We love the Florida Keys - Key Largo to Key West and everything in between! In this post I'll talk about some of our favorite spots and places we've yet to see.
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While driving through the keys you will see lots of iguanas! They are everywhere: standing on the side of the road, running through parking lots and in trees. Keep an eye out for them!
The first adventure we went on was at John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park in Key Largo. We signed up for a snorkeling trip through Keys Diver and got to swim down to Christ of the Abyss! The fish came right up to us, the water was clear and the reefs were absolutely gorgeous!
We stayed at Oceans Edge Key West Resort on Stock Island and it was amazing! We had free transportation into Key West and back to our hotel on the hour. The restaurant food was great. There were several pools, one was adult only. There were free kayak rentals to get out and have fun on the water. Our view was gorgeous from our room! Absolutely love it here!
There is a trolley and a train tour around the island. We preferred the trolley over the train, it was more shaded and comfortable. You pay one fee and can hop on and off all day as you wish. They give you lots of historic information while you ride and it's the best way to get to the Southernmost Point!
While down by the Southernmost Point we walked to The Key West Butterfly and Nature Conservatory It was beautiful inside, lots of butterflies and a pair of flamingos named Rhett and Scarlet. I HIGHLY recommend the flamingo mingle if you're into birds. Rhett and Scarlet were extremely interactive with the guests and so much fun!
Next we walked around the Key West Aquarium It was small but fun to walk around and see all the fish and sea turtles, added bonus they have a penny press.
Mallory Square Market is a must see also with lots of shops for purchasing souvenirs and places to eat. It's on the water and the water is GORGEOUS! You have to stay for sunset and watch it because it is unbelievable and many street performers will come out and entertain you while you wait.
While you're in Key West getting a frozen slice of key lime pie dipped in chocolate on a stick is also a must do. The two famous places to have one is either Kermit's or Key Lime Pie Co.
After our alcoholic slushy we had lunch at Amigos Tortilla Bar - home of the squared taco! The Mexican street corn was awesome too!
There is a Cuban restaurant called El Meson de Pepe in Mallory Square that has amazing food. I really enjoyed my tamale and fried plantains.
We kept seeing people leave on fishing charters from our hotels marina so we went to the concierge desk to try and book a trip. All trips out of our hotel's marina were booked and she highly recommended a place who was able to take us, Key West Fishing Charter. Captain Josh took us out and we loved him! We caught lots of fish during the trip and each caught something really large. TJ got a massive goliath grouper and I caught a nurse shark! It was so hard reeling it in and no one would help me because they wanted me to do it on my own. I did it!
There are many places in Key West that'll do "hook and cook", which is when you bring in your catch and the restaurant cooks it for you. Several people recommended Dante's Key West Pool Bar for this experience so this is where we took our catch. This fish was by far the best fish I've ever had in my entire life. You pay a small fee for two sides and they cooked our fish for free! It was amazing! Great atmosphere and you can even order drinks from the pool!
The Ghosts & Gravestones tour was so much fun! Regardless if you believe in ghosts or not this tour had a ton of interesting Key West history spun in it's storyline that you aren't told on the day time trolley tours. I really enjoyed this tour! "We are the doomed!!!"
You cannot come to Key West without taking a photo of mile marker 0!!!!
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Mrs. Mac's Kitchen We haven't eaten here yet but we've heard great things and definitely plan on checking it out soon!
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Another stop worth looking into is the Florida Keys Wild Bird Center
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Toilet Seat Cut is something you'll have to view from a boat but I hear it is a site to see! One of these days we will get out there!
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Shortly after passing Betsy, the lobster, we always stop at Islamorada Fish Company and Worldwide Sportsman to walk around, stretch our legs and get a bite to eat. You will almost always see tarpon, pelicans, iguanas and roosters at this stop!
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Robbie's of Islamorada is definitely a must do as you're driving through! You get to feed huge tarpon and lots of photo ops! Be mindful of the bold pelicans. This is a fun place to stop and a great place to grab a drink, bite to eat and some souvenirs! You can also rent kayak's here!
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The Dolphin Research Center is an educational center with options to purchase interactions.
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The Turtle Hospital is an educational rehabilitation center for sea turtles.
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Pigeon Key is where the workers who built the 7 mile bridge lived while constructing the bridge. You can visit this key and get a tour of the bridge and island on a train themed tram.
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Bahia Honda State Park is well known for it's beach, marina and campground along with the gorgeous views.
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Big Pine Key is home to the famous Key Deer! You can pull off here and try to catch a glimpse of the smallest white tailed deer in North America! If you stop, check out the National Key Deer Refuge! Also while here I'd like to check out The Blue Hole.
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Also on Big Pine Key is Grimal Grove Reserve, where you can supposedly tour a garden of breadfruit trees. I heard of this place recently and honestly cannot find a whole lot online but this article states that the owner is hoping to convert the property into a distillery soon. I'd like to taste this fruit.
No Name Pub is supposedly hard to find - I've been dying to try it and we haven't yet! Next trip I promise to go and update this spot with a review and photo!
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Baby's Coffee - another place I've been eyeing each trip but we never manage to pass when it's open or when we have time. Next time for sure!
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Our resort has a coffee bar but nearby is a cuban coffee and bakery Croissants de France that I really love. We normally run there in the mornings or stop on our way into Key West if we're driving. I love their cafe cubano, cafe con leche and croissants!
There are tons of chickens roaming around Key West. The history goes that cock fighting was popular in Key West. Cubans would bring over Cuban roosters and breed them to make the ultimate fighting roosters. When they made cock fighting illegal they forced everyone to let their chickens go or else they had to pay huge fines, right around the same time they made Key West a bird sanctuary and it was illegal to kill any birds on the island so the chickens just roam around begging for food and can even be seen in gift shops and restaurants.
While down by the Southernmost Point we walked to The Key West Butterfly and Nature Conservatory It was beautiful inside, lots of butterflies and a pair of flamingos named Rhett and Scarlet. I HIGHLY recommend the flamingo mingle if you're into birds. Rhett and Scarlet were extremely interactive with the guests and so much fun!
The flying monkey saloon has really yummy frozen alcoholic drinks.
After our alcoholic slushy we had lunch at Amigos Tortilla Bar - home of the squared taco! The Mexican street corn was awesome too!
Sunset at Mallory Square!
We kept seeing people leave on fishing charters from our hotels marina so we went to the concierge desk to try and book a trip. All trips out of our hotel's marina were booked and she highly recommended a place who was able to take us, Key West Fishing Charter. Captain Josh took us out and we loved him! We caught lots of fish during the trip and each caught something really large. TJ got a massive goliath grouper and I caught a nurse shark! It was so hard reeling it in and no one would help me because they wanted me to do it on my own. I did it!
Fort Zachary Taylor Park is a fun place to visit in Key West. You can explore the fort guided or unguided and there is a beach with rental items, snacks, drinks, bathrooms and a great place to snorkel!
Dry Tortugas National Park also has a fort to explore. There's camping and snorkeling there as well but this trip will take some extra planning. You can only get there by boat or sea plane. This is another Key West item on our bucket list.
The Ghosts & Gravestones tour was so much fun! Regardless if you believe in ghosts or not this tour had a ton of interesting Key West history spun in it's storyline that you aren't told on the day time trolley tours. I really enjoyed this tour! "We are the doomed!!!"
Other places I love to eat at in Key West are:
Hogfish Bar and Grill - great drinks and try the hogfish!
Banana Cafe - crepes!
Sloppy Joe's - bar food, good drinks and live music!
Stinking Crawfish - I do not eat crawfish but my husband LOVED this place
Two Friends Patio Restaurant - eggs Benedict was great, hubby LOVED the lobster bene
Celebrity Sightings
Many celebrities frequent the Keys, I am not sure what celebrities currently own a home/live in the Keys besides Judy Blume but I will post a couple addresses that were formerly owned by celebrities that you can check out. This can be a fun activity if you all of a sudden get stuck with bad weather and need something to do on land for a day during your trip.
Books & Books is owned by Judy Blume and she does currently work in the bookstore, if you're lucky you may run into her while visiting and if you purchase a book she will sign it and pose for a photo with you.
The Ernest Hemingway House if you are a cat lover this place is for you! It is covered in free roaming polydactyl (six toed) kitties who are lounging all over the furniture, potted plants, roaming outside and even laying on the books in the gift shop. The house is also rich with Ernest Hemingway history and a must if you are fan of his.
Shel Silverstein lived at 618 William Street in Key West from the 1980s to 1999, he passed away in that house and it was later damaged by the banyan tree in the yard during hurricane Irma. The banyan tree is in the ficus family and also known as 'a strangler fig' as it always starts as a host tree from likely a seed being dropped by a bird, it's branches will send roots down to the ground for it's support and as it grows it will eventually strangle and kill the host tree. This tree is all around Key West and absolutely gorgeous! Shel Silverstein's book The Giving Tree is supposedly written about the banyan tree however that book was written well before his house was purchased so I'm unsure of that fact floating around. Fun fact: I had no idea that Shel Silverstein wrote the song A Boy Named Sue sang by Johnny Cash!
Tennessee Williams is a famous play writer who lived most of his life in Key West. There is a museum devoted to his work Tennessee Williams Museum and you can drive by the house he called home at 1431 Duncan St in Key West.
Dale Earnhardt Jr (NASCAR) owned two homes in Key West - 704 & 708 Eaton Street. There is a renovation series starring Dale and his wife Amy on the DIY Network called Renovation Realities: Dale Jr. & Amy where you can watch them renovate a home in the historic district of Key West.
Nick (Backstreet Boys) and Aaron Carter once lived on a 17 acre compound with their family, that was featured on MTV cribs at 9300 Overseas Hwy in Marathon. Nick later purchased a home in Key West at 1221 Newton Street but no longer lives there.
Jimmy Buffett's home that he had lived in for 20 years was two homes combined 3628 Sunrise Dr and the house next-door, on the riviera canal. I found a couple photos of it here and a neat article on Jimmy here. Jimmy Buffett's estate was 2 houses together totaling 5 bedrooms and 5 bathrooms. Jimmy also lived at 123 Ann St (was his brother in laws home - and is now Captain's Corner Dive Center!) Anytime I hear a Jimmy Buffett song I immediately think of the Keys! Check out this video showing more photos of Jimmy's homes with some interesting facts.
Kenny Chesney loves to spend time in Key West, in fact he purchased the estate located at 425 Caroline Street in Key West but reportedly sold it after a newspaper published the exact address and never moved in. The house known as The W. Hunt Harris House has some history to it as well.
To do next time:
Sloan's Ghost Fort Adventures - ghostfort.com
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