Last updated on January 11th, 2024 at 11:43 am
Located at the southernmost point in the United States, Key West is famous for its warm climate, sunny beaches, lively bar scene and legendary nightly sunset celebrations. But if you think all that makes it a destination geared toward grown-ups only, youâd be mistaken! Key West offers plenty of family-friendly, fun and downright thrilling activities.
Key West with Kids
Planning a visit to Key West with kids? Key West may be famous for its bars and beaches, but there are plenty of options to keep your whole family entertained for days!
Here are ten things to check out in Key West to ensure your kids never say the words âIâm bored.”
1. Go on a Key West Water Adventure
With its tropical warm waters and some of the most amazing coral reefs in Florida, Key West is prime for snorkeling, jet skiing, parasailing, and other ocean adventures. Kids love being active and this is an awesome option for the whole family.
There are several tour companies that offer watersport excursions in Key West. We did a combo sailing and snorkeling tour with Sebago Watersports. If you prefer more action, you can request their Power Adventure excursion, with snorkeling, jet skiing, parasailing, kayaking, and paddle boarding. All tours provide food, snacks, and drinks, and their staff is very attentive and friendly.
2. Climb the Key West Lighthouse
The Key West Lighthouse was built in 1848 by the U.S. Navy, who recognized the importance of building a lighthouse because of the many coral reefs and shallow waters around the island.
Today the Key West Lighthouse serves as a museum dedicated to the lighthouse keepers who lived and worked there over the years. Visitors can climb the 88 steps to the top for a fantastic view of the city, and go into the adjoining Keeperâs Quarters to view photographs and belongings of the former lighthouse keepers.
There are a lot of lighthouses dotting the east coast and this one is by no means the tallest (for example, St. Augustineâs Lighthouse rises 200+ steps compared to Key Westâs 88), but this one is significant and fun to visit as it captures the essence of Key Westâs maritime past.
3. Discover Haunts on a Key West Ghost Tour
Explore the darker side of Key West with a nighttime ghost tour. We went on the Ghosts & Gravestones Tour, which is a nighttime combo trolley and walking tour. The trolley took us on a narrated ride past the cityâs most notoriously haunted sites, and then into two buildings â the East Martello Fort and the Shipwreck Treasure Museum â to experience some haunts first hand. Tours are led by âGhost Hosts.â
The Ghost Tour was cool and just moderately scary enough for my 13-year old. For older teens and the truly daring, make sure you borrow an electromagnetic meter from the tour guide to detect the presence of ghosts.
âș Travel Insight
A ghost tour is perfect for teens, but not recommended for young kids!
4. Visit the Shipwreck Treasure Museum
If thereâs one museum I highly recommend for tweens especially, it is this one!
The Shipwreck Treasure Museum takes visitors back to the mid-1800s, the era of the wreckers. Itâs a fun, interactive museum where kids can learn about Key Westâs maritime history. The Shipwreck Treasure Museum combines actors, films, and the actual artifacts from the wrecked vessel Isaac Allerton, which sank in 1856 in the Florida Keys.
My son really enjoyed the interactive exhibits and being able to climb up the 65â lookout tower.
5. Watch the Sun Set at Mallory Square
Located in Key Westâs historic Old Town, Mallory Square is a waterfront plaza just west of Duval Street. The square faces west towards the Gulf of Mexico allowing for a spectacular view of the sunset, and its nightly âSunset Celebrationâ is one of the most popular things to see and do in Key West.
Every evening before the sun begins to set, hundreds of tourists gather here to watch the beautiful sunset and to enjoy exhibits of arts and crafts, live music and street performers. This tradition began in the 1960s, and the celebration still takes place every day.
If your budget allows or as a special treat, take your family on a sunset sail. A number of tour companies offer these nightly excursions, and many include wine and appetizers.
6. Visit the Key West Aquarium
The Key West Aquarium is located right next to Mallory Square. Originally built as an open-air aquarium in the 1930s, it is one of the oldest aquariums in Florida. Home to a variety of native sea creatures, visitors can get a good view of sea turtles, conches, tropical fish, sharks, and alligators.
This aquarium is fairly small and took us about an hour to see everything. Educational talks and feedings occur every 30 minutes.
Although we werenât sure if heâd be too old, my son really enjoyed the aquarium. He especially liked being able to feed the stingrays and sharks. Younger kids will like the touch tanks and craft table.
7. Take a Ride on the Conch Tour Train or Old Town Trolley
If you want a relaxing way to see Key West, hop aboard the Conch Tour Train or Old Town Trolley. Both companies have multiple ticket windows and offer comprehensive tours of the town with hop on/hop off privileges to make the most of your visit.
If you donât hop off, it takes about an hour and a half to make the loop. Guests learn about architecture, Key West history and popular attractions including the historic waterfront, Harry S. Trumanâs Little White House, Ernest Hemingwayâs House, the Southernmost Point and the Key West Lighthouse.
This is a great way to take in the town in one fell swoop, especially if your time in Key West is limited!
8. Visit the Turtle Hospital
Cheating just a bit here, as the Turtle Hospital is not located on Key West but rather Marathon Key, about an hour away. However if you have kids who love turtles it is worth the drive â either as a day trip from Key West or an attraction to hit on the way down as you are driving from the mainland or Key Largo.
The Turtle Hospital is the first state-certified veterinary hospital in the world for sea turtles. They offer daily tours that include an educational presentation, behind-the-scenes look at the hospital and surgery rooms, and a visit with the sea turtles in their âhospital bedsâ â individual tanks where injured turtles are recovering, or the pools where the hospitalâs permanent residents (those who can never be released into the wild) reside.
My son is a turtle maniac, so visiting the Turtle Hospital was a no-brainer for us. But even if sea turtles are not necessarily your kidâs thing, youâll still want to consider a visit to learn about the facilityâs mission of âRescue, Rehabilitation, Releaseâ and experience some memorable interactions with these magnificent sea creatures.
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Because this is a working hospital, all visitors must be part of a tour group (aka no wandering on your own). Reservations are recommended.
9. Pet the Hemingway Cats
The Ernest Hemingway Home and Museum is a beautiful Spanish Colonial style mansion built in 1851. Ernest Hemingway and his wife Pauline first moved there in 1931, and it is where Hemingway wrote many of his famous novels.
Today, visitors can tour the Nobel Prize winning authorâs home and gardens and visit with over 40 cats that call the property home. The cats are descendants of Ernest and Paulineâs unusual 6 toed cats, and still share the same unique 6 toe trait as their ancestors! The cats are used to visitors and for the most part super-friendly. Kids will enjoy giving them some love while touring the museum.
10. Visit the Southernmost Point
A massive, colorful concrete buoy marks the Southernmost Point of the USA, which is closer to Cuba (90 miles) than mainland Florida.
This is probably the most photographed landmark in all of Key West. As such, it also tends to get crowded as people line up to wait their turn to get a photo next to the landmark. It is not unusual to see upwards of 100 people in line.
We got lucky â if you can call it luck â to hop off the trolley at the site just as a torrential rainfall started.
Armed in our plastic ponchos, we were the only ones crazy enough to be at the shore. So while we didnât have to wait in line to get a picture, we were more than a little wet.
Rain or shine, donât miss your chance to get a photo at the Southern Most Point in the United States!
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