Florida Keys Attractions
Florida Keys Attractions
 | Conch Tour Train 201 Front Street Key West, FL • 888-916-8687 Particularly during the summer months, temperatures in Key West can be on the sizzling side. The best way to tour the scenic Old Town with your crew without breaking too much of a sweat is aboard the Conch Tour Train -- a bright yellow, train-like, open-air vehicle, complete with sound effects and stroller storage, where you can kick back and relax while watching sights such as the Hemmingway House and Southernmost Point pass you by. The 90-minute ride includes three, 10-minute stops where you can stretch the kids' legs while grabbing something cold to drink or doing some quick souvenir shopping. Best For: Kids (3-6)•Kids (7-9)•Tweens (10-12)•Teens (13+) |
 | Florida Keys Eco Discovery Center 35 East Quay Road Key West, FL • 305-809-4750 Before sending them off into the water, give your kids an educational and entertaining tour through the native environments of the Florida Keys at this interactive exhibit near Fort Zachary Taylor's beautiful snorkeling beach offering free admission. The Living Reef exhibit is a 2,500-gallon aquarium with corals and tropical fish. Other displays explain Florida environments such as hardwood hammocks and beach dunes. Best For: Kids (3-6)•Kids (7-9)•Tweens (10-12)•Teens (13+) |
 | Founders Park Mile Marker 87 Islamorada, FL • 305-434-8984 Spend a fun, family day at this sprawling public park on the bayside in Islamorada where you can swim in the Olympic sized swimming pool, rent Hobie Wave sailboats, pedal boats and kayaks, or try your skills on the newest board riding trend -- stand up paddleboards. Sign the kids up for hour-long sail lessons while you enjoy some downtime on the beach. Additional onsite amenities to pass a fun, easy day include barbecues for grilling, showers for rinsing off before continuing your road drip and a skate park for your young shredders. Best For: Kids (7-9)•Tweens (10-12)•Teens (13+) |
 | John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park Mile Marker 102.6 Key Largo, FL • 305-451-6300 There's no better park to begin with when it comes to teaching your kids about the wonders of the U.S. park system. John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park stakes a claim as the nation's first undersea park. And the large glass bottom boats that depart from here for tours three times daily (each 2.5 hours long) visit shallow reefs in the area, so you don't have to get wet to get an underwater view. Snorkeling trips to visit the famous Christ of the Abyss statue and surrounding reefs are another option. Or you can just rent a mask, snorkel and fins and see what there is to see along the park's shallow beaches. Best For: Kids (3-6)•Kids (7-9)•Tweens (10-12)•Teens (13+) |
 | Robbie's of Islamorada 77522 Overseas Highway Islamorada, FL • 877-664-8498 Tucked under a bridge, Robbie's is the kind of place you'd drive right by if someone hadn't told you to stop -- a true Florida Keys find, in other words. Hand over a few bucks for a pail of silvery fish and walk onto the dock to feed the scores of enormous tarpon swirling in the waters below you. Warning: the pelicans try to get in on the action, too, and small kids can get frightened. For most little ones and teens, however, just watching or being a part of the feeding action is the stuff of life long memories. Afterwards, you can browse craft stalls outside for souvenirs like shell necklaces and painted coconuts. Best For: Kids (3-6)•Kids (7-9)•Tweens (10-12)•Teens (13+) |
 | Sunset Celebration at Mallory Square Front Street, near Duval Street Key West, FL A good hour prior to sunset and the crowds have already converged on Key West's most famous destination for scouting the green flash and mixing with the masses. Mallory Square's nightly sunset celebration has been a Key West tradition since the 1960s, and even though locals write it off as too touristy, you can bet they bring their own visitors here to see the spectacle at least once, too. Among the usual performing suspects are unicyclists and balloon artists, as well as solo guitarists sitting atop overturned buckets strumming ditties for the crowds. Look for Will Soto, who juggles and does a high-wire act -- he's one of the long standing performers, and has a magical way of timing the climax of his shows with the sun just sinking under the horizon. Your kids might have to sit on your shoulders to see over the throngs, but the crowd is prone to part and allow little ones front row access for a better view. Shortly after sunset, the catamarans and sailboats begin making their way back to Key West's harbor, offering an ideal backdrop for a family snapshot. Kid-friendly snacks for sale include conch fritters, hot dogs and pretzels and virgin pina coladas. Best For: Kids (3-6)•Kids (7-9)•Tweens (10-12)•Teens (13+) |
 | The Key West Butterfly and Nature Conservatory 1316 Duval Street Key West, FL • 305-296-2988 The chance to stroll among some 1,200 fluttering butterflies and 27 different species of birds inside this greenhouse-like attraction in Key West is one of those rare activities that's as much fun for adults as it is for kids. The butterflies -- all bred in captivity and from locales around the world -- often land right on you. Glassed in, the exhibit is lush with waterfalls and tropical foliage complete with turtles and a koi pond. Don't forget your camera! Kids under four-years old get free admission, and there's discounted admission for kids up to age 12. Best For: Kids (3-6)•Kids (7-9)•Tweens (10-12)•Teens (13+) |
 | Theater of the Sea 84721 Overseas Highway Islamorada, FL • 305-664-2431 This old school Florida marine park will seem as grand as Sea World to the young kids in your family, with dolphin and sea lion shows set in small "stadiums" where you're never more than a few rows of bleachers removed from the animals' antics. Trainers ask for volunteers at the end of each show, so your child might get to "kiss" a dolphin or toss a ring around a sea lion's blubbery neck (sit in the front row for the best chance of attracting the trainer's attention). For an additional fee, interactive programs allow you and your kids to get in the water with dolphins and stingrays inside the park or head out onto the reefs of the Florida Keys for a snorkeling excursion. Other attractions set within the attraction's lush, tropical grounds include a bird show with trained parrots showing off their skills and a glass bottom boat ride (both included with general admission). Best For: Kids (3-6)•Kids (7-9)•Tweens (10-12)•Teens (13+) |
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