The Florida Keys is a popular vacation destination in the United States and one of the most chill places to visit. The warm weather year round makes it a popular vacation destination for families, couples and singles. It’s not uncommon to visit these popular things to do in the Florida Keys and be amongst families, couples on honeymoon and a bachelorette party. And it’s no wonder that the Florida Keys attracts such diverse visitors with such a diverse array of activities. Keep reading for all of the best things to do in the Florida Keys!
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Biscanye Bay National Park
Time: half day | Cost: $80+/person
Biscayne Bay National Park is almost completely on the water. While many people think the Florida Keys start at Key Largo, the keys of Biscayne Bay National Park are actually the northern most keys. The best/only way to view most of the park is with a full day or half day guided tour.
John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park
Time: 2-3 hours | Cost: $8/vehicle
John Pennekamp State Park has a small beach and lots of outdoor amenities on land. However, the real gem is the underwater snorkel trail and pristine coral below the water. The best way to see this is by doing a half day snorkel tour with the state park concessioner. They welcome snorkelers of all skill levels. However, if you have snorkeled in warmer water, be prepared for less colorful wildlife and colder water 🙂
Laura Quinn Wild Bird Sanctuary
Time: 30 minutes | Cost: FREE, donations recommended
This is a nice little place to stretch your legs as you complete a Key West road trip. This short stop takes you through a nice wooded area to several bird enclosures where you can see rehabilitated birds of the area.
Theater of the Sea
Time: 3 hours | Cost: $47.95/adult
Theater of the Sea is a long running family operation focusing on highlighting marine life of the Florida Keys. While I generally don’t like these types of touristy animal attractions, this place has amazing enclosures for their animals. There are several animal shows that repeat throughout the day, including the very popular dolphin show. Additionally, you can have different animal encounters here for an additional fee. This was very popular with the small ones in our group but it was entertaining for all ages.
Robbie’s of Islamorada
Time: 1+ hour | Cost: $7
Robbie’s of Islamorada is one of the most Caribbean-esque things to do in the Florida Keys. Robbie is a jumble of restaurants, food trucks, souvenir shops, tour companies and more. It is a true melting pot. However, the real fun is feeding the tarpons. For a small fee, you get a bucket of feeder fish that you can then hold over the water as 5-6 foot long fish jump out of the water. It was great fun!
Dolphin Research Center
Time: 2 hours | Cost: $35/adult
The Dolphin Research Center is committed to researching dolphins, as the name would suggest. However, you can also visit, swim with dolphins, watch dolphins train and enjoy educational programming.
Curry Hammock State Park
Time: 2 hours | Cost: $4-8/vehicle
Kayaking in Curry Hammock State Park was one of our favorite things to do in the Florida Keys. Unfortunately, the state park doesn’t rent kayaks anymore – which is a shame. So you’ll need to bring your own or find an outfitter to drop them off. Once you’re in a kayak, there is a great kayak loop. First, you start kayaking through the hammock (fancy term for the water under a mangrove forest) which is a really neat experience. Then you get to an open bay where you can spot lots of critters in the water. we saw jellyfish, nurse sharks, rays and plenty of birds. Lastly, you’ll loop back around to the boat launch via the open water where, depending on the time of year, you may see a manatee. This was a great experience for the whole family.
Turtle Hospital
Time: 2 hours | Cost: $35/adult
The Turtle Hospital is the best place to see a sea turtle up close in a respectful way. This animal hospital works with numerous agencies in the Florida Keys to rescue injured sea turtles. Some turtles get veterinary care and then return to the sea. Others are injured so badly they spend the rest of their lives in the sea turtle enclosure here. Either way, a tour involves seeing tons of turtles and getting to feed some!
Sombrero Beach
Time: half day | Cost: FREE (parking is paid)
An afternoon lounging in the sun at Sombrero Beach is one of the best things to do in the Florida Keys. This pristine beach is a public beach so come early on a nice day as it fills up quick. But the beach is sandy, food is nearby and the water is blue. What more could a beach need?
Bahia Honda State Park
Time: half day | Cost: $8/vehicle
Bahia Honda State Park is supposed to have one of the best beaches in the Florida Keys. Admittedly, we were a bit underwhelmed by the beach but the state park is nice. This is a nice short walk up to the top of the old railroad bridge. From here you get a birds eye view of the key as well as nice shots of the overseas highway.
National Key Deer Refuge
Time: 2 hours | Cost: FREE
Home to these tiny and rare deer, the National Key Deer Refuge is one of the only places in the world that you can see these tiny deer. There are a few small hiking treks through the marshy land. We went on them and there wasn’t much to see. Unfortunately these dense natural areas are not appealing to the deer or they are really good at hiding them. However, the residential neighborhoods nearby, with their nice trimmed green grass, frequently serve as lunch for these little critters.
Duval Street
Time: 30 minutes | Cost: FREE
It’s hard to visit Key West and not walk at least a portion of Duval Street. This is the street that runs down the center of “old Key West” and plenty of things to do in Key West have the coveted Duval Street address. Take a walk and people watch. The streets are full of all types of visitors, from families to bachelorette parties (seriously lots of bachelorette parties!). You’ll find tons of generic tourist t-shirt shops next to entirely unique bars that have been open since prohibition. You can see drag shows, high end art, or butterflies. You gotta enjoy the pure tourism and diversity that is Duval Street.
Hemingway’s House
Time: 1 hour | Cost: $18/adult
This was the best “old house” we visited, also making it one of our favorite things to do in the Florida Keys. There are plenty of historic houses ripe for a good tour but no one does it better than the folks running the Ernest Hemingway Home. The guided tour includes some Hemingway, Key West and literary history. The guides are fantastic and they know their stuff. Additionally, this is where you’ll see all of the 6+ toed cats that you always hear about. If you do one historic home tour in Key West, this should be it.
Key West Aquarium
Time: 1 hour | Cost: $21/adult
The Key West Aquarium is another thing to do in the Florida Keys that highlights the underwater wonders of the keys. Here, you have a chance to see sharks, sea turtles and more. The aquarium is older but it is reasonably priced and has quality exhibits. In fact, the historic charm also adds a little something in our opinion. This is a great thing to do in Key West for families. There are lots of interactive exhibits that are popular with the littles or the little at hearts.
Key West Lighthouse
Time: 45 minutes | Cost: $17/adult
The only landlocked lighthouse we’ve ever seen, the Key West Lighthouse was an interesting bit of history. The small cottage provides visitors with a look at life as a lighthouse keeper. This position was held by a woman for many years, which was very uncommon at the time. Additionally, there is a lot of history about the wrecks in the Florida Keys and how salvagers made a living cleaning up the debris. While the lighthouse tower isn’t the tallest, it is the tallest building in Key West and gives you a great view looking out over the entire city.
The Key West Butterfly and Nature Conservatory
Time: 45 minutes | Cost: $17/adult
We think this is the best thing to do in the Florida Keys for families. During our family trip to Key West, the 6 year old enjoyed this just as much as the 63 year old. The Key West Butterfly and Nature Conservatory is a great stop! The self guided tour starts in an educational room where you can see all the stages of butterfly metamorphosis happening at once along with tons of preserved specimens of butterflies from around the world. In the greenhouse, the butterflies flap about free as can be. The blue morphos really liked to catch rides on people’s shirts and hats. Don’t miss the nursery of pupae on the way out of the greenhouse. You may even see some butterflies emerging.
Truman Little White House
Time: 1 hour | Cost: $23/adult
The Truman Little White House is the only presidential museum in Florida. The house was the winter home of President Truman. It’s a nice old house that has been visited by other presidents, as well. Admission includes a tour that runs every 20 minutes.
The Audubon House
Time: 1 hour | Cost: $16/adult
I have long been obsessed with the Audubon books (read a bit about them here). But basically, they are the first bird books. And as self-proclaimed amateur ornithological enthusiasts, we enjoyed a visit to the house that had only a fleeting connection to Mr. Audubon. However, it is still filled with portraits of the birds of Key West. We’d skip this if you’re visiting Key West with kids. However, if you like birds, this is a must-see.
Mel Fisher Maritime Museum
Time: 1 hour | Cost: $17.50/adult
The Mel Fisher Maritime Museum is home to the most valuable treasure ever recovered from a shipwreck. It also does a great job of highlighting the decades Mel Fisher and his family spent searching for this treasure, the time when the Florida government tried to take it all away (spoiler alert: Mel kept the treasure), and their shipwreck searching techniques. It was a fascinating bit of history! Also, there are a ton of gold and silver trinkets, coins and jewelry to look at.
The Southernmost Point
Time: 30 minutes (there is a line) | Cost: FREE
This is the most touristy thing to do in Key West and there is always a line. However, if you’re in town for a few days, wait in the fast moving line to take your selfie in front of the Southernmost Point of the continental United States. Key west, specifically this marker, is the farthest south you can get in the U.S. without flying to Hawai’i. In fact, this marker is closer to Cuba than it is to Miami.
Fort Zachary Taylor Park
Time: half-day | Cost: $4.50+/vehicle
Fort Zachary Taylor State Park, in addition to having a great beach, is also a well maintained pre-Civil War fort that houses a lot of Civil War era weapons. You can explore the fort on your own and imagine how life in the fort would have been for soldiers. There are also re-enactments and guided tours available. Check the website for more information on special events.
Dry Tortugas National Park
Time: Full day | Cost: $220/person
This island far off the cost of Key West requires a bit of a trek to get there. You can only get there via seaplane or ferry. However, it is totally worth it as it is one of the most popular things to do in the Florida Keys. Once on the island, you can explore the full island. This includes snorkeling with the sea turtles, exploring the historic fort and soaking up a pristine island untouched by modern civilization – as in there is no modern plumbing. This day trip from Key West was one of the best things we did in the Florida Keys.
We hope this has helped you to plan your own perfect visit to the Florida Keys. With miles of the Overseas Highway to explore, we know that there are mountains of things to do in the Florida Keys and we hope this has helped you to narrow it down to some of the most popular and unique activities. We think that the Florida Keys is a great destination for your next group vacation because there are so many different things to do that will appeal to all ages and activity levels. If you have suggestions of your own or questions about our trip, please leave them in the section below.
