Stuff to do in the Keys?

[dapolice]

Hello all.
I have read Speargirl's post, but it is 2 years old. I have been reading in here for a few years now and thoroughly enjoy the info.

We are planning a trip to the key's from June 19th to the 26th. We are starting off by diving with Underwater Explorer's on Sunday in Boynton Beach area.

We will dive and stay with Amy at Amoray on Monday and Tuesday heading to Key West Wed afternoon. The remainder of the time will be on the islands. What are the true hot spots or MUST DO's while in the Keys. I will have my 13 year old (Advanced Jr Diver) and 7 year old (little fish) along for the ride. My parents (in their fifties) will accompany us as well , so my wife and I could go to a few places that the children can't go (if those are some of the place we MUST GO).

We are not big partiers, so that is not a priority, but if it is a must go we will try it out. While in Key West we are staying just off of Duval Street. Any tips or pointers about getting around downtown, dining etc.? We are looking to have a nice diner there Tuesday night and make it to the sunset. Any suggestions on driving, parking, accesses, etc.?

Wed we are just going to drive back up the Islands stopping off wherever. Any suggestions on sight seeing, etc. ?

This is our first trip to the Keys, so we are really unfamiliar with the areas. Any suggestions would be great to ease the "what are we going to do now"? We are generally wanting it to be a relaxing trip so not wanting to be running wide open the whole time (did that last year in Orlando).

 

[DebbyDiver]

You MUST feed the tarpon at Robbie's!!! Especially since you have your kids with you. Buy each a bucket of fish and take pictures!

 

[Buoyant1]

Dolphin Research Center in Marathon, or Theatre of the Sea in Islamorada are good starts!
History of Diving Museum is another good one.

Duval St. is a once and done sort of thing (kind of like doing the boardwalk in Atlantic City...been there done that got the T-shirt) Do the Conch Train in Key West! Lot's of history, and fun stuff.
Mel Fishers Museum is interesting.

Enjoy! I'm sure more people will check in on this! There are a few good recent threads on eating if you search a little.

 

[moneysavr]

Ok they hit the top two, Theater by the Sea, nice site to visit.
Robbies to feed the Tarpon and have a ice cold beer!!!!!!!
And stop by Craig's for the Fish Sandwich man after that ask how to find the local seafood mart,pick up some fresh bugs, park the car for the night> cook em on a grill with some fresh bread,a ice cold drink, and relax,people watch
man .it don't get better than that!
Key West well guess you got to see it but I would not waste a dime staying there,5 hrs and you can see the sites parking a hassle, Bike is the best way if you are defensive/offensive driver.It's a way of life for some-not into that life style=north of KW is north of the tension line IMO!!
Brad

 

[diverrex]

I enjoy Key West, maybe not a lot to do there but I find the "vibe" fun and relaxing. Try Louie's Backyard for a nice couples dinner, lots of other good restaurants also. Mel Fisher's museum is fun for 30-60 minutes, particularly for divers. The sunset at Mallory Sq. is usually entertaining, besides the street performers I find something very charming at people just watching the sunset and clapping at the beauty of it. The Hemingway Museum is also interesting if you are into that sort of thing. Key West has all the typical beach resort tourist stuff - fishing, sailboat cruises, parasailing, etc. and simply great people watching. The best way around is walking for short distances and bikes for anything longer. If you're staying near Duval Street you may be able to just keep the car parked.

Make sure to eat lots of Conch Fritters and Key Lime Pie. When my wife and I visit we make sure to have both of those at least once every day.

 

[dapolice]

Thanks Everyone for the input. I have started my list of things you all have mentioned. If there is anything else please let me know. We are getting so excited about diving there.. I hope conditions improve, as it seems they are not very favorable right now.

 

[ONESPEED]

Ok they hit the top two, Theater by the Sea, nice site to visit.
Robbies to feed the Tarpon and have a ice cold beer!!!!!!!
And stop by Craig's for the Fish Sandwich man after that ask how to find the local seafood mart,pick up some fresh bugs, park the car for the night> cook em on a grill with some fresh bread,a ice cold drink, and relax,people watch
man .it don't get better than that!
Key West well guess you got to see it but I would not waste a dime staying there,5 hrs and you can see the sites parking a hassle, Bike is the best way if you are defensive/offensive driver.It's a way of life for some-not into that life style=north of KW is north of the tension line IMO!!
Brad

Great tip, get the grouper superfish!!!!:thumbs-up

 

[Speargirl]

Hello all.
I have read Speargirl's post, but it is 2 years old. I have been reading in here for a few years now and thoroughly enjoy the info.

Please note, this sticky was recently updated with up-to-date and accurate information.

If you find that you need more info we have lots of people here in the Conch Section that are very willing and happy to help you. By the same token, if there is anything you feel needs added, please let me know.

Thanks so much
Becky

 

[diverrex]

Please note, this sticky was recently updated with up-to-date and accurate information.

If you find that you need more info we have lots of people here in the Conch Section that are very willing and happy to help you. By the same token, if there is anything you feel needs added, please let me know.

Thanks so much
Becky

I just looked at the sticky for the first time - excellent job, great info there!

 

[Florida Impressions]

It's definitely a good idea to have a lot of backup plans for when the wind is blowing.

Bahia Honda State Park has a wonderful beach for swimming and snorkeling. This is especially a good place when the wind is blowing hard out of the NE, N or NW (which is unlikely in June).

For Key West, we've always found the easiest place to park is at the Westin Parking Garage which is just SW of Mallory Square. It's $4/hour to park there, but it's really convenient to everything. We really like the Key West Aquarium. It's small, but I can sit there and look at their little lagoon full of fish for hours. Additionally, if you aren't set on which day you want to do Key West look up the cruise ship schedule and try to pick one of the days when the cruise ships aren't docked.

Oh, and don't worry about what the conditions currently are now. There's a big difference between April and June.