Florida Keys
For the money, this friendly family-run place right off the highway is one of the best-value lodging options in the Keys. The owners go the extra mile to make guests feel at home.
The rooms are clean and well maintained, if somewhat frozen in the 1970s: wood-paneled walls and floral curtains evoke a bit of Keys nostalgia, while good beds, fridges, microwaves, coffeepots and wall-mounted TVs ensure the added features are up to date.
13.93 MILES
This park, with its long, white-sand (and at times seaweed-strewn) beach, named Sandspur Beach by locals, is the big attraction in these parts. As Keys…
22.04 MILES
Named after local environmentalist Anne Eaton, this tiny beach is one of the finest seascapes in these parts. The small ribbon of sand opens upon a sky…
Florida Keys Aquarium Encounters
2.16 MILES
A visit to this small, interactive aquarium starts with a free 20-minute guided tour of some fascinating marine ecosystems. There are also more immersive…
Long Key State Recreation Area
16.39 MILES
The 965-acre Long Key State Recreation Area takes up much of Long Key. It’s about 30 minutes south of Islamorada, and comprises a tropical clump of gumbo…
0.81 MILES
This is one of the nicest spots on the island to stop and smell the roses. And the pinelands. And the palm hammock – a sort of palm jungle (imagine…
16.41 MILES
Perhaps the best-named island in the Keys, No Name gets few visitors, as it’s basically a residential island. It’s one of the most reliable spots for Key…
Indian Key Historic State Park
26.6 MILES
This quiet island was once a thriving city, complete with a warehouse, docks, streets, a hotel and about 40 to 50 permanent residents. There’s not much…
Looe Key National Marine Sanctuary
22.83 MILES
Looe (pronounced ‘loo’) Key, located 5 nautical miles off Big Pine, isn’t a key at all but a reef, and is part of the Florida Keys National Marine…
0.81 MILES
This is one of the nicest spots on the island to stop and smell the roses. And the pinelands. And the palm hammock – a sort of palm jungle (imagine…
1.93 MILES
The marina, better known as Boot Key Harbor, is one of the best maintained working waterfronts in the Keys. Come during Christmas to see a ‘boat parade’…
3. Florida Keys Aquarium Encounters
2.16 MILES
A visit to this small, interactive aquarium starts with a free 20-minute guided tour of some fascinating marine ecosystems. There are also more immersive…
2.43 MILES
One of the few white-sand, mangrove-free beaches in the Keys. It’s a good spot to lounge on the sand or swim, and there's also a small playground.
2.55 MILES
Be it a victim of disease, boat propeller strike, flipper entanglement with fishing lines or any other danger, an injured sea turtle in the Keys will…
5.33 MILES
This park is small but sweet and the rangers are just lovely. Like most parks in the Keys, it’s a good spot for preserved tropical hardwood and mangrove…
7. Pigeon Key National Historic District
5.89 MILES
For years tiny Pigeon Key, located 2 miles west of Marathon (basically below the Old Seven Mile Bridge), housed the rail workers and maintenance men who…
11.85 MILES
This small park has covered picnic tables and good access to the mudflat and mangrove habitat that makes up most of the Keys’ coastline. The views onto…