The Ultimate Guide to The Florida Keys

The Florida Keys is probably one of the most tropical destinations you could visit in the United States. If you didn’t already know, The Keys are a bunch of islands connected by a highway just south of Miami. Key West (aka the most southern key) is the southern most point in the continental United States and is only 90 miles from Cuba! The Keys was honestly one of our favorite places we have visited in the USA. The weather is perfect, there are palm trees & other tropical plants everywhere, and the people are super friendly. We spent a few days in The Florida Keys and have come up with our ultimate guide to visiting so keep reading to find out what you absolutely have to do when you’re there!

Key Largo

The first Key most people visit on a trip to The Florida Keys is Key Largo. It’s only about 1.5 hours from Miami and there is a lot of things you can do in the area. We stayed at Kona Kai Resort and we absolutely loved it there. They have a few guesthouses on the property which that are all separate which makes it the perfect place to stay during COVID. Kona Kai also had a pool, hot tub, and other amenities on the property.

We spent a day in Key Largo so here are our recommendations of what you have to do when you visit:

Have a meal at The Fish House (it’s been featured on The Food Network a few times!)
Do a tarpon feeding and explore around Robbie’s
Try some local beer and spirits at Islamorada Brewery & Distillery
Go on a romantic date at Chef Michael’s

Marathon

Marathon is a city in The Keys that encompasses a few different islands, we spent most of our time in Marathon on Grassy Key at Keys Cable. Keys Cable is labelled as an adventure park where you can do watersports on the Lagoon, but there is so much more to it than that! They also have a botanical garden run by this amazing lesbian couple, they are building a sustainable restaurant & brewery on the property, and they also have amazing art pieces around the premises. We went wakeboarding at Keys Cable and had the most amazing time! Make sure you check out our YouTube video (linked at the bottom of this post) to see us in action!

Key West

The most popular key to visit is definitely Key West. There is a ton to do in Key West that even though we spent almost 4 days there, we still felt like there was so much more we could see! Key West is such a welcoming place and extremely inclusive of the LGBTQ+ community as well. It’s a walkable town so unlike the other keys, you definitely do not need a car here. We walked everywhere we wanted to go, but you can also rent a motorbike or a golf cart to get around if you would like!

Where to Stay in Key West

We stayed at Alexander’s Guest House which is a Gay and Lesbian owned hotel in Key West. It was in the Historic District which is a great area and close to everything we wanted to do! We also love supporting LGBTQ+ businesses whenever we can. Alexander’s went above and beyond to make us feel welcomed during our stay, the staff was so nice & accommodating and was there to answer any questions we had. They have a pool and hot tub on the property which is open 24/7 and everyday from 4:30-5:30PM they have a free happy hour! We absolutely loved our stay at Alexander’s and cannot wait to go back to Key West and stay there again.

Best Things to Do in Key West

Walk into the local shops on the famous Duval Street
Snap a photo in front of the 90 Miles to Cuba landmark (aka the southern most point in the continental United States!)
Pet some polydactyl (6 toed) cats at the Ernest Hemingway House and Museum
Soak up some sun on Smather’s Beach
Head up to the top of the Key West Lighthouse at the Lighthouse Museum & Quarters
Go on a dolphin watching tour with Honest Eco Tours
Go see a live show — we saw a cabaret show at La Te Da with Randy Roberts Live!
Try something new and do a paddleboard yoga class at Lazy Dog
Watch the sunset from a charter boat with Venus Charters

Book other Key West activities & tours on Expedia!

Where to Eat & Drink

Moondog Cafe & Bakery
The Cafe
Cuban Coffee Queen
Date & Thyme
Nine One Five
Fisherman’s Cafe
Mangia Mangia
La Te Da
801 Bourbon Bar
Mattheessen’s

We loved our trip to The Florida Keys and are already planning another trip back! If you want to see more of what we got up to on our trip, make sure you check our our Florida Keys YouTube video where we show a more in depth guide of everything we did! If you are thinking about visiting The Keys, this is you sign to book the trip and go!

The Florida Keys Travel Guide

This post was made in partnership with The Florida Keys Tourism Board. Check out their website for more info. As always, all opinions are honest and our own. Some links on this post are affiliate links of which we receive a small commission, but the price is the same for you.