So, you’re finally taking that trip through the Florida Keys and you want to know what there is to do from Key Largo to Key West. You do a quick search for things to do and…holy crap! Is there really that much to do in the Florida Keys? How am I supposed to fit all that in? There is, and you can’t, don’t even try. But you can plan a spectacular trip this time and save the rest for later because the Keys are an addiction, you’ll be coming back later.

You can drive directly to Key West, maybe stop for lunch at any one of the oversized tiki hut restaurants. After that do a quick stop at Rain Barrel Village and see Betsy the lobster, and then grab a couple of t-shirts at The Sandal Factory and call it good. Now I’m all for maximizing time in Key West, but you’re missing out if you don’t explore the rest of the Keys. Reminder, this is just one of infinity trips and stops that can be made from Key Largo to Key West, your best bet is to see what interests you and follow that plan.

Let me get this out of the way, the Florida Keys can be expensive. You can take all your money, put it in a box hooked up to an industrial vacuum cleaner, turn it on and it still wouldn’t go through your money as fast as a Keys vacation can. But it doesn’t have to be that way, there are ways to stay on a moderate budget and enjoy yourselves. This guide is set up for the more moderate excursion.

Let’s face it, once you get out of Miami and past Homestead, you feel something draining out of you and now time seems strange. What you’re feeling is everyday boredom leaving your body and now you’re officially on island time. This is a good thing, relax and let it take over as you drive the Overseas Highway and enjoy the views.

Key Largo to Key West First Stop: Key Largo

Key Largo is a little over an hour from Miami, if you’re lucky and the traffic gods are smiling on you. Either way, once you get over that Jewfish Creek Bridge you really feel like you’re in the Keys.

I could make this easy and be like all the other blogs and just say “go to John Pennekamp State Park” and be done with it. Don’t get me wrong, John Pennekamp is a great place to go, and you can easily spend a day there, but we’re trying some new things here.

Gilberts Resort

Gilberts Resort is that huge tiki hut that you see when you’re on the Jewfish Creek bridge, so if you’re heading south and you see it, you’ve missed the entrance. That’s OK though, there’s another exit about a half mile up the road. Now that you’ve turned yourself around and gotten to the resort, welcome!

Gilberts is a fantastic first stop on your way from Key Largo to Key West. There’s a great little beach (by Florida Keys standards) to relax on and snorkel off of. If you want to adventure out, you’re covered, there are jet ski, kayak, SUP, and boat rentals available onsite.

Bring your own boat, either by road or by water because they have a marina with nightly slip rentals available and there is also a nearby boat ramp that you can use. If you’re in need of fuel, there’s a filling station on site.

Under the tiki hut there is a tiki bar that serves food, including fresh seafood, and iconic drinks. There’s live music every day and night, with an occasional Slash looking magician for entertainment.

If you choose to stay at the hotel, they have waterfront accommodations, and you’ll have access to the pool.

Laura Quinn Wild Bird Sanctuary

The Laura Quinn Wild Bird Sanctuary was set up after bird lover Laura Quinn and Dr. Robert Foley would rehabilitate sick and injured birds in her back yard. Then, as these things tend to do, the number of birds grew too big to care for and they needed more space.

A 5.5-acre property was acquired and now houses the Wild Bird Sanctuary. The birds that are on the property are ones that cannot be released back into the wild due to their injuries as they would not be able to perform their natural activities.

Take a couple of hours to walk the boardwalk through the hammocks and wetlands and view over 60 birds that are permanent residents. There is also signage around to help educate you on the birds with facts about them and their enclosures.

This non-profit organization is open every day from sunrise to sunset and is free to enter. They take donations (they recommend $10), don’t be that guy on the $4000 vacation that stiffs them.

Dive or Snorkel Christ of the Abyss Statue

Your next stop of your Key Largo to Key West adventure should be aboard one of the charters to the Christ of the Abyss statue. Sitting about 25 feet underwater this 9-foot bronze statue has been under water since 1965.

On calm days this statue at the Dry Rocks Reef of Key Largo can be seen from the top, but to get the best view you need to get wet. The water is shallow enough that you can dive down to it if you’re snorkeling. If you would rather dive there are dive operators that offer tours to the statue, allowing you to get up close and personal with it.

Christ of the Abyss is located in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary. You can jump on a tour at John Pennekamp State Park, or you can schedule a tour through one of the Key Largo dive/snorkel shops for about $65. A word of warning, the weather conditions need to be calm and clear to make this stop. If the weather is really windy, they may divert to other reefs.

Kayaking

Take a half a day and paddle in the crystal-clear waters surrounding Key Largo. You can kayak on calm lagoons or paddle through mangrove tunnels. Either way you’re sure to see fantastic marine life. Sting rays, sharks, grouper, and more are abundant in the local waters.

If you don’t have a kayak, you can rent a kayak or SUP at multiple outfitters on the island for about $70 a day. If you want someone to narrate your trip and educate you, there are tours available where all you have to do is sit in a kayak and paddle. Tours last about 3 hours and cost about $40-60 for kids/adults.

Guilty Pleasures: Keys Chocolates and Ice Cream

Handmade ice cream? You bet! Stop by this cozy little chocolate shop and try some of their hand-crafted sweets. Featuring ice cream, truffles, cookies and other baked goods. They have high quality chocolate and forget about ordinary Key Lime Pie (which they have and it’s great), they blazed a new trail with Frozen Key Lime Pie Bars!

Where to Eat

The Buzzard’s Roost is great for a daytime lunch or a weekend brunch. Located in a marina and if you bring your catch they’ll cook it. Great outdoor seating at the end of a canal.

On the Atlantic side of the island, Snappers Oceanfront offers fresh seafood and beautiful views! There is plenty of seating indoors and out whichever you prefer. After dinner hit up one of their three bars and enjoy some live music.

Go to Sundowners at dusk for a great…you guessed it…sunset view. Get amazing views as you’re eating your grilled grouper. Sundowners is popular so there might be a wait for a table, but it’s worth it.

If you’re looking for a livelier atmosphere, then the place to go is Jimmy Johnson’s Big Chill. JJ’s, if you want to sound like a local. Live bands, fun crowds, fantastic food, and views are waiting for you.

Accommodations

Key Largo has any kind of accommodation that you could want. From retro seaside hotels that won’t cost you an arm and a leg, to full luxury resorts, to $1000 a night bungalows. The following is just a scratch of the surface of what’s available.

Seafarer Resort is a mom-and-pop retro style hotel with cabins on the Florida Bay side of Key Largo. They feature economically priced cabins and kitchenettes that are right on the water, plus free kayaks for guests.

If you prefer your cabins on the luxurious side, then Bungalows Key Largo is your place. This all-inclusive resort features everything that you would expect of a $1100 a night resort. It might sound expensive but, everything from drinks to kayaks are included in the price.

Bakers Cay is a big resort with multiple pools and restaurants. If you’re looking for a place to unwind and relax this is a great place. Bonus, if you’re a Hilton Rewards member you can use your points here.

Key Largo to Key West Second Stop: Marathon

Marathon proclaims itself to be the fishing capital of the world, and by the many charters available to take out fishing, it’s easy to see why. If fishing is your thing, you can spend a half day, a whole day, or even a whole week fishing off a bridge, shore, or boat. Just make sure that your fishing license is valid, you don’t want to end up with a view of the Marathon jail.

Indian Key

On your way out of Key Largo and just after Islamorada, you’ll see an island on the east side. If you didn’t bring your own kayak, stop at Robbie’s Marina or Back Country Cowboys, rent a kayak and paddle to Indian Key, it’s the ghost town of the Florida Keys.

The only way to get there is by boat and it’s a Florida State Park, so you’ll need to pay $2.50 per person at the ranger drop box on the island. It’s a nice trip over clear shallow waters with a seagrass covered bottom. There aren’t any buildings on the Indian Key, but the original town roads layout is still there. There are foundations where the buildings used to be, and the cisterns are still standing.

Bring your snorkel gear and get lost in schools of grunts, snappers, and parrotfish on the north end of the island. Just be sure to wear some kind of water shoe as the shore is fossilized coral and will do a number on your bare feet.

Crane Point Hammock

The 63-acre property is preserved pretty much the same as it was over 100 years ago. Dense tropical hardwood trees, gravel roads, and beautiful views. In 1954 Frances and Mary Crane built a house on the western shore. The Cranes were conservationists and didn’t want to see it developed into condos and strip malls, so when it came time to sell, it ended up in the hands of the nonprofit Florida Keys Land & Sea Trust, Inc., an organization created to save the hardwood hammocks of the Keys.

In the late 1800s the keys around Marathon were farmed for sponges and a sponging community lived in what is now Crane Point Hammock. There still is a standing cottage from the early 1900s on the property that you can tour.

The property also houses a Butterfly Conservatory, nature trails, a Wild Bird Center, and a Museum of Natural History. If you take the 1.5-mile loop nature trail, you’ll pass the old Crane house, and there you can dip your feet in the water and get a fish pedicure! Be sure to bring a quarter with you so that you can feed the fish at The Point, a fantastic vantage point overlooking the Gulf of Mexico. Admission is $14.95 with discounts for children, military, and seniors. They also offer a kayak and snorkel tour for $59.95

The Turtle Hospital

Of the 7 species of sea turtles, 5 of them live in the Florida Keys. Between boats, trash, and viruses, the turtles need some help every now and then. That’s where the non-profit Turtle Hospital comes in, they rescue, rehabilitate, and release (if it’s feasible) the turtles.

Take a tour of this hospital and get an education on what turtle species are in the Florida Keys and how big they get, the dangers for sea turtles, and what can be done to rehabilitate them. You’ll get to do a behind the scenes tour of the tanks of the current residents, and if you’re there at the right time, it’s possible to look in on a turtle surgery.

Admission is $17.50/35.00 for child/adult and the tour lasts about 90 minutes. The tours begin and end at the gift shop of course. This might be your favorite experience in Marathon, hell, you might even fall in love and adopt one of the current residents.

Florida Keys Aquarium Encounters

The name says it all, you’ll get to encounter marine life all you want, any way that you want. General admission is $20/30 for kids/adults. Included are guided tours, they meet 10 minutes before the top of the hour at the stairs under the tiki hut. The tours last for about 15-20 minutes as you walk with one of the biologists through the facility.

If you’ve ever wanted to feed fish, freshwater turtles, sting rays, and lobsters, just purchase some food and go to town. You can also feed and touch sting rays, starfish, shrimp, and horseshoe crabs.

If you want to go all in, you can purchase additional encounters such as the Shark Encounter, don’t worry, you don’t actually get in the tank with the sharks. There is also a Lagoon Snorkel Encounter that gives you about 40 minutes to snorkel in a lagoon, no boat needed. Don’t overlook the Stingray, Coral Reef, and Nursery Encounters.

Plan on spending the whole day here to get the best experience possible.

Where to Eat

Visit Sparky’s Landing for Taco & Tequila Tuesday. You don’t have to have the tequila, but don’t miss out on their tasty fish tacos! Or you can visit any other day (besides Monday, they’re closed) and have anything off of their delicious menu. The waterfront location is perfect for enjoying your meal.

Barnacle Barneys Tiki Bar and Grill is a great place to enjoy the sunset and dine. They have great service and fantastic food are all you need, throw in the views and you’ve got yourself a spectacular place to eat!

If you’re looking to get that surf & turf itch scratched, then head on over to Florida Keys Steak and Lobster House. It looks unassuming on the outside, but once you get inside you know that you’re in a seriously good restaurant. Fresh seafood is the word of the day in here.

Grab yourself something to eat and dance the night away with the locals at Dockside Boot Key Harbor. Sandwiches and bar bites are on the menu in this indoor/outdoor restaurant on the water. Enjoy the live bands with your frozen spicy margarita while you relax under the stars.

Where to Stay

Hampton Inn is a nice mid-level priced hotel, you can get a room under $200/night in the summer. They have a pool, restaurant, bar, and plenty of parking.

If you’re more of a resort person, then Tranquility Bay Beach Resort has what you’re looking for. For around $300 per night it has all the resort type amenities, including complimentary yoga! The grounds are beautiful and it’s right on the Gulf of Mexico, so you’ll be able to put all those sunset shots on your social media and make your friends back home in the Midwest jealous!

Try something different this trip, rent a houseboat to sleep on! This really puts the water in waterfront lodging. Each bungalow has its own kitchenette and a sofa. You can’t beat waking up to manatees on your front porch.

Key Largo to Key West Final Leg

Stop for lunch at No Name Pub on Big Pine Key, be like a local and grab a No Name Beer on tap. Enjoy your lunch while you try to figure out how much money is actually attached to the walls and ceiling, probably enough to pay for your next three vacations.

Make a stop at the Blue Hole after you leave No Name Pub, it’s only six minutes away. There are trails, wildlife and a platform to view the hole that was made when they dug out the limestone for the overseas highway. You can hang out with the resident alligators and maybe even see a Key Deer.

Now that you’ve made it to Key West you’re ready to start on a whole other adventure. If you’re looking for things to do once you get there, our sister site has the perfect Key West get aways!