Things to do nearFlorida Keys

The Florida Keys have drawn travelers for well over a century, shaped by fishing, wrecking, and sponge-diving trades that left behind a culture as layered as the reef itself. Ernest Hemingway famously made Key West his home in the 1930s, and the literary and artistic spirit he helped establish still threads through the southernmost island today.

Above water, the Overseas Highway connecting the islands is a journey in itself, crossing dozens of bridges including the iconic Seven Mile Bridge with open ocean stretching to every horizon. Bahia Honda State Park offers one of the finest natural beaches in the Keys, while John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park in Key Largo protects the only living coral barrier reef in the continental United States.

Dining across the Keys leans heavily on the sea, with stone crab claws, conch fritters, and key lime pie appearing on menus from humble roadside counters to open-air waterfront restaurants. The pace is unhurried and the portions generous.

For those who have never snorkeled a coral garden or watched a tarpon roll in glassy backcountry water, the Florida Keys offer an encounter with the natural world that is both accessible and genuinely unforgettable.