Budget Family Getaway to the Florida Keys
Florida is an interesting state. Home to exotic plants and animals, sandy beaches, thick jungle-like forests, bustling metropolises, and Florida Man himself. It offers something for everyone, not just snowbirds.
While living in the Midwest, I've come to realize that Florida is considered one of THE vacation destinations. People around here don't tend to branch out much outside of Florida and South Carolina for some reason and aside from not exploring other states, they tend to stick to the same general spots such as Disney, Orlando, Destin, and St. Petersburg to name the main ones. It's interesting to me that people will travel to the same destination year after year and never branch out. While those cities do have plenty of cool adventures embedded within them, we're going to look into that famous chain of islands we all know as the Florida Keys.
In 2023, my brother was getting married and his soon to be wife was from the southern Florida area so naturally the wedding was to take place down there. I had never been south of Sebastian, FL and my wife, who is from Orlando originally, hadn't done much on the far southern end of the state including the Keys. What a perfect excuse to spend a full week exploring the southern tip of the Sunshine State and tack on a couple nights on the chain of islands.
Why The Florida Keys Are Special
Let me preface by saying from top to bottom, bottom to top, Florida is uniquely different in every way. For every hour you drive within the state, the culture changes drastically. Going from Miami to the Keys is no exception. When you leave the insanity of Miami traffic and crazy drivers behind and cross the Southern Glades on Route 1, you are greeted with a slow paced way of life. Lighter traffic welcomes you as you enter into island territory. It is here that the sound of gentle waves and possibly steel drums fill the air vs the roar of highways shuttling millions to and from destinations in their busy lives. It is here that the smell of the ocean and fried shrimp are more likely to calm your nose than exhaust fumes. And it is here that changed Laura's whole outlook on Florida.
We sadly didn't have much time to experience the Florida Keys. We arrived around sunset on the first night which only gave us a full day and a half as we were spending just 2 nights. It was just enough time to get acquainted to island life, but not enough time to fully immerse ourselves in it. Given that introduction, here is my guide for a budget family getaway to the Florida Keys.
The Pelican Key Largo Cottages
If one thing is for sure, lodging in the Keys is typically high to outrageous. This was the one deciding factor on whether we'd make a side trip to the Keys or not. We were on a pretty strict budget for this trip given that we had bought a house earlier in the year and had another baby on the way so going down to Florida for a wedding wasn't helping financially, but where there's a will, there's a way and I looked at every hotel and Airbnb option in the Keys and I do mean every one. Outside of camping, which wasn't really an option due to us flying, I found just one place with affordable rates. In fact, it was a very solid price of just $100 per night including taxes and as you will soon see, that is a fantastic value.
How to Get There
The Pelican Key Largo Cottages are located just minutes from entering the keys off the main Overseas Highway on the western side of the key. They are tucked in behind the main office so traffic noise is low. It's not a large facility so if you blink, you'll miss it.
The address can be found here:
99446 Overseas Hwy, Key Largo, FL 33037
The Room
The brightly colored cottages and suites are within fairly close proximity of each other, but not so close that people are on top of one another. The cottages (such as what we stayed in) are duplex style so you do have a neighbor, however, there is a divider in between and there is a parking spot outside of each room.
Each cottage and suite has a private table and chairs if you want to sit outside and eat or hangout. This was beneficial as we did end up making our own dinners and eating here to cut costs.
The room was clean and in good condition. The a/c worked great, but was pretty loud. Outside of that, we really didn't have any complaints.
Added Bonuses
The Pelican has a couple more cool amenities that really boosted the value.
A private beach, while small, is perfect for young children. There are plenty of lounge chairs around and the tiki hut provides ample shade in addition to the palm trees.
The water is clear and gets to maybe 4 feet or so deep around the docks. You may find several fish species, starfish, and other creatures hanging about between the beach and the 3 docks onsite.
The free kayak rental was the final selling point for us as it allowed for an added activity without the additional cost. There are several single and tandem kayaks to choose from. The kids and I explored about a quarter mile of shoreline both north and south of the beach and even found a modern shipwreck.
All in all I would recommend the Pelican Key Largo Cottages for single travelers and families alike who want a clean, quiet and affordable place to stay with some cool added amenities. It's not luxurious, but you won't break the bank either.
The History of Diving Museum
When I first saw this place on Google Maps, it made it on the must do list and I'm so glad we went. Whether you're a scuba junkie or just want to grasp the basics, there is something for everyone here.
How to Get There
Finding the History of Diving Museum is very straightforward as it's right along the Overseas Highway and it sports a prominent sign and old diver out front.
The address is:
82990 Overseas Hwy, Islamorada, FL 33036
The hours are 10a to 5p everyday.
Admission is reasonable at $15 for 12 and older, $7 for 6 to 11, and free for 5 and under. They also offer free admission for active military as well as veteran and senior discounts.
Take the Plunge
This museum is absolutely jam packed with diving equipment and there are numerous exhibits that are categorized into a plethora of themes starting with the earliest of diving apparatuses all the way to how astronauts use diving for their training.
To enhance your experience, they offer a free scavenger hunt with several hidden items scattered about in the displays. After locating and documenting your findings on a sheet, you can exchange the sheet for a sticker or bookmark. This was a hit with the kids.
We learned a lot here and what better area to learn about the history of diving than in the Florida Keys!
Bahia Honda State Park
This park might just be the crown jewel of the Keys, but I'll let you be the judge of that. It's the furthest south we went on our trip and boasts incredibly clear, turquoise/blue water and beautiful beaches. It truly is the picture perfect Caribbean like vacation spot.
While crowds weren't terrible in early November when we went, I imagine it can get packed at certain times of year. My only 2 regrets here were that we weren't here long and I barely took any photos.
How to Get There
Located about 75% of the way down the Overseas Highway or just under an hour north of Key West, you'll find Bahia Honda State Park nestled on a tiny key just south of the 7 Mile Bridge.
A pin to the entrance can be found here https://maps.app.goo.gl/cJzfGaYAbHpWJNo97
The entrance fee is $8 per vehicle.
Things to Do
Being that the state park encompasses a very small key, the main attractions are water based. This is where you'll find 3 beautiful beaches and some of the best beach snorkeling in the Keys.
Calusa Beach
Calusa is the main beach in the park and has an interesting view as it faces the old, now deteriorated, causeway. It's very popular and doubtful you'd ever have this place to yourself.
I finally had the opportunity to fulfill one of my lifelong dreams of snorkeling. While the kids didn’t have snorkels, they were content just using their goggles.
To start, if you want the best experience, you'll have to go offshore to a reef and the park does have daily tours for this. It's $30 per adult and $25 per child. Rental gear is available if you don't have your own. Not including the boat ride, you'll get about 1.5 hours of snorkeling time and this is where you'll have your best chance at seeing coral and tons of fish. Unfortunately, it wasn't feasible for the whole family to go as not everyone could get in the water so we stuck to what the beach had to offer.
For snorkeling Calusa Beach, the north side offers a wall of rocks with plenty of schools of needlefish, porkfish, grunts, and Sergeant Major along with the occasional damsel. You may also find some sponges in the rocks.
While the north side is certainly cool, the south side is where it's at. It's shallower and the current is much stronger (don't go past the sign), but it's here that I counted nearly 2 dozen different types of fish and also saw a ray and a huge conch. The rocks were teaming with several varieties of damsels, grunts, snappers, porkfish etc. There were also wrasse, parrotfish, an amberjack, hogfish, a doctorfish, and several I had no ID for. If there were rocks, there were fish and the kids and I had a blast seeing what all was under the surface. At one point my daughter exclaimed, "there's an alligator on the rocks"! I look up to see a very large iguana sunning itself haha. We did see a couple others while driving around the park so keep an eye out!
You certainly don't have to take a tour offshore to experience a nice array of sea life so don't pass beach snorkeling up.
Logger Head Beach
It was closed to the public and I don't have any photos, however, you can see it from the shower area. The blue waters were calm and appeared very shallow.
Sandspur Beach
This beach is located on the northern part of the park and is right by the one campground. It's a very long beach and coupled with only a few people, you might just get a more "secluded" experience.
Camping
We did not camp, but it's worth mentioning that there is camping available with sites for $36 per night as well as cabins at $120 per night. These are highly sought after so booking months in advance is probably the only way you'll snag either of these options.
Spending the night will also afford you the opportunity of looking at the incredibly dark night sky here!
John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park
We are back in Key Largo for this one and it offers several options to explore both above and below the water's surface!
The park is named after Cincinnati native and newspaper editor, John Pennekamp. His conservation efforts helped establish both Everglades National Park as well as the first undersea park in the US, John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park.
How to Get There
Situated directly across from where Route 1 dumps into Key Largo, it's the first park you'll encounter in the Keys although the entrance station is a few minutes south.
The address to the park is:
102601 Overseas Hwy, Key Largo, FL 33037
Entrance to the park is $8 per vehicle.
Things to Do
Visitor Center and Aquarium
This is a must do and it's free! For some unknown reason, I failed to take photos of this (and many other areas of the park). It features several saltwater aquariums housing marine life that can be found locally and the focal point is a 30,000 gallon cylinder aquarium offering 360 degree views of the display. The corals are fake so the primary attraction are the large fish.
The aquarium and visitor center is located by the main parking lot and is part of a larger complex of buildings which also include concessions, giftshop, bathhouse, and snorkeling tours.
Beaches
There are 2 beaches in the park. Cannon Beach and Far Beach. I will only focus on Cannon Beach as Far beach was honestly a joke. It was tiny and the water was so full of mangrove seeds that you couldn't even see the water for the first 30 plus feet. No one was there.
Cannon Beach
Quite the opposite of Far Beach, Cannon Beach is named for the replica cannons that sit on the beach and the sandy hotspot of the park. No shortage of beach goers and snorkelers here. The beach isn't particularly large so people are packed in here.
My kids and I focused on checking out what was below the surface and it's a totally different experience from Bahia Honda State Park. The water is considerably murkier, or more like stained, than further south, but visibility was still 15 plus feet. Different temperature currents were definitely felt while exploring the seagrass, mangrove, and underwater plant covered rocky areas. Fish diversity is substantially less at this beach too with mostly porkfish, a couple types of grunts and snapper, but the main fish highlight are the small barracuda. Nothing larger than 2 feet long, however. I even saw a couple of upside down jellyfish, a large corkscrew anemone, and several crabs.
For the adventurous snorkeler, there is a buoy over one hundred feet from the beach where a mock 18th century "shipwreck" was staged consisting of some cannons and an anchor. I did this alone as it was too far for the kids. It's in maybe 8 feet of water so make sure you're comfortable swimming for long periods of time as there is nowhere to touch the bottom. The "shipwreck" sits right by a dropoff that goes too far down to see the bottom. If you want to avoid swimming over the deep hole, you'll have to come into the "shipwreck" from the north. The coolest sight here was a pair of large parrotfish.
Of course, the best snorkeling is off shore at the reef via boat tour and trips are offered for $50 per adult and $45 for under 18. Rental gear is available if you don't have your own.
Hiking
The park contains a few short trails scattered about. We did 2 of them and attempted a 3rd (Mangrove Trail), but that was closed due to Hurricane Irma damage just after starting the hike.
Grove Trail
The Grove Trail is about as easy as it gets. A flat stroll begins on the northwest corner of the parking lot and takes you through heavy tree cover which will dump you out in a clearing where citrus trees await. This historic grove was a nice quiet break from the noisy Cannon Beach area. We spied several key limes in their native habitat although I don't believe the public can pick them.
Total length is about half a mile.
Wild Tamarind Trail
Located a little past a picnic shelter and lot on the southwest corner of the main parking area is where you'll discover the Wild Tamarind Trail. The tamarind is a tropical fruit and this trail has plenty of the tamarind trees mixed with many other exotic trees and plant life. These are labeled so you can ID what the various species are. All in all a pretty nice and easy trail that is only about a third of a mile long.
Other Things to Do
This was a pretty short excursion for us so we kept it to hiking and snorkeling, however, the park does offer glass bottom boat tours, kayaking, and fishing opportunities as well. If you're into camping, the campground has sites for $36 per night.
Mrs. Mac's Kitchen 2
Photo credit - tasteatlas.com
Directly adjacent to the Pelican Key Largo Cottages is Mrs. Mac's Kitchen and literally just a stones throw down the road is Mrs. Mac's Kitchen 2. The original location is a breakfast and lunch spot while the second edition is open later catering to the lunch and dinner crowd.
Rated as one of the top key lime pie spots in all of the Keys, we had to try it. Wow, an absolute treat! I've had some good key lime pie, but this really is on a whole new level. Worth every penny!
How to Get There
Here are the address to both locations:
Mrs. Mac's Kitchen - 99336 Overseas Hwy, Key Largo, FL 33037
Mrs. Mac's Kitchen 2 - 99020 Overseas Hwy, Key Largo, FL 33037
Useful Links
The Pelican Key Largo Cottages - https://pelicankeylargo.com/
History of Diving Museum - https://divingmuseum.org/
Bahia Honda State Park - https://www.floridastateparks.org/bahiahonda/
John Pennekamp State Park - https://www.floridastateparks.org/parks-and-trails/john-pennekamp-coral-reef-state-park
Mrs. Mac’s Kitchen - https://mrsmacskitchen.com/
Conclusion
The Florida Keys are a beautiful island paradise and you don't have to blow your budget exploring the chain of islands. Our trip was much too short and we hope to be back soon, but hopefully this post will give you some ideas on fun and inexpensive ways to experience the best area in the Sunshine State.
As always, B.E. Adventurous!