Top 17 Things to Do in Key West with Kids!
Things to Do in Key West with kids! Key West is a family friendly party zone. An actual town, with a main street and shops, cafes, bars and restaurants you can walk around, so abandon the car and have fun. Parking is easy enough if you’re used to busy British cities, and there’s so much to do. Just for reference, we visited during the Easter holidays.
Where to Stay / Cockerels / Fort Zachary Taylor State Park / Hemingway House & Six-Toed Cats / Key Lime Pie / Southernmost Point / Watersports / Lighthouse / Sunset at Mallory Square / Sunset Cruise / Smathers Beach / Duval Street / Restaurants / Bars / Botanic Garden / Stock Island
Find a Great Base
Just off Duval Street, in the heart of downtown, take a look at the Truman Hotel with pool. Or if you’d prefer something in town but slightly less central (20 minute walk), the Colonial-style Palms Hotel with its heated pool is very attractive and works especially well for couples. My pal stayed at the adult only NYA Hotel, with three pools (we took the hint :-)].
And for resort fun with SO much for the kids to do, we loved the Blue Flamingo. Alongside the heated swimming pools expect table football, mini golf, table table, ladder toss, cornhole, giant chess, giant jenga, alongside an indoor pool table and shuffleboard. The breakfasts are amazing so be sure to include them. At east end of Key West, a free shuttle transports guests downtown, and it’s super handy for nipping over to Stock Island.
Spot the Cockerels – Things to do in Key West with Kids
FREE – IN TOWN. A bit like the peacocks in Dunfermline, Key West‘s cockerels are protected and they have no natural predators, so they stroll around the entire town, like cock of the walk. The kids loved approaching them and finding their ‘favourite’ cockerel. Hens and cute tiny chicks are also commonplace.
Visit the Hemingway House & See the 6-Toed Cats with Kids
IN TOWN. We tempted the kids to the Hemingway House with tales of the six-toed cats that live there. Earnest Hemingway bought the house in 1931, and engaging tour guides tell you the sordid tales of his four (four!!!) marriages, and how Snowball the first six-toed cat arrived in Key West.
The house is beautiful in its own right, with an elegant swimming pool (a great ‘lover scorned’ story there), cat cemetery and cool gift shop. Essential info – stroking the cats is perfectly acceptable but don’t pick them up. [Prebooking tickets didn’t seem necessary, and we arrived around 10am, and got in after a very short queue. Lovely staff. Adults $19, children $7 – check latest prices here.]
Eat Key Lime Pie – Things to do in Key West with Kids
IN TOWN. When eating pie is a ‘must-do’, it’s my kind of holiday. Key West is the home of Key Lime Pie, and boy are they proud of it. We tried it right across the Keys. Because I love meringue, my favourite was the towering pie at Blue Heaven, which can also be bought over the road at their bar Andy’s Cabana to take away or eat in (fyi – Andy’s is cash only.)
Kermit’s is synonymous with key lime pie, and here we tried the chocolate covered ice lolly variety! Delicious, but you can also buy a standard slice of pie.
We were very happy with the pie we tried at Moondog cafe (they have a great dessert cabinet generally) and the pie served at informal Hogfish on Stock Island. The best budget offering has to be a whole pie from Publix supermarket at $9 (for reference, a slice of Blue Heaven pie is $12 and at Moondog is was $13).
Eat Conch Fritters
IN TOWN. Served all over town, usually as a starter, these sea snail delights are battered and lightly fried. Yum.
Watch the Sunset at Mallory Square
IN TOWN. We actually missed the sunset twice, so, speaking from experience, the best way to do this is to grab a table at Sunset Pier and dine as the sun sets. We arrived at 1830 and didn’t think we’d get a table anywhere, but we got one right at the front at the water’s edge, where we drank cocktails, waved to all the sunset cruisers, ate fantastic seafood and burgers, and finally watch that darned glorious sunset!
FREE Simply standing in Mallory Square to watch the sun go down is a free option too.
Sunset Cruise – Things to do in Key West with Kids
Sunset cruises are hugely popular, especially if you’re childfree.
Fort Zachary Taylor & Beach
WE TOOK OUR HIRE CAR. Key West doesn’t have many public beaches but this state park combines history with a cracking beach. Approximately $10 got our car and passengers into the park, and we parked first at the fort to explore it. Named after the 12th president of America, Zachary Taylor (who I’d never heard of before), the fort houses the largest cache of Civil War armament in the world. The kids liked seeing the giant cannons, cannonballs and jail cells.
We then drove to the beach area of the park and got a parking space no bother. There are lots of picnic tables in the shade, plus shady trees, so lots of visitors had big picnics on the go and were making a day of it. We bought a snacky lunch (think nachos, loaded fries etc.) from the only snack shack on site, which offers shaded seating and clean restrooms. The queues can be quite long and the tables a bit messy, but it worked for us.
Note – if driving, get to the park early-ish. We arrived about 1020 and got in no problem, when we left around 1400 there was a significant tailback of cars queuing to get in. If on bikes or on foot, you can bypass the queues to a separate entry point. All park info here.
Smathers Beach – Things to do in Key West with Kids
FREE – WE TOOK OUR HIRE CAR. For a free public beach make it Smathers. There’s ample on street parking too (the machines take card payments). Palm trees provide shade. There are kayaks, deck chairs etc. for rent, plus clean restrooms on site.
Visit the Southernmost Point
FREE – IN TOWN. Southernmost Point is an iconic point for a holiday snapshot, as the marker highlights the most southern point in the continental USA, ninety miles from Cuba. When we arrived mid afternoon there was a significant but very civilised queue waiting to take pictures, which we couldn’t be bothered joining. Turns out it’s perfectly acceptable to photograph the back of Southernmost Point (the side without the writing) without queuing. There’s also a beach nearby and a pier jutting into the sea. We stopped for a cocktail in the sun at Sandy’s Cafe nearby, lovely staff and good vibes.
Duval Street – Things to do in Key West with Kids
FREE – IN TOWN. Duval Street is the life and soul of the party. Expect really affordable clothing stores (my son bought 4 t-shirts for $10, classy!), iconic lively bars and great food. If you don’t want to do much planning or research, just hit Duval Street and you’ll be sorted.
To the Lighthouse
IN TOWN. Tour and ascend Key West’s iconic lighthouse. 88 steps promise you great views of the island and over the water. Discover info and prices here.
Eat! – Things to do in Key West
IN TOWN. The food in Key West is fantastic, and so are the cocktails and the casual relaxed atmosphere. Expect to tip at least 18%. Our favourites were…
Moondog – waited 15 mins to get in, had lunch here. Fab mural on the wall, great, excellent dessert cabinet. (V close to the Hemingway House.)
Sunset Pier – colourful stools and tables, great seafood platters and meaty offerings. Ideal spot to watch the sun set.
Square Grouper stands out as it feels more formal, more like a restaurant in the UK, I don’t mean posh, just a normal restaurant – Key West overall is v informal. Expect good seafood and excellent service.
Blue Heaven – Waited 30 mins in their Andy’s Cabana bar having an aperitif (bar is cash only) until a table was available. Very family friendly, renowned for its Yellow Snapper dish, live music, great service and garden-vibe outdoor seating. Plus, in the 1930’s, Ernest Hemingway refereed boxing matches at the Blue Goose arena where customers now dine. [FYI A 2 or 3% charge for card payments is added).
Banana Cafe – We enjoyed a lovely lunch spot. Indoor seating downstairs and shaded outdoor seating on the roof. Handy for Southernmost Point.
Most venues don’t take bookings, or simply ignore them. We booked a table at a venue I haven’t named in this article, turned up to a queue, informed them we’d booked, and we had to queue anyway. Confused.
Drink! – Things to do in Key West with Kids
IN TOWN. The bars are fantastic. I got a few free passes to go out child free, and can’t remember the names of all the places I visited, but we did hang out at Sloppy Joe’s, Hemingway’s favourite bar. Sloppy Joe’s is very informal, all ages drinking, chewing the fat, just kicking back and relaxing. The famous Green Parrot bar has similar vibes. I also enjoyed wine bar Vinos on Duval.
Watersports – Things to do in Key West with Kids
If the water beckons, there are so many options from dawn till dusk.
Take in the Architecture & Vibes
FREE – IN TOWN. Just wandering around Key West and taking in the style, architecture, colours and atmosphere is a pleasure.
Head to Stock Island
TAKE HIRE CAR. Stock Island seems to be an extension of Key West, rightly or wrongly. For example the Key West Golf Course is actually on Stock Island, as is the Key West Botanic Garden. And food prices seemed slightly lower here than in downtown Key West.
Key West Botanic Garden
Key West Botanic Garden was a calming easy going outing with plenty of shade following the boardwalk trails. We saw butterflies that the staff identified for us, chrysalises, lizards everywhere, and found and took home golf balls from next door’s golf course 🙂 [Adults $15, children free – check latest prices here.]
Stock Island Eats
Compared to Key West, dining in Stock Island feels a bit more personal, no queues, and cheaper prices. If you’re staying in a resort hotel in the east of Key West, Stock Island may be very close to home.
El Sibboney
Make it Cuban at El Sibboney. There’s also a branch in downtown Key West and Marathon, but we headed to the Stock Island property for meat and seafood served with plantains, yuca and yuca frita.
Hog Fish
Hogfish started out with one signature dish, its fresh and filling hogfish sandwich, and the rest is history. Popular with locals and visitors alike, drop by this waterside spot for an informal evening out.
Hurricane Hole
Hurricane Hole is so-named because the boats can dock here to shelter from hurricanes. Situated on the water’s edge, this enterprise is more under the radar than Hogfish, but equally delicious.
Read our Guide to Marathon in the Florida Keys
The Best Activities in Marathon
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Enjoy the party town of Key West!
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