Key Largo Florida was the last leg of our epic 16 days Southeastern U.S. road trip that started in Raleigh North Carolina, then proceeded to Savannah Georgia, Amelia Island Florida, Kennedy Space Center Florida before culminating with one week family vacation in Key Largo.
We chose this specific island from all of the Florida keys because it is easy to get to and there are so many great things to do in Key Largo with kids.
Things to do in Key Largo with kids – Day 1
We arrived in Key Largo on a Sunday and decided to spend the day at the hotel because Hampton Inn Key Largo, a Hilton family hotel, is an attraction in itself. It has its own private beach that is surrounded by a very calm bay (perfect even for babies) which is frequented by manatees. We saw them pretty much every day! The beach is also a great place to grab a cocktail from the bar and observe cute green iguanas.
Hampton Inn also offers a great FREE breakfast in the morning, FREE cookies in the afternoon and very affordable nightly rates. It is the best family friendly hotel in Key Largo. Use my pro tips to save even more on your Hampton Inn Key Largo stay:
- use promo code LWP
on Hilton’s website to save 50% on a Sunday night stay when you book 3 nights weekend getaway. - you can also save up to 15% if you book in advance on Hilton website.
Things to do in Key Largo with kids – Day 2
Located just 0.6 miles from Hampton Inn Key Largo, John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park is a perfect family attraction in Key Largo. The third largest coral reef in the world is located just off shore here but you still need to take a boat to get to it. Depending on your family’s interests and abilities you can enjoy John Pennekamp Coral Reef in 3 ways: take a glass bottom boat tour, a snorkeling tour or a diving tour. We decided to do the former and we couldn’t be happier! The ocean at the reef is of unbelievable turquoise color, the visibility is perfect (we saw coral, fish and even a nurse shark) and we were accompanied on out tour by a couple of dolphins.
Important tips to enjoy your John Pennekamp boat tour:
1.Choose a sunny, still day. If it is not sunny, you won’t see that amazing color of the water. If it is windy and choppy, prepare for a rough ride. If you are not sure, how rough it is going to be or how sensitive you are to motion sickness, take all the motion sickness remedies with you just in case. When you are looking down through the glass bottom of the boat while the boat is gently swaying side to side, you WILL get inevitably sea sick. I always carry the following items in my backpack and they saved my family a hundred times already, I swear by them: motion sickness bands and patches (click on images below for more details):
2. Book the tour at least a couple days in advance, it can be sold out on the day of your planned trip.
3. It is a 2,5 hours tour so take water and snacks with you.
4. You will spend lots of time outside on the boat enjoying the view so sunscreen is a must. If you plan to snorkel, please, only use a reef friendly sunscreen to protect this unique and fragile habitat.
Things to do in Key Largo with kids – Day 3
Visiting Everglades National Park is a must thing to do in Key Largo. It is a unique ecological habitat that does not exist anywhere in the United States. The Southern entrance to the park is only about 30 minutes drive from Key Largo. You can enjoy some scenic driving and hiking in the Park but one specific attraction definitely not to miss is Everglades Alligator Farm. The farm offers educational shows about alligators (2 distinct shows on handling and feeding alligators), airboat rides in the Everglades, animal interactions (ex. emu feeding) and much more.
One thing is important to note is that the boat ride at the Everglades Alligator Farm is a fun and thrilling 20 minutes adventure but there is no educational narration. If you would like a longer educational ride, you’ll need to go further North to Fort Lauderdale to Everglades Holiday Park.
Another option to consider is a small group Everglades boat ride is with River of Grass Adventures. One way or the other, you cannot leave Southern Florida without visiting this amazing National Park.
Things to do in Key Largo with kids – Day 4
Another reason why we loved our Hampton Inn Key Largo is because you could rent kayaks there and spend time exploring on the water. We tried to go kayaking at least every other day. This day we spent almost 2 hours kayaking along the shores of Key Largo looking for wildlife. We sported some fish and lots of jellies. But they were far off shore. We never saw jellies in the waters next to the swimming beach.
A great educational and relaxing thing to do in Key Largo with kids after a vigorous exercise is visiting Florida Keys Wild Bird Rehabilitation Center, which is located on Key Largo. The entrance is FREE but you can leave a donation to support the birds. You can see various birds there from pelicans to owls to domestic parrot. There were 2 birds that absolutely loved conversing and interacting with us: the aforementioned parrot and a jay (which was kept in captivity at a human home for a while but then released). I am guessing the jay lived in a house with a cat because is kept meowing at us 🙂
Things to do in Key Largo with kids – Day 5
Theater of the Sea, located on an neighboring Islamorada Key, should definitely be at the top of your list of things to do in Key Largo with kids. It is a marine mammal center focused on animals rescue and rehabilitation. You can watch various animal shows here: parrots, dolphins, sea lions. You can also have close encounters with your favorite animal(s) for an additional charge. The animals are well taken care of here (most of them cannot be released in the wild) and are treated humanely. For instance, dolphins live in a huge lagoon that is fed by ocean water.
The shows are shown in sequence, one after another, so it makes sense either devote all your morning till lunch time to the Theater of the Sea or come right after lunch when the shows are repeated again.
Things to do in Key Largo with kids – Day 6
Unfortunately we had to say Good Bye to key largo on Day 6 and fly home. If you are not planning to do a road trip like we did you can fly in and out of either Miami or Fort Lauderdale airports. Fort Lauderdale is about 30 minutes further away compared to Miami International Airport but for flights inside the U.S. it offers much better airplane fares.
Here are my quick tips to make sure you get the best fares:
- Before booking a flight check Skyscanner Great Weekly Deals
- Use code SIGHTSEE150 to save $150 on flights+hotel package on Orbitz
Places to eat in Key Largo
One more reason to love Hampton Inn Key Largo is the abundance of great dining options a walking distance away from the hotel. All of them are family friendly and offer fantastic tasty food at very reasonable prices. These were our most favorite places to eat in Key Largo:
Alfredo’s Cookhouse – 102250 Overseas Hwy, Key Largo, Florida 33037. It is listed as a steak house on Google Maps but it is not in fact a steak house. The menu is a combination of seafood dishes, Mexican dishes and comfort food favorites.
The Catch – 102041 Overseas Hwy, Key Largo, FL 33037. Small family run seafood joint.
The Fish House – award winning restaurant with a great variety of seafood.
Hobo’s Cafe – offering traditional Floridian eats form land and sea.
Mike’s BBQ 101 – 101900 Overseas Hwy, Key Largo, FL 33037. One of the best BBQ I have ever tried. Huge portions, small prices. Only open for lunch or very early dinner (it closes at 6 pm)
Key Largo Chocolate and Ice Cream – 100470 Overseas Hwy, Key Largo, FL 33037. The sweetest place out there, lots of key lime flavored desserts, huge selection of ice creams and sorbets.
Here are other articles you may find useful for planning Florida vacation:
8 Super Fun Tampa Attractions for Families
Things to do in Tampa with Kids
Things to do in Sarasota with Kids
Kennedy Space Center Review and Tips
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