Ultimate Guide For Epic Miami To Key West Drive

All the Best Road Trip Stops for your Miami to Key West Drive!

The Miami to Key West drive makes a great road trip itself, and a fabulous start to exploring the Florida Keys. The drive from Miami Airport to the Historic District of Key West is about 4 hours and goes through each Key. To break up the time, there are plenty of cool places to stop along the way. We started around 9am and arrived at our VRBO in Key West around 6pm, so we could get settled and grab a late dinner.

For tips on things to do in Key West, check out our epic 3 day Key West itinerary, and here’s where to find the best gluten free Key Lime Pie in Key West. 

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Key Items to Pack:

• Sunscreen – we were there in early April and the UV index went to 11 every day!
• Sun Hat – sun hats are very popular in the Florida Keys given the weather and UVs. This sun hat from Amazon is one of my favorites.
• Sun Protection Shirt – another very popular item in Florida! My favorite is this UPF 50 button-down sun protection shirt from Amazon. It’s really easy to style with each outfit I brought.
• Water Shoes – For some of the water activities, you might want some comfy water shoes to wear for the activity and the rest of the day. I wore this pair of water shoes from Amazon around all day.

Getting to Miami to Start the Miami to Key West Drive

If you’re not already planning to get to South Florida by car, train, or boat, my favorite tip for finding cheap flight deals is signing up for Going! Going is cheap flight alerting, and they’ll send you emails when they find a flight deal from your home airport or nearby. I signed up years ago and have seen many flight deals come through for Florida. We flew into the Miami Airport and rented a car for a road trip to Key West and back. The road trip was awesome, and I would highly recommend taking some time in the Northern Keys if time allows.

On your trip, here are the best spots to check out and add to your itinerary:

Key Largo

We drove straight through South Florida without stopping until Key Largo. Though you can avoid the tolls by taking the local streets, it added about 30 minutes to the trip, so taking the tollway would have probably been worth it instead.

John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park

If you want to spend some extra time in Key Largo, check out John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park. It has a beautiful coral reef and water activities like snorkeling and glass bottom boat rides. We didn’t have time to stop here, but I would definitely make the stop next time. 

Mrs. Mac’s Kitchen

Mrs. Mac’s Kitchen was our only stop in Key Largo, for an early lunch snack. We got Key Lime Pie all around and it was delicious! They also have breakfast and lunch options, depending on the time you stop in Key Largo.

Islamorada

Islamorada was where we found the most activities for our trip, and I’d highly recommend spending time here on your road trip!

Rain Barrel Village

Rain Barrel Village is a cute artisan village right off the highway. Marked by a 40 foot lobster, inside they have a lot of artists’ shops, including jewelry, ceramics, paintings, glass blowing, and more. I was hoping it would be bigger, but it’s still worth the stop to see all the unique pieces. 

Islamorada Fish Company

Gorgeous views and yummy food! The Islamorada Fish Company restaurant even has a gluten-free bun available, which is a huge bonus for my family. Tip: there is actually 2 host stands for the different sections of the restaurant. We sat near the entrance, but if you want to sit closer to the water, walk down the dock to the host stand by the large bar to get seated.

After we ate, we walked around the dock and saw the tarpon. That was my first time seeing tarpon and I was startled at how big they are! For about $5, you can get some bait (about 8-10 fish) and a plastic glove at the bar to feed the tarpon. They’ll jump up and fight for the bait, so make sure they see the bait before you throw it. This was a highlight of our road trip!

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Other lunch places nearby are Green Turtle Inn and Square Grouper. 

Midway Cafe & Coffee Bar

A great stop for an afternoon pick me up! Midway Cafe and Coffee Bar has coffee and tea options, as well as many Key Lime treats. We stopped here on our way back to Miami the last day of our trip. 

Robbie’s of Islamorada

I heard about Robbie’s a lot while doing research for our trip, and it’s well-known for tarpon feeding. At Robbie’s you can get a bucket of bait and hang right over the dock to feed the tarpon. Tarpon do have actual teeth though, so be careful they don’t bite you! You also have to pay to go on the dock, even if you don’t buy bait, but if you walk around the side by the kayaks, you can still see part of the action. Personally, I like the experience of feeding the tarpon at Islamorada Fish Company more, but Robbie’s has a fun atmosphere!

There are other activities at Robbie’s as well, such as a restaurant and kayaking.

Grassy Key

After Robbie’s, we went straight to Key West to arrive in time for dinner, but we came back to Grassy Key and Marathon as a day trip!

Dolphin Research Center

See and swim with dolphins at Dolphin Research Center! We could have spent the whole day here. There was so much to learn, and the dolphins were so cute. We didn’t get in the water, but there were plenty of presentations, and the staff were very friendly in answering our questions. 

Admission was $25 and we bought our tickets online the day before. 

Marathon

Marathon has a lot to do and makes an excellent day trip from Key West if you’re unable to fit into one trip. 

Irie Island Eats

On our day trip, we stopped at Irie Island Eats for lunch, and it was so good! Tucked away behind some brush, Irie Island Eats is a food truck with plenty of seating and a cool vibe. I got a chicken bowl with plantains and highly recommend. 

Another lunch place nearby is Herbie’s Bar & Chowder House. It was closed the day we were there, but it was on Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives!

Turtle Hospital

Another highlight of our day trip was the Turtle Hospital! I learned so much about obstacles sea turtles face in the wild and how the turtle hospital helps rehabilitate them before releasing them back to the ocean. On the tour, you get to see the facilities and meet the “lifer” turtles that are unable to survive in the wild due to the severeness of their injuries. 

Admission was $30 and we reserved our spot online that morning. You can also “adopt” a lifer turtle for $35 to help pay for their care during the year.

Seven Mile Bridge

The final attraction is the Seven Mile Bridge! This bridge will take you from Marathon to Little Duck Key, and there is a lookout spot right before the bridge starts. We didn’t stop, but there is also a pedestrian bridge where many people were walking and fishing. 

Key West

From there, head to Key West to start the rest of your adventure!

For tips on things to do in Key West, check out our epic 3 day Key West itinerary, and here’s where to find the best gluten free Key Lime Pie in Key West. 

Do you have a favorite spot in the Florida Keys? Let us know in the comments below!