These new Florida Keys parks take refreshing swimming holes popular with locals and upgrade them with picnic tables, kayak launches, restrooms and parking. Both of these new parks are perfect stops along the scenic Overseas Highway.
Florida Keys Getaways
With the best beach in the Florida Keys, Bahia Honda is everyone’s favorite. We also love the park for its historic bridge, great beachfront camping and cabins.
A great day in the Florida Keys is kayaking Marathon and wild Boot Key island, where you wind through narrow mangrove tunnels and over peaceful lagoons. The unmarked trail is a fun challenge to navigate.
Rooted in the boisterous days of pirates, wreckers and rum runners, inebriation is an established ritual in Key West. Celebrate with locals at these favored watering holes away from the hordes crawling Duval Street.
Curry Hammock State Park is a hidden island in the Florida Keys near Marathon right off US 1. It has excellent camping and a swimming beach safe for kids. The park offers a kayak trail that is perfect for a short, inexpensive paddling experience. (They rent kayaks and SUPs.)
A low-key destination for kayaking, fishing, snorkeling and camping in our guide for things to do in the Lower Florida Keys.
As you cross the Seven Mile Bridge, you pass the little green island with yellow cottages and palm trees surrounded by dazzling blue water. You can visit this tiny paradise, which offers fascinating history, tropical beauty, even great snorkeling.
There are many hidden islands in the Florida Keys, and some have fantastic stories behind them. There are even a few you can even visit. Here are 6 favorites.
The abundance of Florida Keys wildlife helps makes the Keys unique. Here are 12 animals, month-by-month, you can look for; many are unfamiliar to visitors.
Life doesn’t get much better than a day of kayaking in the Florida Keys. Here are 12 of our favorite outings.
The Marathon Seafood Festival calls itself the Original Marathon Seafood Festival to emphasize it’s the real deal – indigenous and authentic. Marathon is a fishing town, and you don’t get fish any fresher than here, unless you catch it yourself.
The bike trail down the Florida Keys — the Florida Keys Overseas Heritage Trail — is not complete, but here are four sections that offer scenic and safe rides.
They don’t make movies like “African Queen” any more — and they don’t make boats like the African Queen either. If your dream was to sit where Humphrey Bogart or Katherine Hepburn sat in the classic 1951 movie, then head to Key Largo. Here are the details you need to plan a visit.
Snorkel, dive or ride a glass-bottom boat to view the magical coral reefs at John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park. Guide to camping, kayaking, lodging, food and things to do on Key Largo.
When you visit Key West, you may hear some phrases you don’t understand or can’t pronounce. Bone Island? Bight? Bug? Chug? Pinks? Snuba? Tickle stick? This amusing Keys dictionary can help.
This is one of the best sections of the Florida Keys bike trail because the path and the half-dozen scenic bridges are separate from traffic.
There’s so much to do in Key West, it’s easy to bypass the Key West Botanical Garden. But if you love unusual plants, you’ll be charmed by this serene place.
This bird rescue center offers an up-close-and-personal wildlife experience that makes a short, fun stop on a Keys trip, especially for families with kids.
Many people miss it, sticking to Duval Street, but one of the most scenic strolls in Key West — and a top freebie — is the harbor walk along Key West Bight, also known as the Historic Key West Seaport.
These havens for injured birds and wildlife are free to visit as you explore Florida. Animal lovers and children will especially enjoy these quick stops.
It is possible to go to Key West on a budget. Here are some frugal tips on lodging, interesting budget restaurants and free places to go.
As visitors pour into the Keys this summer, RV camping rates are going through the roof near Key West — even though hundreds of new campsites are coming back online after Hurricane Irma reconstruction.
Capture that Key West vibe with these items — true products of the Keys from family-run businesses or local entrepreneurs. Many can also be ordered online.
One of the prettiest places is Key West is the Audubon House, also known as the Geiger House, and its gardens. Like the best spots in Key West, the Audubon House is full of fascinating stories with larger than life characters. It also features a great collection of Audubon’s work in Florida.
Stopping at Alabama Jack’s, a fish shack and dive bar on a remote road between Homestead and Key Largo, has been the classic way to start a Keys trip for decades. We revisited the open-air waterfront spot recently, and we’re happy to say: It’s as shabby and atmospheric as ever.
Old Wooden Bridge got whacked by Hurricane Irma in 2017, but has bounced back. With most cabins destroyed, the owner added 13 houseboats. This waterfront outpost feels like a place from a bygone era.
No Name Pub has been around since the 1930s, and it looks like it. It offers tasty food in a historic building, but what makes this the king of Funky Florida is the decor: $90,000 (some say) stapled to the walls and ceiling.
A different view of Marathon from the moorings of Boot Key Harbor, the heart and soul of the Keys’ vibrant maritime community.
One of our favorite stops on the drive down the Florida Keys is Anne’s Beach in Islamorada. Located at mile marker 73.5, Anne’s Beach is a rare thing in the Florida Keys – a natural sandy beach. And it’s free.
There are 35 pawrific dog beaches in Florida. Find one near you.