You don’t need a long weekend to feel like you’ve left town. From Miami, the Upper Keys are about an hour south, and the Overseas Highway turns the drive itself into the trip. Here is how to do the Keys in a day, plus when it’s worth staying the night.
Before you go
- Leave early. Southbound US-1 backs up on weekend mornings, and northbound gets slow by late afternoon. On the road by 7am is the move.
- Know your mile markers. Keys addresses use the small green MM signs along US-1, counting down from about MM 106 in Key Largo to MM 0 in Key West.
- Try Card Sound Road. The old road into Key Largo skips the Florida City traffic and has a small toll. It’s a quieter, more scenic way in.
- Pack reef-safe sunscreen, water shoes, and a cooler. Shade is scarce at most of the beaches.
Key Largo (about 1 hour from Miami)
- John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park, MM 102.5. The first undersea park in the country. Book a snorkel trip or glass-bottom boat out to the reef, or rent a kayak and paddle the mangrove trails.
- Laura Quinn Wild Bird Sanctuary, MM 93.6, Tavernier. A bird rescue (formerly the Florida Keys Wild Bird Center) with a boardwalk out to the bay, open sunrise to sunset. A great sunset spot.
Islamorada (about 1.5 hours)
- Robbie’s of Islamorada, MM 77.5. Buy a bucket of bait and feed the giant tarpon off the dock. Kids love it, adults secretly love it more.
- Anne’s Beach, MM 73.5. Shallow, calm water and a boardwalk with covered picnic tables. Best at low tide when the sandbars show.
- Lunch on the water. Islamorada has plenty of waterfront fish spots. Order whatever was caught that morning.
Marathon (about 2.5 hours)
- The Turtle Hospital, MM 48.5. Guided tours of a working sea turtle rescue. Book ahead, tours fill up.
- Sombrero Beach. A free, palm-lined public beach with restrooms and playgrounds.
- Seven Mile Bridge, MM 47 to MM 40. The most famous stretch of the drive. The old bridge beside it is open to walkers and bikers out to Pigeon Key.
Worth an overnight
Bahia Honda State Park (MM 37) has some of the best beach water in the Keys, and Big Pine Key is home to the tiny Key deer. Key West is a 3.5 to 4 hour drive each way, so save it for a night or two: sunset at Mallory Square, the Southernmost Point buoy, and a slice of key lime pie.
Sample day
Leave Miami at 7am. Snorkel or kayak at Pennekamp in the morning, lunch and tarpon feeding in Islamorada, beach time at Anne’s Beach, then sunset at the bird sanctuary on the drive home. Back in Miami by 9pm.
Further reading
- Florida Keys visitor guide (Monroe County Tourist Development Council)
- John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park (Florida State Parks)
- Laura Quinn Wild Bird Sanctuary
- Robbie’s of Islamorada
- The Turtle Hospital
- National Key Deer Refuge (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service)
Hours, prices and tour times change. Check each spot’s website before you go.