Our latest vacation was like a dream come true. I always wanted to try all the best things to do in Key West. There are so many fun activities to do and tons of treasures to discover on the island.
7 Best Things to Do in Key West
Disclosure: Gifted experience. All opinions are mine.
We drove from Miami to Key West on Overseas Highway. It took us approximately 3 hours with minimal traffic. The drive was absolutely wonderful. We drove across 42 islands and in complete awe while looking at so much beauty. It was definitely one of our best road trips ever.
For the duration of our visit, we stayed at the Double Tree by Hilton Grand Key Resort. It was the perfect place to stay for many reasons. First, the concierges were very helpful and friendly.
They made calls for us to book activities and excursions and gave us lots of good tips for our visit. Second, the pool was so beautiful and warm. It was the perfect spot for some down time at the resort. And third, the breakfast buffet was delicious and with different items every day.
During our visit on the island, we had the opportunity to explore some of the best things to do in Key West. Here are a few of them:
Old Town Trolley Tours of Key West
I’m so glad that we hopped on Old Town Trolley Tours of Key West. It was a sightseeing tour highlighting the history of Key West with humorous stories. The 90-minute ride went by so fast. It was very interesting and entertaining.
We stayed on the trolley the whole time but we could have decided to get off at one of the 13 stops around the island and re-board the next trolley. The Old Town Trolley Tours of Key West is definitely the perfect way to discover and learn about the island.
Key West Shipwreck Treasures Museum
We stepped back to the Key West of 1856 and discovered the world of shipwrecking. Back then, about one ship per week would wreck somewhere along the Florida Reef. Salvagers would rush to the wreck in order to be the first to claim it.
The items salvaged from the wreck would then be sold at auction in Key West. It was fascinating to see all the treasures and artifacts that were taken from the wrecks.
We also went up the 60-foot lookout tower where the wreckers would watch the reef. It was an amazing view up there. In fact, you can watch the live view from the webcam at https://www.keywestharborwebcam.com. I can’t stop watching it. I miss Key West so much.
Ernest Hemingway Home and Museum
It was a privilege to visit the home of Ernest Hemingway in Old Town Key West. Ernest Hemingway lived and wrote in this home for more than ten years and many of his famous classics were created there like The Snows of Kilimanjaro and To Have and Have Not.
We were surprised to see all the cats living around the propriety. As you can see, two of the cats were sleeping on Hemingway’s bed!
Approximately 40 to 50 cats live there. They are famous for having six toes. It was the puuurfect place to visit for cat lovers like us. We learned so much about Ernest Hemingway with the guided tour of his home and gardens. I could easily picture him writing from his peaceful studio.
Key West Aquarium
The Key West Aquarium was a lot of fun to visit. We loved the touch tank featuring sea stars, sea urchins, conchs giant hermit crabs and horseshoe crabs.
We also enjoyed the animal feedings and the interactive talks. The kids fed beautiful stingrays. They were so soft and slimy. One of them kept wanting to be petted. She was so cute!
Also during our visit, we met the turtles that live and rehabilitate at the aquarium. It was interesting to learn about their lives and how they ended up at the aquarium. Definitely a must see in Key West.
Smathers Beach
You can’t go to Key West without going to Smathers Beach. Smathers Beach is the largest public beach in Key West. It is about a half mile long with beautiful soft sand and lined with palm and coconut trees.
Fun fact- we learned that the Keys do not have any natural sand due to the reef that surrounds it. The beautiful sand was actually brought in from the Bahamas and is replenished every other year!
After digging a little bit in the sand, we found a lot of seashells of different colours. The kids really enjoyed looking for seashells. We loved that it was super easy to find parking right by the beach and the parking was free!
After spending the day at beach, we even went back at night to watch the sunset. It was spectacular.
Fishing from the White Street Pier
As we only wanted to fish for a short time, we decided to fish without booking a charter boat. So we went to KMart and bought fishing rods, fishing permits, and bait before we drove to the White Street Pier. Private and party boat fishing charters are widely available in the Keys should you want a bigger fishing adventure.
The view from the pier was amazing and they were so many fishes swimming near by. Some were tiny and very colourful like the Sargent Major and other ones were HUGE. I even saw a big stingray swimming under the pier.
I think the fishes really enjoyed eating our baits of squid and shrimps because we caught a lot of them. It was a very fun way to spend the morning. Pier fishing is perfect for kids as they can easily see the fish they want to catch and reeling them in is not too big a challenge for them.
Fury Glass Bottom Boat
We embarked in a really fun glass bottom boat guided tour. Through the glass, we were able to see parts of the North America’s only living coral reef. Unbelievable! We saw fishes and corals of all colours and other sea creatures that were on our path.
On our way to the reef, we took in the view from the upper deck and saw a hammerhead shark splashing around. The Captain slowed down so we could all admire the shark. Being on the upper deck allowed us to soak up the sun and breathe in the marine air. It was definitely super relaxing. On the way back, we were followed by a dolphin! He followed us a long distance, jumping in and out of our wake for everyone to see.
We had so much fun during our visit to Key West that we had a hard time leaving. We loved everything about Key West, especially the roosters that welcomed us everywhere. Actually, everyone was very welcoming and so happy to meet us. We will miss you all and we promise to be back. See you again soon Key West.
Key West is one of my favourite places to visit! I had no idea that was the reason for the lack of beach sand!