16 Best Things to Do in Key Largo

An 8.5-ft bronze statue in 25 ft of water on Key Largo Dry Rocks, placed in 1965 and the most photographed spot in the Keys. The reef around it is shallow (5–25 ft) and busy with sergeant majors and parrotfish. Shared snorkel trips run 2.5 hours and $75–$80 per adult with gear; the 9am boat gets the calmest water and the fewest other boats.

The most-dived reef in the Keys, 6 miles out, with spur-and-groove coral, big schools of grunts and a resident population of green turtles. Snorkelers float over 15–30 ft of water. Two-location snorkel trips from Key Largo run $75–$80; most boats pair Molasses with a shallower second site.

MarineLab runs two-hour guided snorkels in the shallow Pennekamp lagoons for $53 per person, led by staff biologists who explain what you are looking at. The best option for kids, first-timers and anyone who wants to learn the reef rather than just see it.

A 510-ft Navy landing ship sunk as an artificial reef in 2002, sitting in 130 ft of water with its deck at 60 ft. Advanced-diver territory; two-tank dive trips run $100–$125 per diver plus gear. Nearby the Duane and Bibb Coast Guard cutters are the other two big wrecks. Snorkelers cannot see any of them; book a reef trip instead.

Key Largo has more dive shops per mile than anywhere in the US and most teach beginner courses year-round. A Discover Scuba day runs about $150–$200; open-water certification is 3–4 days and $500–$700. Visibility is best June through September.

Key Largo backs onto Florida Bay and the southern edge of Everglades National Park. A two-hour guided boat tour through the mangrove islands and flats runs about $79 per person: manatees in winter, dolphins year-round, crocodiles if you are lucky, and more birds than you can name. Private versions for a group start around $400.

The actual 1912 steam launch from the 1951 Bogart and Hepburn film is moored at the Holiday Inn marina at Mile Marker 100 and does 90-minute canal and bay cruises most days. About $59 per person; check the marina for the day's times.

Pennekamp rents kayaks and has marked mangrove trails inside the park; Dagny Johnson Key Largo Hammock Botanical State Park at Mile Marker 106 has the walking trails through the largest West Indian hardwood hammock left in the US. Both are a few dollars entry. Paddleboards rent from about $35.

A 90-minute floating tiki-bar cruise on the bayside runs $59.95 per person, BYOB, with a sunset version at $79.95. Six to a boat, so it is effectively a private charter at per-person prices.

Sunset is on the bay side. A two-hour cruise from Baker's Cay runs $85 per adult; shared eco-boat sunset tours are about $60. If you stay on land, the Caribbean Club at Mile Marker 104 (the bar from the 1948 film Key Largo) and Snook's Bayside are the two classic sunset decks.

Key Largo has two long-running dolphin facilities on the oceanside canals. Structured swims run $200–$300 per person and sell out in season; the shallow-water and dock programs are cheaper and work for small kids. Observation-only admission is about $20.

Ten minutes south in Tavernier at Mile Marker 93.6: a boardwalk through the mangroves past rescued pelicans, hawks, owls and spoonbills. Donation entry; the wild pelicans crowd the dock for the afternoon feeding around 3:30pm.

Four-hour reef fishing trips on the Sailors Choice sell single seats for about $85 including rod and bait, twice a day from Mile Marker 100. Snapper, grouper and yellowtail; the crew cleans what you keep.

The first undersea park in the US, at Mile Marker 102.5. Two small man-made beaches (Cannon and Far), a visitor center with a 30,000-gallon aquarium, kayak rentals, campsites and the park concession's own glass-bottom, snorkel and dive boats. Entry is about $8 per vehicle. The beaches are shallow and good for small children; the snorkeling from shore is weak, so take a boat.

A county park in Tavernier with a protected swimming lagoon, a boat ramp and picnic shelters. Free on weekdays, a small fee on weekends. The best free swim in the Upper Keys if Pennekamp's beaches are crowded.

The paved trail runs the length of Key Largo along US-1 and across the old Jewfish Creek bridge. Flat, shaded in stretches, and the only way to see the island without a car. Rentals around $25 a day.