prisoner was Dr. Samuel Mudd, convicted for his role in the assassination of President Lincoln.
From there, you can snorkel or dive in some of the most pristine, untouched water in Florida.
The marine life is extraordinary.
12. Visit the Turtle Hospital and Dolphin Research Center
📍 Marathon — Best for: families, animal lovers
Marathon is the best place in the Keys to get close to marine animals in a genuinely responsible way.
The Turtle Hospital takes in injured and sick sea turtles, rehabilitates them and releases them back into the wild.
The Dolphin Research Center focuses on conservation, education and research.
At both places, you’ll get real information from the people who actually care for these animals.
Not only will you come away having learned something, but you’ll also leave knowing the animals you saw are being treated well.
13. Eat at Robbie’s of Islamorada
📍 Islamorada — Best for: a fun, laid-back stop
Robbie’s is an Islamorada institution and it’s way more than a restaurant.
Yes, there’s food — good food, with a great terrace over the water.
But there’s also an open-air market, water sports, and the chance to hand-feed the tarpons that gather just below the docks.
These fish are enormous, and throwing them a bucket of bait is one of those silly, brilliant things that everyone ends up absolutely loving.
14. Visit the Museums in Key West
📍 Key West — Best for: history and culture lovers
Key West has always attracted artists, writers and eccentrics, so it’s no surprise it has a great museum scene.
The ones worth visiting:
- The Ernest Hemingway Home
- Key West Art & Historical Society
- Truman Little White House
- Mel Fisher Maritime Museum
- Key West Shipwreck Museum
If you are into history and culture, you may also want to consider going on a ghost tour or a history walking tour.
Key West’s past is genuinely fascinating and these tours are incredibly interesting.
15. Sombrero Beach and Reef
📍 Marathon — Best for: a relaxed beach day with optional snorkelling
People often expect the Keys to be all about beautiful beaches, and while there are some lovely ones, the real draw here is the water activities rather than the sand.
If it’s beaches you’re after, you’ll find Florida’s finest further north.
That said, Marathon’s Sombrero Beach is genuinely lovely and a great spot to slow down for an afternoon.
And if you feel like snorkelling, the Sombrero Reef just offshore is well worth a visit.
16. Visit Pigeon Key
📍 Under the Seven Mile Bridge, Marathon — Best for: history lovers
Pigeon Key is a tiny 5-acre island tucked just beneath the old Seven Mile Bridge, and it’s one of those places most people drive straight past.
That’s a shame, because it has a great story.
This is where the 400-plus workers who built Flagler’s Overseas Railroad actually lived during construction, from around 1908 to 1912.
Three dormitories, a mess hall, a bakery and a commissary, all crammed onto a tiny island in the middle of the ocean.
Working conditions were brutal — 10-hour days, six days a week, $1.50 a day.
It was listed as a National Historic Landmark in 1990.
If you want the full story, the guided tour is absolutely worth doing.
17. Visit the History of Diving Museum
📍 Islamorada — Best for: diving enthusiasts, curious visitors
The History of Diving Museum is a bit niche, but it’s brilliant.
It covers centuries of diving history through photos, equipment and some genuinely strange artefacts from across the world.
There’s even a Helium Bar — kids love it, and adults are usually equally delighted.
It’s on the Overseas Highway in Islamorada, right next to the Publix, so easy to find.
Open every day from 10am to 5pm (closed on Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s Day).
Entry is $15 for adults.
18. Go Wreck Diving
📍 Key West — Best for: certified divers
Key West is one of the world’s great wreck diving destinations, and the star of the show is the Vandenberg.
The USNS Vandenberg is a 523-foot former missile-tracking ship — she tracked the Mercury, Gemini and Apollo space missions during the Cold War.
In 2009, she was deliberately sunk about 7 miles south of Key West to create an artificial reef.
She’s now rated the number one wreck dive in the world by Scuba Diving Magazine, and she’s home to hundreds of species of fish and coral.
She sits in 140 feet of water and is open to Open Water certified divers aged 15 and up.
19. Visit the Blue Hole
📍 Big Pine Key — Best for: a quiet nature stop that most people skip
The Blue Hole is the largest freshwater lake in the Florida Keys — which sounds strange for a place entirely surrounded by saltwater.
It’s an old limestone quarry that’s filled with fresh water over time.
Because freshwater is lighter than saltwater, it floats on top of the groundwater to form this clear, calm lake.
You’ll find alligators, turtles, Key deer and all kinds of birds around the water’s edge.
There are a few short walking trails that are well worth doing.
It’s quiet, it’s free, and it’s one of those stops that most people rush past on their way to Key West.
Don’t rush past it.
Map of the Best Things To Do in the Florida Keys
I hope this guide helps you plan the most amazing trip to the Florida Keys.
Whether you’re spending a long weekend in Key West or doing the full drive from Miami, there is so much to discover here.
Where To Stay In The Florida Keys
Where to stay in Key Largo
💵 Holiday Inn Key Largo — one of the best value options in Key Largo. Not cheap by most standards, but solid value for the Keys.
💵💵 Kawama Yacht Club Apartment — beautiful views, beach access and a pool.
💵💵💵 Playa Largo Resort & Spa, Autograph Collection — beach cabanas, hot tub, pools. The full package.
Where to stay in Islamorada
💵💵 Treasure Harbor Resort & Marina — a unique boathouse experience with parking and AC.
💵💵💵 Anglers Reef Paradise — a beautiful holiday home with pool and private parking.
Where to stay in Marathon
💵 Coconut Cay Resort — great value, pool access and kayaks included. Quiet and friendly.
💵💵 Key Breeze Hideaway — a secluded villa with garden and patio, perfect for a relaxing stay.
💵💵💵 Isla Bella Beach Resort & Spa — private beach, all the facilities, the works.
Where to stay in Key West
💵💵 Courtney’s Place Historic Cottages & Inns — a minute from Duval Street, ideally located.
💵💵💵 Simonton Court Historic Inn & Cottages — a gorgeous inn in the Key West historic centre, with pool. My top pick.
So? Are you ready to make the best of your trip to the Florida keys?
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