5 Must-Do Things in Key Largo

My husband is a coastal engineer  (which is a really cool profession. If you have a STEM student who loves the water, you should really look into it!) which means that he has to travel to beautiful places like the Florida Keys for work. (I know. Rough life. I told you it’s a cool profession!)

We have been coming to the Keys every year since 2001 – sometimes to Key West and sometimes to Key Largo – depending on where the conference was being held. Since it was in Key Largo this year, here is my list of can’t-miss things to do there!

Key Lime Pie on a Stick

We have made it a mission to try as many key lime pies as we can when we are down here and hands-down my favorite version is the frozen key lime pie on a stick. Several different places sell them. It’s delicious!

A new find this year is the key lime pie in a jar.

An interesting version (but not MY favorite) is the fried key lime pie where a piece of pie is wrapped in dough and deep fried. The best one is at the Pilot House where you can see the fish through the glass floor squares. They even light it at night. Very cool!

This one was interesting because it was panko crusted. But the pie itself wasn’t very good. IMO.

(An aside. Did you know that Oreo has key lime pie cookies? They’re not bad!)

Snorkel Trip

You can try snorkeling at John Pennekamp State Park but we’ve never done that. Every year we go out on a giant catamaran to offshore reefs. Our favorite outfit is Snorkel Key Largo.

It’s seriously amazing to snorkel on a reef. It’s like swimming in a giant aquarium. Definitely bring your GoPro or borrow one from a friend! You can plan on about $45 per person. They provide you with all the equipment, go 3.5 miles offshore and make two stops. On the latest trip we stopped at Mosquito Bank North and then we went to Mosquito Bank South.

Shell World

There are two locations in Key Largo but our preferred one is the second, more southern location (near MM 96). I remember the first time we stopped here I was a little skeptical, expecting it to be full of tacky touristy stuff. Although there is a little bit of that, most of the store is actually really, really cool! I like to buy a souvenir piece of jewelry. My collection is growing nicely.

And of course they sell shells. It is *Shell* World after all!

Hang out by the Beach/Pool

I mean, it’s the Keys, right?? It’s all about laid-back and relaxing. People mistakenly believe that there are nice beaches in the Keys. Actually, most of the islands are surrounded by mangroves. However, hotels do a pretty good job of creating man-made beaches for hanging out on but they certainly are not the best beaches in Florida. The views are amazing, though, so taking time to just chill in a chair, under a palm tree while gazing out at the blue expanse is definitely on my to-do list when I’m down here! Extra points if there’s a cold adult beverage in my hand.

If you’re lucky (like I was) you might see a juvenile manatee swim by!

Cuban Food or Seafood

There’s a large population of Cubans so the food is very authentic and delicious! Stop by the Pinecrest Bakery for cafe’ con leche and a pastry! There was only one woman who spoke English this last time! Talk about authentic!

The Keys are pretty pricey but the seafood is so incredibly fresh that you just have to pay the piper. Personally, I do not eat any crustaceans but I have grown to like some types of fish. I had some really yummy yellow tail snapper and mahi mahi.

The Keys are pretty pricey but the seafood is so incredibly fresh that you just have to pay the piper. Personally, I do not eat any crustaceans but I have grown to like some types of fish. I had some really yummy yellow tail snapper and mahi mahi.

So there you have it! My list of things we do every time we go to Key Largo!

Be sure to pin this to help you remember for your trip to the Keys!

Have you ever been to the Keys? What’s your favorite thing to do there?