Couple conversing at a bar with walls covered in currency.

Insider's Guide

Explore Like a Local

Think of this as the Keys’ not-so-secret handshake. 

The Insider’s Guide is your path to hidden gems, insider’s tips and expert recommendations. From snorkeling secrets and fishing tips to stories of locals who protect these islands, this articles in this guide takes you beyond the surface, so you can travel The Florida Keys & Key West like a local.

Family exploring a small lagoon with starfish.

First-Time Family Moments in the Florida Keys

Discover the Florida Keys through first-time family moments made for every age. This guide follows families from Key Largo to Key West with easy wildlife encounters, hands-on marine life experiences, beginner-friendly snorkeling, calm backcountry adventures, kid-friendly fishing ideas and casual places to eat along the way. Highlights include feeding tarpon at Robbie’s in Islamorada, posing with Betsy the Lobster, exploring John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park, meeting rescued sea turtles at The Turtle Hospital, visiting Florida Keys Aquarium Encounters, watching the sunset at Mallory Square and finding relaxed family dining throughout the island chain.

Couple at Southernmost Point marker with bicycles by the ocean, sunny day.

Top 10 Keys "Instagrammable" Stops

The Florida Keys are packed with photo-ready scenes, from underwater icons to colorful roadside legends. Visitors can snap unforgettable shots at Christ of the Deep, Robbie’s tarpon feeding, Alligator Reef Lighthouse, Betsy the Lobster, Rain Barrel Village, Seven Mile Bridge, Southernmost Point Buoy, Bahia Honda State Park, Dry Tortugas National Park and the Old Seven Mile Bridge to Pigeon Key. It is a camera-roll dream with clear water, quirky charm and only-in-the-Keys views.

Aerial view of a coastal road at sunset, with dark water and glowing horizon.

The Best Sunset Spots in the Florida Keys

In the Florida Keys, sunset is more than the end of the day. It is a reason to order one more drink, take the long way back to the hotel, find a seat along the water and watch the horizon turn from gold to tangerine, pink, lavender and, on particularly memorable evenings, a fiery shade of red.

Fall in Love With Stock Island at Seafaring Festival

Do you love Stock Island? You should, because the island that lies next to Key West has a lot going for it — a cutting-edge cultural and culinary scene, seafaring heritage, contemporary waterfront lifestyle and cheerfully offbeat charm. And that’s what you can experience during the 2017 I Love Stock Island Festival.

Make Memories on a Florida Keys Wildlife Adventure

People from around the world are drawn to the Florida Keys, hoping for one-of-kind encounters with some of the unique animals, birds and marine creatures that call the Keys home. Whether observing rare birds, getting up close to a bottlenose dolphin or “meeting” a sea turtle in a world-class “rehab” center, there are plenty of ways to make lasting wildlife memories.

Five Hidden Gardens Showcase Keys' Rare Beauty

Experience an in-depth sojourn in the subtropical Florida Keys & Key West, and you’re likely to discover some fascinating indigenous species in hidden, tucked-away gardens nestled throughout the 125-mile-long island chain. Here’s an intriguing look at five gardens well worth exploring.

Captain Samantha Zeher Embraces Free-Spirited Island Living

Captain Samantha Zeher, owner of Islamorada's KeyZ Charters, earned her license at just 18 while still a college freshman. Today she offers sightseeing charters that include snorkeling and sunset cruises, paddleboard, eco-tours and Everglades excursions. She’s also happy to treat passengers to island trips exploring Indian Key, Lignumvitae Key and Alligator Lighthouse -- each with a history dating back to the 1800s.

JT Thompson: The Human Behind ‘One Human Family’

Key West is well known for its residents’ welcoming and accepting attitude toward all people -- an attitude that gained formal recognition when local artist JT Thompson conceived the now global “One Human Family” concept.

Robby McClung: Bluegrass and the Keys’ Creative Vibe

As a co-producer of Islamorada’s annual Baygrass Bluegrass Festival, local singer/songwriter Robby McClung is passionate about generating more interest in that musical genre — and about bringing performers from around the world to enrich the Florida Keys' cultural and arts community.

Key West: Not Exactly Normal

Key West is gloriously, outrageously abnormal — a place where wild chickens roam the streets and people feel comfortable wearing tiaras to lunch. A place where dogs are favored customers at more than one bar, and nobody thinks it’s strange to spot grown men dressed like Darth Vader or Marilyn Monroe (sometimes during the same evening!).

COASTing Along with Billy Kearins

Billy Kearins is the founder of COAST — a rustic, funky space made up of a retail store showroom, studio workshops, an event venue and more — originally on the fringes of Front Street, Stock Island, now in the historic Bahama Village neighborhood of Old Town Key West.

Randy Roberts Embraces Entertaining … and Key West

For more than 15 years, Randy Roberts has excited and entertained Key West audiences, impersonating a wide range of characters in a live multimedia tribute to some of the world’s most beloved female performers -- from the divine Bette Midler to the incomparable Cher.

From Sandals to Sea Glass: Artisan Offerings Around the Keys

Artists and artisans from across the globe flock to the Florida Keys and stay, making the island chain their home while helping shape its reputation as a cultural mecca. Whether textiles, jewelry, housewares, reclaimed wood furniture or other temptations, their quality handcrafted items are quintessentially “Keys.”