What to do at the Florida Keys with kids? The Florida Keys is a group of islands south of the state of Florida and all these islands are connected by bridges. Many of the families with kids visit this archipelago because of its wonderful climate and beautiful beaches, but there are certainly other fun kids activities you can do here. In this blog, we list the best children’s activities in the Florida Keys.
Best travel time Florida Keys with kids
The best travel time to visit the Florida Keys with kids is December through April. Beginning in early May, the rainy season begins in Florida. In addition, you may suffer from hurricane season in Florida, and this hurricane season runs from August through November. We were there in late April early May and had temperatures of 25 degrees or warmer.
There was some precipitation in the days we were there, but mostly it was just a short shower and mostly at night. Just keep in mind that the months of December and January are high season in Florida and it can be a lot busier everywhere and accommodation prices can start to rise.
Transportation in and to The Keys
The easiest way to visit The Keys is by rental car. After all, you also cover quite a lot of distances if you want to visit several places in this region. Most families with kids therefore rent a car at the Orlando or Miami airport where most families land with the airport.
You can rent a car at both Orlando airport, and Miami airport through the rental company Sunny Cars. This rental company operates on the all inclusive principle, where most insurance and often the deductible are all already included in the price. To rent a car at the Orlando airport, take a look here and to rent a car at the Miami airport, take a look here.
By the way, keep in mind that you will be driving on toll roads in the Miami area and that these are still additional costs, which come on top of the car rental price. Of course, it is also possible to hire a cab, but then you will be many times more expensive. We stayed the first night after arriving at the Sheraton Miami Airport and from here it was a 3 hour and 21 minute drive to The Keys.
Children’s Activities Florida The Keys
#1 Everglades National Park
The Everglades is a swamp in southern Florida. The Everglades area has a tropical climate, with rainy season seven out of 12 months. This season runs from April to October. From November to March is the dry season. Did you know that Everglades National Park is home to more than 350 birds, 300 species of fish and 50 species of reptiles in the swamp, including the famous alligators.
We were told that last year there had been little rainfall, so they were unable to do tours for quite a while. We started googling at home and looked at several profiles via Instagram to see which tour operators were reasonably animal-friendly. We did not want to do a tour where you could attend an alligator show.
Eventually, we ended up at Tigertail Airboat tours. They also do private tours and this is what we opted for. The price for a one-hour private tour with seven people was $405. We booked this tour from the Netherlands. What’s so nice about a private tour is that time is taken for you and you don’t have to wait to ask anything yourself.
It was an unforgettable tour. We,d just started and our guide turned off the engine and yes there we saw an alligator. In all, we saw four, including a female with her hatchlings. Finally, we also stopped at a place where Indians used to live and where they now care for injured animals, including an alligator turtle and a baby alligator.
They release the baby alligators once they are two years old, because otherwise the chances of survival are very low. You may also hold them for a photo, but I would decline to do so. The guide told all kinds of things about the alligators and their habitat. We found it an informative tour, where we saw and learned a lot.
If you want more information about the Everglades National Park, read our blog the Everglades with kids.
#2 Bahia Honda State Park
Bahia Honda State Park is a beautiful park, near the Seven Mile Bridge. Bahia Honda State Park is located halfway down the Overseas Highway that takes you to Key West. Bahia Honda State Park has three different beaches you can visit with kids. We briefly name these three family-friendly beaches below.
Loggerhead Beach: this beach is known for its beautiful starry sky. Because it is far from civilization, the air cannot be polluted, resulting in beautiful air.
Calusa Beach: a small beach with toilet facilities. From this beach, you can see the Seven Mile Bridge. For kids, this beach is ideal. You can walk far into the sea here. We had fun watching school-age kids having to complete tasks in the water with scoop nets looking for all kinds of things.
Sandspur: is the largest beach of the three beaches. We did not visit this beach because we had a great time at Calusa Beach. Furthermore, you have walking paths on this beach, where you can have a nice walk with kids. Furthermore, you can spot many according to here. A variety of endangered birds also live here, including, for example, the white-capped pigeon. The cost is eight dollars to enter the park with your car.
#3 Truman Waterfront Park
At the Truman Waterfront Park, there is plenty for kids to do. Among other things, you have several playgrounds here, including one with water equipment. With warm weather, this playground is definitely recommended. We drove there from Marathon and stayed there for half a day. It was also kind of nice that there were toilet facilities for the kids.
It is a large park where you can enjoy hiking, biking and kids have a great time. You can watch beautiful sunsets there. Parking does cost money, but well where not these days. Parking fees are $4 per hour. Cruise ships also dock here near this park.
You can spend some time in this park, and the self-park is free to enter. If you need a break and the kids just want to play, I would definitely go here. You can also view the USCG Ship paid here, by the way. This is a Coast Guard ship that served in WW11. The small ship has a long history.
You can walk through the ship yourself with kids. Entry fees to the ship are $5 for children between the ages of 7 and 12 and $15 for kids 13 and older and adults. Kids up to age 6 may visit the ship for free.
#4 Southernmost Point of the Continental U.S.
The Southernmost Point of the Continental U.S. is one of the highlights in Key West. It is a monument that marks the exact point where the American mainland ends. The striking buoy is just 144 kilometers from Cuba. It is best to go early in the morning, then you are least likely to be crowded. We drove there from Key Largo. because we could not get into our room at our next accommodation until late afternoon.
The Florida Keys consists of several islands, which are connected by 42 bridges. It was then very crowded at the monument and we had to wait at least 30 minutes before we could also take a picture at this point. Be careful here, because you can get a little wet from the sea hitting the shore…. We found this only refreshing, since it was so hot.
The atmosphere in the Keys is cozy, but crowded. A little train rides around showing you all kinds of things about the Keys and the guide talks about fun facts and everything about the Keys. For more information about this tour on Key West by train, take a look here. The tour takes about 90 minutes and the little train also stops at this monument.
Other children’s activities Florida Keys
You have more things to do with kids besides the four activities described above at the Florida Keys. We briefly list the other children’s activities at the Florida Keys.
#5 Turtle Hospital (Turtle Hospital): this is an educational tour of the turtle hospital. You will learn about the species of turtles and what their biggest threats are. Your entrance fee is used entirely for the care and treatment of the animals. The goal is to eventually return them to their habitat, if the turtles’ health allows.
Unfortunately, it is becoming increasingly common for turtles to get caught in nets or swallow plastic. So just clean up your stuff. You don’t want it to end up in the sea. The hospital is in Marathon and a tour here costs $35 per person for kids 13 and older and adults. For children ages 4 to 12, you pay $17.50 and for kids under four, admission is free.
#6 Tarpon feeding: on the way to Key Largo we drove along a road, where next to a jetty we saw all the people. Once at our destination, we googled what they were doing there. So you can feed tarpon at Robbie’s Marina. Admission to the pier costs you $2.50 per person and a bucket with a few fish in it costs $4.50.
You also have a restaurant and gift shop here. Snorkeling and diving tours also depart from this point. With kids, this is a super fun activity to do. If you want to grab a drink or a bite to eat, you can do so at Hungry Tarpon restaurant. You have beautiful waterfront spots there.
The tarpons can grow as long as 2.5 meters and weigh as much as 90 kg. Having already seen tarpons in Bonaire with snorkeling, we did not go there as yet. It did look very nice, though!
#7 Glass bottom boat: you can also go on a glass bottom boat in Key West and explore the underwater world with kids that way. Especially with young kids who can’t swim (well) yet, this is a great option. If you have some older kids who can swim well, snorkeling at the Florida Keys with kids is also definitely fun.
You can then go on a tour of about 3 hours to explore the beautiful underwater world with the family. For more information about this tour, take a look here.
#8 Biking in Key West: You can also go biking at Florida Key West with kids. You can rent bikes (including children’s bikes) at several places on Key West and explore this island this way. On Key West, you have several places that are fun to explore and there are also several museums you can visit here. For example, you have Key West Aquarium and Key West Shipwreck Museum, which you can visit with kids. Key West’s finest beach is at Fort Zachary.
Family-friendly Florida Keys restaurant
You can eat out in the Florida Keys area with kids just fine. There are plenty of family-friendly restaurants at the Florida Keys. We list some great restaurants below.
You can also eat fine in Key Largo and Marathon with kids. You have several nice family-friendly restaurants in Key Largo & Marathon. We drove by the restaurant “What The Fish Rolls & More.” It has a sandy area, where kids can play. Bring a bucket and shovel and the kids will have fun. You can order different dishes such as fries, pizza, fish, tacos. So plenty of choice. The restaurant is located in Islamorada.
You can eat at several restaurants in Marathon. We ate fast food, since we do not like fish. With kids, you often go for the quicker bite anyway and where they have fries. A three-minute drive from our accommodation was the McDonald’s. With kids, eating here is just ideal. You have fries, burgers and chicken nuggets. A simple quick bite, but you’ll make our kids happy.
Family-friendly Florida Keys hotel
Banana Bay Resort & Marina: We stayed in Marathon at Banana Bay Resort & Marina. You can do plenty at Banana Bay Resort & Marina with kids. You have a swimming pool there first. Furthermore, you can play a variety of games in the garden, including four in a row, chess and foosball. There is also a harbor where you can fish or spot manatees.
Also take advantage of the resort’s free bikes that you can grab for free. It is fun to take kids for a bike ride in the area. We found the only downside of this hotel to be the breakfast. This was very sparse (disposable box with a bagel, yogurt and juice). For more information about the Banana Bay Resort & Marina, take a look here .
Hampton Inn Key Largo: In Key Largo, we stayed at the hotel Hampton inn. With kids, there is plenty to do at this hotel as well. The hotel has a pool and a beach by the lake (only there are crocodiles swimming there). Furthermore, you can spot a huge number of iguanas. You can also rent a canoe or paddleboat, which you can use to go out on the lake. Sometimes manatees swim by. For more information on the Hampton Inn Key Largo, take a look here.
Of course, at the Florida Keys there are other nice family-friendly hotels you can book. We list below the top rated hotels in different price ranges. We did this for the islands of Marathon and Key West. Click on the blue link for more information.
Marathon:
Budget accommodation: Kingsail Resort
Mid-range accommodations: Captain Pip’s Marina & Hideaway
Luxury Accommodation: Faro Blanco Resort & Yacht Club
For the entire list of family-friendly accommodations in Marathon, take a look here.
Key West:
Budget accommodation: Blue Marlin Motel
Mid-range accommodation: Truman Hotel
Luxury Accommodation: Santa Maria Suites Resort
For the entire list of family-friendly accommodations in Key West, take a look here.
About the author: We are a traveling family. My name is Stephanie and together with my husband Jeffrey and kids Noami and Desley we take wonderful trips. Our kids are ages eleven and fourteen. We always travel with my parents, including my mother (Tineke) father (Ronald) and my sister. (Dewi). We have now visited at least 20 countries, some of which we have visited multiple times. You can follow our travels on our Instagram page.
