10 must-see things to do in the Florida Keys (views!) + camping! Key West Florida road trip vacation ideas

Hi there!

A Florida Keys road trip will give you many opportunities for amazing views!

I spent 2 weeks in the Florida Keys and the things on the list below are ideas to add to your Florida road trip when you drive from Miami to Key Largo to Key West!

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The list below generally goes into order as you’re driving south from Key Largo to Key West.

1. John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park, Key Largo

John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park is one of the most popular state parks in the Florida Keys.

And yes, there is coral reef at John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park!

This state park in the Florida Keys is considered mostly to be an underwater park.

This means that in order to see the coral reef that John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park is known for, you need to take a boat ride out to the reef!

This means that a John Pennekamp tour includes an epic boat ride in the Florida Keys to see amazing water color!

You can see the underwater life by getting in the water or by staying dry.

You have the option to take a snorkeling tour or a glass bottom boat tour.

And yes, both are worth it so you can get that boat ride in the Florida Keys and take a ride out on the ocean!

If you will be driving to Key West though, you will pass by one of the best snorkeling spots in the Florida Keys, so you may want to wait until you start driving south to do a snorkeling tour! That’s coming up later on the list!

And then, if you are interested in seeing a small shipwreck, you can do snorkeling from shore at John Pennekamp State Park… and then maybe you will see some underwater life while you are at it!

👆 Shipwreck shore snorkeling in the Florida Keys: Snorkeling around the site of the Spanish shipwreck of 1715 in John Pennekamp State Park.

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See more about planning your trip to the Florida Keys:

• Snorkeling in John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park
• Best snorkeling in the Florida Keys

Camping in the Florida Keys:

• John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park campground (tent camping, RV camping)
• How to make John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park camping reservations

2. Windley Key Fossil Reef Geological State Park, Windley Key

For a look at fossilized coral reef, you can make a stop at Windley Key Fossil Reef Geological Park.

You can take a walk to see the ancient coral reef in its original location.

Windley Key Fossil Reef State Park has a state park entry fee. This is around $2.50 per person. See current fees.

3. Lazy Days restaurant, Islamorada FL

Lazy Days can be a stop for food with a waterfront view!

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4. Long Key State Park, Long Key

Long Key State Park can be a perfect picnic stop!

There are picnic tables that are right along the water so you can eat with views!

Or just sit and enjoy the views from Long Key!

There are kayak rentals at Long Key State Park.

Long Key State Park has a state park entry fee. This is around $5 per person. See current fees.

Camping in the Florida Keys:

• Long Key State Park campground (currently walk-in tent camping only)
• Curry Hammock State Park campground (tent camping, RV camping)
• How to make Florida state park camping reservations

5. Sombrero Beach, Marathon FL

Sombrero Beach is the best beach in Marathon FL, and it’s also known as one of the best beaches in the Florida Keys.

6. Seven Mile Bridge, Overseas Highway

Basically your entire drive in the Florida Keys along the main road of the Overseas Highway.

But it’s Seven Mile Bridge that will really have you understanding REALLY why it’s the Overseas Highway! (Although you will be driving “overseas” on many smaller bridges up until this point!)

This isn’t necessarily a stop to make on your drive in the Florida Keys since you can just drive across to experience it, but it’s an icon of a Florida Keys drive!

If you are still not sure about driving all the way to Key West and you’re wondering how far south you should drive otherwise… your answer is a drive across the Seven Mile Bridge!

If you’ll be getting to the Seven Mile Bridge around sunset time, then Seven Mile Bridge can make for an epic Florida Keys sunset too!

You can find parking areas on either side of the bridge.

7. Bahia Honda State Park

So you now know that you need to drive as far as Seven Mile Bridge.

And since you have made it to Seven Mile Bridge, you can make Bahia Honda State Park your turnaround point if you decide you don’t want to go all the way to Key West!

It will be just a few minutes further.

Bahia Honda State Park is one of the most popular state parks in the Florida Keys.

This is where you will find another icon of the Florida Keys, the Old Bahia Honda railway bridge. You can actually see the old bridge if you do continue your drive without stopping at Bahia Honda State Park.

You’ll see it as you continue your drive to Key West.

But if you do stop at Bahia Honda State Park, you can get a classic view of the old bridge.

And you can also get amazing views of the Atlantic Ocean!

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There are also beaches in Bahia Honda State Park for swimming.

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You can also try snorkeling in Bahia Honda State Park for a chance to see some underwater life.

Emphasis on CHANCE!

The fish are wild and they do what they want when they want!

That said, I did have some fun snorkeling experiences in Bahia Honda State Park!

Bahia Honda State Park also has picnic tables so it can make for perfect stop for a picnic with views!

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There are kayak rentals at Bahia Honda State Park.

If you will be at Bahia Honda State Park for sunset, then this can also make for a sunset spot in the Florida Keys.

Bahia Honda State Park has a state park entry fee. This is around $8 per car. See current fees.

Bahia Honda State Park has 3 campgrounds.

Buttonwood Campground and the newly opened back up Sandspur Campground (previously closed due to hurricane damage) are for tent camping and RV camping.

Bayside Campground is for tent camping only.

All campgrounds have waterfront campsites… although not all campsites are waterfront!

👆 Best camping in the Florida Keys: Buttonwood Campground in Bahia Honda State Park. 

There are also waterfront cabins in Bahia Honda State Park. (Good luck getting a reservation!)

See more about planning your trip to the Florida Keys:

• Things to do in Bahia Honda State Park
• Bahia Honda State Park snorkeling
• Best state parks in the Florida Keys

Camping in the Florida Keys:

• Bahia Honda State Park campgrounds (tent camping, RV camping)
• How to make Bahia Honda State Park camping reservations

8. Looe Key reef

Looe Key is more than just a simple stop as it’s all about snorkeling at the Looe Key reef!

And, it requires a boat ride to get out to Looe Key! (Which is not actually an island, but just a location of the reef!)

Looe Key is considered among the best snorkeling in the Florida Keys.

So if you are going to do just one snorkeling tour in the Florida Keys, you likely won’t be disappointed if you make it a Looe Key snorkeling tour!

Here are the top ways to get a Looe Key snorkeling tour:

• Bahia Honda State Park Looe Key snorkeling tour
• Captain Hook’s, Big Pine Key
• Looe Key Reef Resort, Ramrod Key

No matter which snorkeling tour you choose, it’s important to know that sometimes snorkeling tours get cancelled.

It could be for reasons like visibility and snorkeling conditions, or it could be for other reasons.

Snorkeling tours can also sell out.

So it could be best to plan ahead to avoid disappointment.

See more about planning your trip to the Florida Keys: Looe Key snorkeling

9. Blue Hole, Big Pine Key

If you don’t mind making a 30 minute detour for a chance to see alligators in the Florida Keys, then you can head to Blue Hole on Big Pine Key.

And, emphasis on CHANCE!

Alligators are wild so they do what they want when they want!

That said, there are alligators that like to hang out at Blue Hole, so it can be one of your best chances to see alligators in the Florida Keys.

I actually went out to Blue Hole 3 times… because I didn’t see alligators the first 2 times!

But finally I did see an alligator at Blue Hole!

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10. Key West

Key West is the most popular island in the Florida Keys.

For many people, it’s the “destination” of an epic Florida Keys road trip!

There are many different ways to see Key West.

To get you started, the first place in Key West you go to can be Smathers Beach.

Smathers Beach is one of the best beaches in Key West, and it will give you the tropical vibes you’ve imagined!

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You’ll also pass by mile marker 1 with a drive along the coast on your way!

Right in front of Smathers Beach is paid parking for $5 per hour. ($2.50 if you think you’ll be in and out in 30 minutes!)

Or if you don’t mind walking an extra 5 to 10 minutes, then further east (or “north”) you can find free parking. This is in the area of the mile marker 1.

Just be mindful of the parking signs! 

If you don’t see any “no parking” or “paid parking” signs, you can probably feel safe about parking there!

And then, you can continue the drive to mile marker 0!

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You will also probably want to at least drive by the southernmost point of the continental United States.

You can also go to a nearby beach that claims to be the “southernmost beach.”

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If you want to park and take pictures here, then expect to wait in a line to take a picture with one of Key West’s most famous icons.

The Southernmost Point is a very touristy spot so you can expect crowds here in Key West.

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Once again, there’s paid parking directly around the southernmost point. And once again, the paid parking near the southernmost point is $5 per hour.

Or if you don’t mind walking an extra 10 minutes, you might be able to find free parking if you’re lucky and/or it’s not too busy of a day!

To get you started on where you look for free parking, you can look on South Street beyond Duval Street in the direction that’s further away from the southernmost point.

For the visual on a map, look for the Southernmost Point Key West, and then locate South Street and Duval Street. (map)

If you want to go snorkeling in Key West, there are snorkeling tours in Key West. You can also go snorkeling in Key West on your own and look for little fishies by going to Fort Zachary Taylor State Park or the Higgs Beach snorkeling area.

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Then, once you’ve spent all the time that you want in Key West, you can start making your way back up north!

You can also spend your time by going to one of the Key West snorkeling spots!

Florida Keys to Miami

And then if you’re headed to Miami after the Florida Keys, where to go if you want to make a quick stop with epic views?!

Make a stop at South Pointe Park of Miami Beach!

How long is the drive through the Florida Keys?

Driving directly, it might take around 3 hours of driving time from once you start driving in the Florida Keys all the way to Key West, the southernmost point in the Florida Keys… and the USA!

👆 You will be driving the road called the Overseas Highway as you drive through the Florida Keys! And yes, parts of the Overseas Highway are “overseas”! You will be driving over many bridges that connect a bunch of the little islands (“keys”) in the Florida Keys!

👆 The Overseas Highway in the Florida Keys is a Florida Scenic Highway and an All-American road as one of America’s byways! So by driving in the Florida Keys, you will be driving a Florida Scenic Highway and All-American road with lots of pretty views along the way!
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And as you are driving the Florida Keys on the Overseas Highway, you can make scenic stops along the way!

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Don’t speed as you are driving in the Florida Keys on the Overseas Highway! The police department of the Florida Keys (aka Monroe County police department) are quite serious about getting you to go the speed limit. You will likely see many police cars along the side of the road as you’re driving to give you a scare into slowing down if you are speeding!

The speed limit on the main road through the Florida Keys (the Overseas Highway) is mostly 55mph, but it’s possible that could be reduced to driving at 45mph even with the higher speed limit.

The vast majority of the Overseas Highway has no passing lane, so you can only go as fast as the car in front of you… which is sometimes 45mph in a 55 mph zone.

State parks in the Florida Keys

There are a few Florida state parks in the Florida Keys.

The Florida Park Service says that you can see the “real Florida” when you go to state parks.

In general, Florida state parks have an entry fee.

This ranges from around $3 to $8 per car for the state parks on the list below.

If you plan on making this the year of visiting many Florida state parks, then there is also an annual Florida state park pass that you can buy when you arrive at any Florida state park that is staffed.

Even with the Florida state park pass, you may or may not be charged an extra 50 cents for the county tourism fee for any of the state parks in the Florida Keys.

Florida state parks also have picnic tables so they can also make for a perfect stop for a picnic.

So stop by a Publix grocery store for prepared food or picnic food and eat your meal outdoors with views!

You can find a Publix in the Florida Keys.

This includes Key Largo, Islamorada, Marathon, and Key West.

Also, there are state parks in the Florida Keys that offer kayaking, including kayak rentals.

So if kayaking in the Florida Keys interests you, be sure to look further into that!

Camping in the Florida Keys at Florida state park campgrounds

There are state parks in the Florida Keys that offer camping.

This includes tent camping and RV camping… and car camping, van camping, etc!

Finding open campsite availability at state park campgrounds in the Florida Keys is known to be (very) difficult.

State park campgrounds in the Florida Keys are often fully booked 11 months in advance when campsites open up for booking!

But don’t worry, not all hope is lost if you aren’t capable of planning that far in advance. (And even if you were, it’s also known to be difficult. Reports indicate campsites can get snatched up within the first 5 minutes… or less!)

If your Florida Keys road trip is just a few months, weeks, or even days away, cancellations do happen. You just have to get lucky and search for campgrounds immediately after someone cancels.

Your “luck” will increase the more you search, and the closer you are to your travel date.

Searching over and over (and over 😜) does really work. I spent 2 weeks camping in the Florida Keys in Florida state parks!

In case you are not able to find availability and/or you just want to get something booked, a good back-up campground near the Florida Keys can be Long Pine Key campground in Everglades National Park. This is just outside Homestead FL. I camped there for one night and the campground was practically empty when campgrounds in the Florida Keys were full.

I have found camping availability open up weeks away, days away, and even the day before. There was one day that I was looking for a campsite for the next night and ALL state park campgrounds in the Florida Keys had availability!!! (Decisions! Which to stay at?!)

So, while it’s not something to depend on, it’s something you can look for.

1 night stays will generally be easier to find than multi-night stays.

You will find the greatest difficulty in finding open campgrounds for Saturday nights.

HAPPY DRIVING THE FLORIDA KEYS!

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