With guaranteed warms temps in the winter and early spring, the Florida Keys have become our favorite annual travel destination. A quick flight to Miami makes for an hour drive to Key Largo, and from there we usually pick up a couple nights at a Key further down the the chain. While we love getting in time at the pool, we're the kind of travelers who like to get out and about for dining and adventures off the resort. Here are our favorite picks from the Keys.
Where to Eat
Mrs. Mack's Kitchen, Key Largo
This diner has generous booths, friendly staff, and lots of regional choices to tempt you. I'm of the mind that one must order Key lime pie once a day while in the Keys, and Mrs. Mack's doesn't disappoint. They have simple baskets for kids (our kids love their fresh grilled fish) and lots of great choices and preparations for local seafood. There are two locations, so you're always able to find a spot one of their perfectly kitschy spots.
Dolores Mexican Food Truck, Key Largo
Wonderful, authentic tacos and made-to-order guacamole are served at this simple roadside food truck. They moved locations after the hurricane of 2017, so look for them on the north end of the Tower of Pizza/Keys Kritters shopping center.
Pinecrest Bakery, Key Largo
For authentic Cuban sandwiches and baked goods, look no further. With cases full of sweet confections, the hardest part of shopping here is what to pick. We often grab a bag of something delicious from this sweet spot for a breakfast or lunch picnic.
Islamorada Shrimp Shack
For the best shrimp and grits in the Keys, be sure to stop here. Good kid's meal choices (and really friendly service related to the
kids), a laid-back atmosphere, and tempting po' boy make it a fantastic lunch or dinner spot.
Habanos Oceanfront, Islamorada
In a cozy booth our two young kids happily gobbled up the pizza at this spot. I was especially satisfied with my shrimp in wonderful tomato sauce, black beans and rice,
and fried plantains. The restaurant is very laid back and informal, and
there are great views of the boat docks from the windows.
Brutus Seafood Market, Marathon
One can't go wrong with lunch at a seafood market, and the last time we were there we were smart enough to pick up a to-go container of shrimp salad and some of their deli sides for dinner on the porch that night. It. Was. Amazing.
We tried the fish, Korean beef, and
shrimp tacos, and all three were enjoyed by our group. We went for a later lunch a little after 1:00 and only had to wait about
10 minutes for the food and were able to find a table just at the right
time; there are few tables, so I can see that it might be frustrating
to find seating if you go at a peak time.
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Key Largo
John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park offers enticing glass bottom boat tours sure to wow kids and adults alike. Pro tip: if the waters are calm, full steam ahead. If the waters are choppy, save yourself a ticket on the Barf Express and skip it until calm waters prevail. Call their office to check conditions before buying your tickets ahead of time.
Florida Keys Wild Bird Rehabilitation Center,
Tavernier
The Keys is home to a large variety of birds that our whole family loves to see, and this rehabilitation center affords the opportunity to see them up close. The long wooden walkways are a great way to get out and about for an hour while visiting new feathered friends.
Feeding tarpon at Robbie's,
Islamorada
For about $7, you can buy a bucket of small fish, walk to the end of a dock, and feed the gigantic
tarpon that lurk and linger in the water. The tarpon thrash and splash and create squeals from everyone hanging out and watching. We were lucky enough to see a curious manatee off the dock one year, and that really solidified this as a must-to spot for us each year.
These descendants from Flipper (really! I'm not making it up!) are a delight to see and interact with. There are a variety of programs that permit participants to pet, toss toys to, or even swim with the dolphins. We opted to pet the dolphins (that feel like wet hot dogs, for the record), and it was tons of fun. We put this in our every-other-year rotation because our kids adore it so much.
Turtle Hospital,
Marathon
Our other favorite spot to visit in the Keys is the Turtle Hospital. They have a guided 1.5 hour tour of the hospital and outdoor pools, and it's mesmerizing to see the different varieties of turtles swimming around. They have a great mission of helping rescue and rehabilitate turtles, so it feels good to go on a tour and support their work. They also have public releases of turtles into the wild, so follow their FaceBook page for upcoming events.
My husband and I are both English teachers, so of course we took our two small
children to Hemingway's home, and the tour was outstanding. We are big Hemingway
fans, both of us teach his works, and we were delighted to learn tons of
new information about Papa's personal and professional life as well at his home in Key West. Doug's storytelling was lively, dramatic, and
humorous, and he really made it an A+ experience. The kids were fascinated with the 50+ cats on the property (as well as the colorful anecdotes Doug shared about the cats), and at the conclusion of the tour our kindergartner declared Doug's tour was "better than ice cream!" I can't say we were expecting our kids to love the house and tour, but they did. It was a wonderful afternoon enjoyed by all.
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Key West
Our two small kids could have spent hours at the touch tank; it was a highlight of their
time here, and Mom and Dad enjoyed the talk provided by the guide. Their
second favorite activity was the ability to pet the rough skin of the
nurse shark following the outside shark feeding. Displays with gators
and large sport fish were also eye catching. The only downside
was that there's no bathroom nor bathroom signage in the building ,
although the kind woman in the ticket booth did direct us towards the
nearest one in a nearby building.
A moderately priced hotel, the
Holiday Inn has recently updated rooms and two great pools that we've stayed at a couple times in Key Largo. One of the pools has a waterfall that our kids never tire of. It's also along a canal, and we always like sitting under large cabana and eating breakfast or lunch while watching the boats and pelicans. I like staying here on the days closest to a flight in Miami that got in late or leaves early.
Worth the splurge,
Hawks Kay has a great setup for kids. Their pirate ship playscape and huge family pool make it easy to play in the water for hours on end. They also have a large selection of non-pool games, perfect for imperfect weather or a break from the pool, like mini-golf, lawn games, and basketball. Suffering heavy hurricane damage in the fall of 2017, limited portions of the resort reopened in March 2018 with a full opening in the summer of 2018. Situated about an hour from Key West, it's easy to take a day trip to that city, too.
What are your favorite spots in the Keys? Where do you love going when you're there?
