Last Updated on October 30, 2023
When my family wants a short Upper Keys getaway, Key Largo, at the top of the island chain, works as an easy base.
Running 33 miles long, it’s the largest of the Florida Keys and the closest one to Miami.
No matter how many times we visit these off-beat, funky isles, there’s always something new and fabulous to experience.
To slip seamlessly into an Authentic Florida state of mind, there’s nothing like taking “the road less traveled” on the drive down to Key Largo.
Things To Do in the Florida Upper Keys
Alabama Jack’s
Just south of Florida City, the two-lane Card Sound Road lures visitors with its unspoiled vistas of salt marsh and mangroves. A lot of folks take the opportunity to stop by Alabama Jack’s.
This is a honkytonk restaurant that serves fried fish sandwiches and award-winning conch fritters.
Diners — from muscled motorcyclists to families with little babies — savor the waterfront views, personable service, and best of all, simple, well-cooked meals.
Alabama Jack’s Address: 58000 Card Sound Rd, Key Largo, FL 33030
NOTE: Alabama Jack’s is currently for sale for $6,000,000.
Crocodile Lake National Wildlife Refuge
Card Sound Road also skirts the Crocodile Lake National Wildlife Refuge. This is one of the only places in South Florida where the shy American crocodile thrives.
Crocodile Lake National Wildlife Refuge Address: 10750 County Rd 905, Key Largo, FL 33037
Go Snorkeling
Card Sound runs into the Overseas Highway. Suddenly, you’re in Key Largo, one of the most popular snorkeling spots in the country.
The series of coral reefs off the southeastern or “ocean-side” of the Upper Keys have grown world-famous.
Visitors love their tropical sea life, like shimmering rainbow parrotfish and neon blue wrasses, not to mention graceful loggerhead turtles that flipper through the clear seas.
John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park
The best-known departure point is John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park.
This state park offers snorkel and scuba charters, glass bottom boat tours and other options.
Park hours are 8 am until sunset, 365 days a year. The fees are $8 per vehicle, plus 50 cents per person.
John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park Address: Mile Marker 102.5, Overseas Highway, Key Largo, FL 33037
Sun Diver Tours
The friendly crew at Sun Diver Tours takes out its boat Sun Diver III to explore one of a dozen different reefs. One of these includes White Banks Dry Rocks, about three-and-a-half miles off-shore.
They provide safety vests, basic instruction, and snorkeling equipment for adults and kids. All you need is a towel and your swimsuit.
Sun Diver Tours Address: 102840 Overseas Hwy, Key Largo, FL 33037
Florida Keys Wild Bird Center
Keys birdlife is also truly special. This includes pelicans soaring in formation, the roseate spoonbill with its blush-pink tint and long-legged herons that poke among the reeds.
For decades the Florida Keys Wild Bird Center has taken in injured birds, rehabilitated them, and whenever possible, released them back into the wild.
As you wander their wooden boardwalk, shaded by native buttonwood trees, you’ll spot a fierce Peregrine Falcon and an impressive Great Horned Owl.
In the well-maintained aviaries, there are ibises, hawks, parrots, cormorants, and other seabirds and songbirds.
Some animals have been badly injured, often by discarded fishing lines or hooks. They can no longer fend for themselves.
They make the Wild Bird Center their permanent home. Come between 2 and 3:30 p.m., when it’s feeding time, and the aviaries get really lively.
Florida Keys Wild Bird Center Address: 93600 Overseas Highway, Tavernier, FL 33070
The Keys History and Discovery Center
Sportfishing, diving, and boating have made the Keys a prime tourist destination.
These days art has become another big draw, especially in Islamorada, home to the Morada Way Arts District and a wonderful museum.
The Keys History and Discovery Center, situated within the Islander Resort, welcomes the public to explore the islands’ artistic and cultural heritage.
One recent inspirational show featured paintings by “the Highwaymen,” self-taught African-American painters who depicted Florida swamp scenes and beaches in bright, Day-Glo colors.
In the 1950s and 60s galleries weren’t interested in their artwork, so the painters sold pieces off the side of A1A and US 1, usually for 25 or 30 dollars.
Another intriguing exhibition displayed rarely-seen watercolors by Key Largo’s eccentric “hermit artist,” Harry Sonntag.
History buffs and anglers enjoy “Legends of the Line,” a permanent exhibit about fabled local fishermen and guides.
The Keys History & Discovery Center is open Tuesdays through Sundays, 10 am –5 pm. General admission is $15; Seniors: $12.50; Students: $6; Children under 6: free; and Active Duty Military and Veterans: free
The Keys History and Discovery Center Address: 82100 Overseas Hwy, Islamorada, FL 33036
Mrs. Mac’s Kitchen
No trip to the Keys is complete without a sunset-hour cocktail at a bayside restaurant, to watch the sky turn lush shades of pink and purple.
But one local’s favorite in Key Largo, Mrs. Mac’s Kitchen, fronts the busy traffic of Overseas Highway.
Entering Mrs. Mac’s pink-and-mint-green conch house takes you back to a simpler era, with its Keys comfort food and kitschy décor.
Whether you sit at a table or the luncheon counter, it’s fun to check out the license plates tacked to the walls.
Their crab cakes and spicy conch salad tastes wonderfully refreshing, while the fried shrimp basket contains a generous portion of tender shrimp and cottage fries.
Mrs. Mac’s creamy key lime pie is the genuine article, a temptation worth every delicious calorie.
Mrs. Mac’s Kitchen Address: 99336 Overseas Hwy, Key Largo, FL 33037
Walking Tour of Historic Downtown Tavernier
Fans of Florida history will also want to round out their vacation with a walking tour of Historic Downtown Tavernier.
Local historian and guidebook author Brad Bertelli entertains you with “only in Florida” sagas.
These sagas range from pineapple farms, the devastating 1935 hurricane, and the Flagler Railroad.
During Prohibition, you’ll learn, the Tavernier Tea Room was one joint where you could buy a stiff drink. Back then, a lone police officer patrolled the Keys.
When word got out he was coming, the Tea Room packed up the booze…and brought out the Tetley’s! The tour meets in Old Settlers Park and follows Brad for a leisurely 45-minute stroll.
When it’s time to head back home, I always feel renewed by the islands’ beauty, history, culture, and cuisine. There’s just something irresistible about the fabulously Authentic Florida Keys.
Laura Albritton is the author of five books on Florida history and travel, including Historic Lighthouses of the Florida Keys and Hidden History of the Florida Keys. She also wrote and produced the documentary Adventures in History with Magic Kumquat Productions.
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