Since my first trip to Florida last year, which included a vacation to Fort Lauderdale and Miami, the Florida Keys have been on my bucket list. Despite Florida’s reputation as being utterly strange (see Seth Meyer’s “Fake or Florida” segment), the state also has amazing beaches and unquestionably beautiful year-round sunshine.
Here are eight must-do activities in the Florida Keys, regardless of whether you’re a first-time visitor or a snowbird.
Keys to Florida Travel Guide
Take a boat ride across the John Pennekamp Coral Reef.
Go to the home of Ernest Hemingway.
Consume your share of Key Lime Pie.
Go to the Sea Turtle Hospital.
At Robbie’s Marina, feed the tarpons.
Go aboard the first African Queen.
Visit Marker 88 to sample the local food.
Take a day trip from Key West to the Butterfly & Nature Conservatory.
Take a boat ride across the John Pennekamp Coral Reef.
I got the opportunity to take a glass-bottom boat tour of the John Pennekamp coral reef, which is the first underwater national park in the United States and is home to the fabled Christ of the Deep statue. The trip led me through the lagoon’s dense mangrove trees before reaching the stunning corals, which were only a few feet away because of the deep glass bottom.
Go for it if you can dive or snorkel in the park! I can’t even begin to think what it must be like down there, surrounded by corals and fish of every hue in the world, if it were as gorgeous over water.
Go to the home of Ernest Hemingway.
The Ernest Hemingway House
And felines!
And felines!
The Ernest Hemingway House
That Hemingway was a mysterious man! His Key West home is intriguing, and I’m not just saying that because it has more than fifty cats. Aside from the several marriages and suicidal thoughts, I feel that he and I would have been a perfect match because we both have a well-established love for cats. Playing with his polydactyl cats and entering his writing den was such a delightful experience. My copy of To Have and Have Not, which I purchased from the store inside his home next to the office where he wrote it, makes me extremely pleased. Talk about making a complete circle!
Consume your share of Key Lime Pie.
Pie with Key Lime
The Key Lime pie is a staple in these parts, whether it is served with whipped cream or meringue, as a chocolate-dipped popsicle, in a milkshake, or even deep-fried—yes, you read correctly. I have to admit that throughout my visit, I consumed the wonderful dessert at least twice a day—of course, for study! You question, where should you miss the pie?
The Kitchen of Mrs. Mac
Key West Key Lime Shoppe by Kermit
Little Savannah’s Conch Republic Restaurant
Go to the Sea Turtle Hospital.
One of my favorite activities in the Florida Keys was this. As a supporter of animal rights and an animal lover, I always like going to places that prioritize the welfare of animals before financial gain. The non-profit hospital encourages people to consider the consequences of their activities by presenting an entertaining and educational program about our symbolic imprint in the ocean.
But not only that! The Turtle Hospital saves injured sea turtles everywhere in the Keys, be it because they ingested hooks, because they damaged their shell in a boat crash, or because they got entangled in fishing nets. Since their founding in 1989, they have saved and rehabilitated more than a thousand marine turtles!
It’s good to know that they regularly return restored turtles to the ocean. Their website is always updated with dates, so if you plan your visit well, you may be able to attend that heartwarming, unforgettable event!
At Robbie’s Marina, feed the tarpons.
I was really afraid of feeding the tarpons, guys. As you are aware, I am afraid of almost anything, including, of course, fish the size of my legs that leap out of the water to grab their prey. These jerks can weigh up to 280 pounds and 8 feet in length. I can’t promise I didn’t scream a few times, but I swallowed it as an adult woman on duty and fed the darn tarpons.
Go aboard the first African Queen.
Even though I haven’t seen the film, I am well aware of how iconic the 1951 picture The African Queen—starring the legendary Katharine Hepburn and Humphrey Bogart—is. The movie’s ship, which was meticulously refurbished (complete with steam engine!) and now resides in the Port Largo marina, no longer travels the Congolese rivers.
Visit Marker 88 to sample the local food.
You can rely on Marker 88’s chef Bobby Stoky to provide the greatest supper you’ll ever have in the Florida Keys. His menu features foods that are inherently part of Keys cuisine and that he ate as a child. Put another way, a ton of delicious shellfish and fish prepared with skill. I chose the mahi Martinique, a fascinating French-Florida hybrid dish that nearly made me lick my plate clean, and the coconut battered shrimp.
One of the must-do activities in the Florida Keys is undoubtedly the seaside restaurant. Similarly, their bar serves their well-known watermelon mojito. An added bonus for Kyle Chandler, who was eating there following a day of filming on the Bloodine set nearby (a fascinating series with enthralling cinematography, by the way).
Go to the Conservatory of Butterfly and Nature.
Apart from the monarch, what other species of butterfly can you name? Don’t worry, before visiting the Key West Butterfly & Nature Conservatory, I couldn’t have answered this question. More than 600 kinds of butterflies can be found in their tropical greenhouse. Including the 11-inch-wide Owl butterfly and the very elusive blue morpho butterfly! If you like wildlife and macro photography, this is a great area to visit!
Day excursions from Key West
Glass-bottom boat excursion with the possibility of a sunset
Champagne and appetizers cruise at sunset
Eco-tour by mangrove kayak
Eco-tour for snorkeling on a backcountry schooner
By boat across the dry Tortugas National Park
Wildlife and sharks on a catamaran excursion
