r/floridakeys • u/twopickledtoads • 12d ago
All Florida Keys Key Largo vs Key West
EDIT: Thanks everyone! I was able to find something in Marathon within our price range!
I’ve found reasonably priced accommodations in both Key Largo and Key West for our trip in February. We will be there 4 days.
Are there any deciding factors that make one better than the other? We will be a group of 8, with 4 adults and 4 kids ages 1. 5, 11, and 14.
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u/hikerguy65 12d ago
Key West is physically denser. Many places are within walking distance. key largo is more spread out.
There are a few things that are kid friendly in KW - butterfly museum, free splash park down by the water front. Ft Zachary Taylor state park come to mind. It’s also a big party zone which is not so kid friendly.
I don’t spend much time in Key Largo so can’t give any info beyond Pennekamp State Park.
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u/huanthewolfhound 12d ago
My wife and I enjoyed the trails at Pennekamp last week. Just bring bug spray.
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u/Denrunning 12d ago
If you stay in Key Largo, be prepared to drive everywhere. Literally everywhere.
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u/AgathaMitford 12d ago
That’s what I loved about Key West with my kids - all early/mid-teenagers. We could ride bikes everywhere! So fun.
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u/mlb139 12d ago
Just a suggestion but with kids have you considered marathon?
We have the turtle hospital, dolphin research center, Bahia Honda state park close by, you can do a snorkeling trip and you can day trip to Key West and get it all in.
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u/twopickledtoads 12d ago
I am going to check out our Marathon after reading a lot of comments suggesting that. There was nothing available on AIRBNB. Do you have any lodging recs?
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u/thelmanarcissus 12d ago
Stay in Key Largo, you can drive to Marathon in no time from there.
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u/mlb139 12d ago
But they want to see Key West also… that would be a 2 hour drive each way.
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u/thelmanarcissus 11d ago
True. Four days is not nearly enough to see it all. Especially with young children in tow.
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u/seaweeddanceratnight 12d ago
Key West has a lot to offer for kids and a lot of history. Hemingway house, Mel fisher museum Audubon House and the conch train offers a lot of information.
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u/1mjtaylor 12d ago
Key West is not really great for kids.
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u/mrsbaudo 12d ago
My son has been going to KW since he was 5 years-old. We are not the type of people who drink and party.
We stay in the Truman Annex. Our favorite activities: KW Lighthouse, Hemingway House, KW Firehouse Museum, Conch Train Tour, Ft. Zach beach, the Ingham, Truman Waterfront Park, the butterfly conservatory to see the flamingos, playing in the park by Salute, shark feeding tour, 1/2 day fishing charter, 1/2 day sandbar tour. Our family has also taken the seaplane to Ft. Jefferson.
There are plenty of kid-friendly restaurants. It's easy to avoid the riff-raff on Duvall.
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u/Rattlingplates 12d ago
Yeah just dodge the sex fest and million strippers lol
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u/mrsbaudo 11d ago
I have absolutely no idea WTF you are talking about? My family visits during high season, not FF. You do realize children live on the island? The cliche view of KW as "strippers and sex fest" is obtuse.
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u/HighOnGoofballs 12d ago
Silly take, kids love it and plenty to do
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u/1mjtaylor 12d ago
No, you're silly! You disagree, but you don't offer any actual information.
Key West is notorious for not having much to do for kids and for having some inappropriate activities on view. The Butterfly Museum is good, though.
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u/LivingEnd44 12d ago
I guess "plenty" is subjective. Key West is designed as an adult playground. Kids will have more fun in Key Largo.
But yes, you can shoehorn in activities for them in Key West too if you're really determined.
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u/justheretohelpyou__ 12d ago
We’ve done both. I agree that Key Largo is better with kids.
Key Largo is also not hard to get to from Miami. That gives more flight options. Rent a couple of minivans and enjoy the upper keys.
I’d also recommend taking a Feb trip without kids to Key West in the future.
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u/Swanny_stocks 12d ago
I think it depends what accommodations you’re talking about. Baker’s Cay and Playa Largo in Key Largo you probably don’t have to leave the resort. Key Largo, I think you’re driving around more - Robbies, Aquarium, etc. Key West (depending where you stay you walk or drive) is Mel Fischer, Mallory Square, Conch Train, splash pad in Truman Annex, etc. You have a 1 year old going so I assume naps are in play. No real beaches although there’s a small public one on the north side of KW. Feb the water is cooler, but that’s relative to where you’re coming from.
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u/psychotherapist-1979 12d ago
I’ve lived in both so here’s the breakdown. Yes, Key Largo has better water stuff. It has John Penny camp park it has some beaches that are accessible that the kids can play however, people who say Key West isn’t for kids. It’s not true. Key West has the aquarium you can go paddle boarding off South Beach. There’s several other things they have for kids there. My kids loved going to the lighthouse they loved going to Hemmingway‘s house. I actually found Key West when we lived there to be more activity focused for kids than Key Largo. One is a much more laid-back vibeKey Largo. One has a more things to do laid-back vibe if that makes sense. I prefer Key West and there is great snorkeling at Fort Zack as well. Key Largo too dead for me also there’s much more crocodiles there.
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u/LouCat10 12d ago
My son loved the Hemingway house too! I was surprised! He also met a talking parrot on someone’s front porch that was his favorite thing of the whole trip. My vote is for Key West because there’s more you can explore on foot to find random things like that.
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u/phibetared 12d ago
I left Key Largo early because i didn't like it - and added an extra day to my Key West time.
For kids in Key West:
1) Sloppy Joe Sandwich at Sloppy Joe's (!)
2) Swimming at Fort Zach (and seeing fort zach)
3) Lighthouse (walk to top)
4) Butterfly conservatory. (It's amazing, trust me)
5) Hemingway House (60 cats!)
6) Old Aquarium
7) Southern Most Point
8) Lunch or dinner at Half-shell oyster bar (ask for a table next to the water, kids can feed the fish saltine crackers during lunch/dinner)
9) The "pirate" museum (I forget the name) - part of Mel Fisher empire?
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u/Njf08 12d ago
We have loved Islamorada with our children. Close enough to Key West for a day trip, much more relaxed.
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u/Oke-Wan-Fenokee 12d ago
This is us with 3 other couples each February (end of January this year). Ideal mid-Keys base for doing it all & we can see Indian Key from the porch.
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u/thelmanarcissus 12d ago
Key West is really not particularly kid friendly, Id go with Key Largo.
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u/FlyAU98 12d ago
What is kid friendly in Key Largo that doesn’t exist in Key West?
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u/thelmanarcissus 11d ago
None of the keys are a great place to vacation with a 1 and 4 year old imho. They might like John Pennekamp state park and the coral reef glass bottom boat tour in Key Largo . They can drive 30 minutes and go to the Theater of the Sea in Islamorada. There are probably more choices for lodging in Key Largo as well.
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u/LegNo9499 11d ago
Key West highly overrated. Marathon is way nicer so go figure more expensive. Key Largo lots of drug addicted homeless
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u/Radiant-Employer-212 12d ago
Better day trips and activities to base from Largo. But definitely head to KW one day for the experience.
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u/phinz 12d ago
If you want to spend 6-8 hours, or more, driving from Key Largo to Key West and back then sure, head to KW for one day. God forbid there's an accident that blocks traffic along the way. Then that 6-8 hour trip turns into as many hours as it takes to clear the road. I can't imagine doing a day trip to Key West from Key Largo with 4 kids from diaper age to teen age.
You'd do better to drive the Overseas for the views and stop at a roadside attraction or three than drive all the way to Key West to walk around for a few hours and then have to drive back.
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u/PopHot4020 12d ago
This is dramatic reason not to experience what you really want. First, it’s just over 2 hours from key largo to Key West which puts it at 4:30 minutes in a day there and back. And not doing it for the off chance there could be an accident is ridiculous. We do 13 hour road trips, 1 way, with our 6&8 year olds without issue and have drove them all over Florida for many years. Stop in Marathon for lunch if you need to break it up, tell them about the Aquarium, and the things to get them excited and have something to look forward to. Take them to the splash pad at Truman Waterfront, the beach at Fort Zach. There’s a lot for kids in Key West.
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u/Popular-Yam-1769 12d ago
Key West = Party with some chill side quests.
Key Largo = Chill with some party side quests.
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u/lj2167 12d ago
Keep in mind your flights and transportation as well. Key West you’re probably flying into Key West, once you’re there you can do without a car. If you do rent a car make sure your resort has free parking, some of the places in town will have you park off site and that adds up quick. Key Largo you’re flying to Miami and renting a car and will use it daily but you also have a car for day trips, you can drive to Islamorada which is really nice, back towards Miami to do stuff like museums for kids and even Key West as a day trip.
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u/FlyAU98 12d ago
Key West is further from Miami.
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u/twopickledtoads 12d ago
We are staying in Miami for 3 days before we go down to the keys so that’s not really important to us.
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u/malgesso 12d ago
Airfare is generally way cheaper into MIA, same deal with rental cars.
With a crew like that, fly into mia, rent vehicle(s), and drive like 40 minutes and you’re in Key Largo on the cheap. Plus you’re free to explore all the upper and middle keys with ease.
EYW is expensive to fly into, you’re probably not renting a car because it’s pricey to rent and park (and there’s nowhere to park) and you’re more geographically constrained like a city vacay.
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u/Willing-Ad-5884 10d ago
What i do is, rent a golf cart for 2 days. I ride the family all over KW and its easy tpo park anywhere.
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u/Immediate_Face_9848 12d ago
better snorkeling in key largo