Susan Petracco lives in central Florida and makes trips to the Keys as often as possible. You can find her blog at https://www.travelguideline.net/ where she writes about Florida travel as well as destinations worldwide.
The Florida Keys are widely known as a vacation destination for fisherman, sunbathers, and college kids on spring break. Certain areas definitely cater to those crowds. But did you know that the Keys can also make a wonderful destination for a family vacation? There are plenty of activities and things to do as a family, even with small children on a Florida Keys vacation.
In case you’re not familiar with the Florida Keys, they are a string of islands that extend southwest from Miami, terminating in Key West. They can be reached by commercial or private flights, boat, or by driving down Highway US 1, also known as the Overseas Highway throughout the Keys.
Finding locations in the Keys is fairly simple. Everything is known by the highway mile marker that it’s closest to. You’ll see this abbreviated as “MM”, which is used throughout this post. It’s also helpful to know that the Keys are divided into three sections – the Upper, Middle, and Lower Keys.
- The Upper Keys are everything between the mainland and Lower Matecumbe Key at MM75.
- The Middle Keys begin at Craig Key and continue to Marathon, where they end at the south edge of the 7 Mile Bridge.
- The Lower Keys start at MM47 and include everything south, through Key West.
florida-keys flickr photo by ramona220 shared under a Creative Commons (BY) license
Now that you know the basics, here are some of the activities you’ll want to consider when visiting the Florida Keys with your family.
Upper Keys
John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park
Not long after you cross over from mainland Florida into the Keys, you’ll reach John Pennekamp State Park.
It’s located in the heart of Key Largo and covers 70 nautical square miles. The park is a beautiful place to see the waters of the Florida Keys. You can rent kayaks, hang out on the beach, and even snorkel.
For families with younger children, consider the glass bottom boat tour. It’s open to all ages, and children 3 and younger are free. The excursion takes you to various destinations where you can see the ocean views and abundant wildlife who share the Keys.
Snorkeling is free, but you can pay for a snorkel guide if you prefer someone to show you around. They also rent snorkeling equipment for a nominal fee, if you don’t want to bring your own. Unlike SCUBA, snorkeling can be easily learned by almost any person already capable of swimming.
Harriette’s
All of the outdoor activities in the Florida Keys can work up an appetite!
So stop at Harriette’s for a quick bite and the most amazing muffins you’ll ever eat in your entire life.
Harriette’s is a quaint building in bright yellow and turquoise, but inside it looks like most diners you would find elsewhere. But wait until you try their food! You can also order muffins to take with you, in case you’re driving and it’s not meal time. The key lime coconut muffins may be the best thing you’ll ever eat!
This avian sanctuary is tucked into the town of Tavernier, which is between Key Largo and Islamorada. It is associated with the Mission Wild Bird Hospital. The organization rescues and rehabilitates wild birds. However, some birds aren’t able to be released back into the wild for various reasons, and those are housed at the Laura Quinn Wild Bird Sanctuary. The sanctuary is technically free, but a $10 donation per person is recommended. It’s open every day of the year from sunrise to sunset. However, you may not encounter any staff. Depending on the time of year, you could even find yourselves the only visitors present. What will you see? Owls, egrets, pelicans, cormorants, and more! You can’t pet or touch the birds, but you can see the staff feed the brown pelicans at 8am and 2:30pm each day. The associated Mission Wild Bird Hospital itself is not open to visitors, but they do have an education center and gift shop. The Florida Keys Aquarium packs a lot of sea life into a small area! Located in the city of Marathon, the aquarium features large tanks with plenty of viewing areas for a variety of marine animals, plus touch tanks where you can “pet” a stingray (don’t worry, the stinger has been removed!) If you’re feeling extra adventurous, you can snorkel or SCUBA in the Coral Reef Tank where you can really see the animal up close! Relax by feeding the tortoises at scheduled times, or just hang out and play a game of cornhole with your kids. No Florida vacation is complete without a chance to just hang out at the beach. In the Keys, the best one is Sombrero Beach in Marathon. There’s lots of parking, and a beautiful white sand beach. Another area has tidal pools on a rock formation. If it’s hot, there’s a nice shady area to escape the sun. The park also boasts a volleyball court, picnic areas, and clean restrooms. From April through October, loggerhead turtles use the beach for nesting. During this time, the city closes a section to prevent the nests from being disturbed by humans. But they say this usually is less than 10% of the overall beach, leaving plenty for you to enjoy! Although technically a bar and pub, the No Name Pub is actually pretty family-friendly. It’s located on Big Pine Key just before you get to the bridge that leads to No Name Key. The first thing you’ll notice upon entering is that the entire interior is COVERED with decorated $1 bills. You can eat inside among all the money or outside on the covered patio. There’s a ping pong table for entertainment if they’re busy and you have to wait. But even better than all that? You’ll probably see several key deer on your way to the pub or right outside their doors. Key deer are the smallest subspecies of white-tailed deer. They’re about the size of a medium dog! Feeding and petting them is illegal, but done often enough by unscrupulous tourists that the deer are very comfortable around humans. Key Deer | Photo Credit: Susan Petracco While on Big Pine Key, be careful to drive slowly. Most key deer fatalities are caused when they are hit by cars. Key West is full of it’s own adventures, but because it’s such a party scene, you may want to be careful about the activities you choose, particularly if you have younger children. Captain Sheri’s Wild About Dolphins Tour can’t be beat for this, because she’s very willing to work with you to accommodate your needs! Photo Credit: Susan Petracco If you wish, you can book a private tour and have the boat all to yourself. (You can even bring your pup on a private tour!) The trip is almost certain to find playful dolphins for you to watch. You may circle the entire island of Key West, giving you views of the city you won’t find elsewhere. Look for commercial fishing boats, the lighthouse, and the military base. You can also snorkel the Great Florida Reef, which is the only living coral reef in the continental United States! Laura Quinn Wild Bird Sanctuary
triad flickr photo by Genista shared under a Creative Commons (BY-SA) license
Middle Keys
Florida Keys Aquarium
Sombrero Beach
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Lower Keys
No Name Pub and Key Deer
Captain Sheri’s Wild About Dolphins Tour
No matter where you go, the Florida Keys has something for everyone. It’s sure to be a vacation your family will always remember fondly.
