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Florida Keys Highlights – Places you Don’t Want to Miss!

Notice: This post is sponsored by Hotels.com 

The Florida Keys is certainly one of our favourite places to travel in Florida – picturesque beaches, coral reefs and it is home to the Beach Boys – what’s not to love?!

With so much to do, there is no surprise that the Florida Keys is one of the most popular holiday destinations in the United for locals and international tourists alike.

Luckily with mass tourism, there are plenty of great accommodation options in the Florida Keys to suit any budget, whether you are traveling as a family or on a couples trip.

You can find budget-friendly accommodations in the Florida Keys

Here’s a countdown of the highlights of the Florida Keys, all the places you absolutely won’t want to miss on a trip to the Keys.

5. Hand Feed Giant Tarpon

One of our personal highlights during our trip to the Florida Keys was hand feeding giant tarpon at Robbies.

Honestly, if we could only select one activity to do in the Florida Keys it would hands down be feeding the giant tarpon at Robbies – these fish are like nothing I have ever seen before!

Robbie’s is located at Mile Marker 77.5, on Islamorada Key between Islamorada and Marathon, Fl.

If you are making the drive to Key West, it is the perfect place to stop to break up the journey along the way.

If you just want to access the pier to see the tarpon it costs $2.25 per person. To feed the tarpon costs $4.00 for a bucket of fish (5-8 fish per bucket).

Tarpon-Feeding-Fails

4. Visit the most picturesque beach in the Florida Keys: Bahia Honda

The downside of the coral reef which protects the Keys is you won’t find picturesque white sand, aqua-blue water beaches on every strip of the Florida Keys.

You will however, find this kind of beach (also with great snorkeling opportunities) at Bahia Honda

It costs $4.50 pp to enter the park but it is well worth it. 

Sadly, there is no droning allowed in the State Park which is a bit of a shame as it would take absolutely stunning drone photography.

Aside from relaxing at the picturesque beaches at Bahia Honda, you can book amazing snorkel and dive tours through the onsite store as well as rent beach equipment and kayaks.

bahia-honda-camping

3. Make a Stop at Marathon for the Turtle Hospital

If you are an animal-lover, you will want to make a stop at Marathon to see amazing turtle hospital.

The folks at the Turtle Hospital are doing a fabulous job of rehabilitating wild turtles in the Florida keys.

To access the turtle research center, it is a fairly high entry fee of $25 per person but the fee is justified to help the conservation of the Keys’ turtle population.

Aside from the turtle rescue centre, there are various beaches in Marathon, although not as good at the Bahia Honda, they are still worth checking out if you make the stop at Marathon.

If you love animals, you might also like to visit the dolphin research centre.

things-to-do-in-marathon-fl-dolphin-research-centre

2. Eat the Key Lime Pie at Key Largo

The first stop you will make during a Florida Keys road trip is to the town of Key Largo – home to the absolute best Key Lime Pie in the Florida Keys!

If you are looking for seriously delicious Key Lime Pie in Key Largo, Mrs Macs is the best place to go. They make a seriously delicious Key Lime pie – eating Key Lime pie is one of the highlights of the Florida Keys!

A slice of heaven at Mrs Macs will you around $5.50 for take away which is a small price to pay for this tasty pie.

Although Key West is the most popular place to visit in the Florida Keys, we really enjoyed all the amazing things to do in Key Largo including the John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park with amazing snorkeling opportunities and Cannon Beach with real cannons located along the beach.

1. Enjoy all the Free activities at Key West

As you may be aware, Key West is a notoriously expensive place to travel but it doesn’t have to be!

Save your money for great accommodation and enjoy all the incredible free things to do in Key West.

Our favourite free thing to do in Key West is the sunset celebration at Mallory Square where street performers and local buskers come to entertain you as you watch an amazing sunset.

Also don’t miss getting a photo with the Southern-most point in the US and Mile Marker 1. You may have to line up for a photo but it will be one to show your friends and family when you return home.

Giant-Conch-Key-West

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If you want to cover the Florida Keys properly you will need at least a week. You can alternatively, cover one part of the Keys in detail and save the rest of the towns for another trip!

Author

  • MC Miller

    MC Miller is a travel blogger and writer who has travelled America extensively and abroad to over 80 countries. He founded Couple Travel The World in 2017. Since then, he has spent over 6 years on the road as a full time travel couple. When he not traveling he likes to spend quality time with his partner Bett, planning our their next date or romantic getaway!