With kids · Key West · United States
Key West with kids
Family-tested sights, a calm base and the practical details that make travelling with children easier.
Updated By the AMZBooking editorial team
Photo: Marc Averette ( Averette ), Public domain
Quick answer
Key West suits families with older children who enjoy snorkelling, forts and boat trips. Duval Street at night is adult-oriented, so families tend to stay on the south shore or in Truman Annex and focus on beaches, the aquarium, the butterfly conservatory and Dry Tortugas. Top picks: Fort Zachary Taylor Historic State Park, Key West Aquarium and Key West Butterfly and Nature Conservatory. Families usually base themselves in Casa Marina and South Roosevelt.
Key facts
- Family picks
- 7
- Best area for families
- Casa Marina and South Roosevelt
- Rainy-day options
- 2
- Busiest months
- January–March
Best things to do with kids
Beach · Truman Annex
1.Fort Zachary Taylor Historic State Park
A brick fort from the mid-19th century at the island's southwestern tip, with a state park beach next to it that has some of the best snorkelling from shore on Key West, picnic tables in pine shade and sunset views. The fort's casemates hold a collection of Civil War-era cannon.
Wear water shoes; the beach is rocky and coral rubble underfoot, and fish gather around the rock groynes.
- Time needed
- Half a day
- Cost
- Low cost
- Kids
- Outdoors
- History
- Nature
Aquarium · Old Town and Duval Street
2.Key West Aquarium
An open-air aquarium on Mallory Square, first opened in the 1930s, focusing on fish, turtles and sharks of the Keys, with touch tanks and guided feeding tours. It is small enough for a short visit with children.
Time your visit for a guided feeding tour; tickets are usually valid for the whole day.
- Time needed
- 1 hour
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Kids
- Nature
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Garden · Old Town and Duval Street
3.Key West Butterfly and Nature Conservatory
A glass-domed tropical garden at the southern end of Duval Street where hundreds of butterflies from around the world fly freely among the plants, along with a few small birds. It is cool, calm and easy with children.
Wear bright colours; butterflies are more likely to land on you.
- Time needed
- 45 minutes
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Kids
- Nature
- Rainy day
- Couples
Waterfront · Old Town and Duval Street
4.Mallory Square Sunset Celebration
Every evening the dock at Mallory Square fills with jugglers, tightrope walkers, musicians and food carts for the sunset over the Gulf of Mexico. It is free, crowded and very Key West, with sailboats crossing the horizon as the sun drops.
Arrive about 45 minutes before sunset to find a spot on the water's edge and see the performers set up.
- Time needed
- 1–1.5 hours
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Iconic
- After dark
- Couples
- Kids
- Views
Landmark · Bahama Village
5.Key West Lighthouse and Keeper's Quarters
Built in 1848 inland on Whitehead Street, the lighthouse has 88 steps to a gallery with views across Old Town's tin roofs to the sea. The keeper's quarters museum covers life at the light and the island's shipwreck history.
It is opposite the Hemingway Home, so climb it straight after your tour.
- Time needed
- 45 minutes
- Cost
- Low cost
- Views
- Kids
- History
Experience · Historic Seaport
6.Snorkelling and diving on the Florida Reef
Catamarans and dive boats leave Key West Bight for reef sites such as Sand Key, where shallow coral heads hold parrotfish, angelfish and sometimes turtles and nurse sharks. Trips are usually half a day, with gear included.
Book a morning trip, when seas are usually calmer, and use reef-safe sunscreen.
- Time needed
- Half a day
- Cost
- Expensive
- Book ahead
- Book a day or two ahead in winter and spring; trips can be cancelled for wind, so keep a backup day.
- Kids
- Nature
- Active
- Outdoors
Museum · Old Town and Duval Street
7.Mel Fisher Maritime Museum
Gold bars, emeralds and silver coins from the Spanish galleon Nuestra Señora de Atocha, wrecked in 1622 and found by treasure hunter Mel Fisher's team in 1985, fill this museum near Mallory Square. Exhibits also cover the slave ship Henrietta Marie.
Try lifting the gold bar on display, a hands-on highlight for children.
- Time needed
- 1 hour
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- History
- Rainy day
- Kids
Rainy-day ideas
- Key West Butterfly and Nature Conservatory — Wear bright colours; butterflies are more likely to land on you.
- Mel Fisher Maritime Museum — Try lifting the gold bar on display, a hands-on highlight for children.
Where families should stay
$$$$ · Best for families, beach and luxury
Casa Marina and South Roosevelt
The south shore from Higgs Beach east to Smathers Beach has larger resort hotels, including the 1920s Casa Marina, with pools and beachfront. Old Town is a 15–25-minute walk or a short bike ride, and the area is calmer and more beach-focused.
- Good
- On the beach; Resort pools and space for children; Quieter evenings
- Watch out
- Bike or bus needed for Duval; Resort fees and high rates
- Nearby
- Smathers Beach, Higgs Beach, Fort East Martello
Family travel tips
- Avoid Fantasy Fest in late October, which is adult-oriented.
- Fort Zachary Taylor's beach is good for first snorkels from shore, with water shoes.
- Choose shallow-reef trips with flotation vests for younger children.
- Mallory Square's sunset performers are a free nightly show children enjoy.
- Plan outdoor sights in the morning in summer, when afternoons are very hot.
Day trips for families
- Dry Tortugas National Park (About 2 hours 15 minutes by ferry, 40 minutes by seaplane) — Seven remote islands in turquoise water, dominated by Fort Jefferson, a vast unfinished 19th-century brick fort on Garden Key.
- Bahia Honda State Park (About 50 minutes by car) — A state park in the Lower Keys with sandy beaches unusual for the Keys, clear shallow water and a section of the old Overseas Railroad bridge to walk on for views of both sea and gulf.
- Big Pine Key and the National Key Deer Refuge (About 45 minutes by car) — Big Pine Key is home to the endangered Key deer, a dog-sized subspecies of white-tailed deer, seen along quiet roads and at the Blue Hole, a former quarry where alligators and turtles live.
- Looe Key reef (About 40 minutes by car plus a 30-minute boat ride) — A spur-and-groove coral reef in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary, often considered one of the best snorkelling and diving sites in the Lower Keys, with shallow coral and abundant fish.
- Marathon and the Seven Mile Bridge (About 1 hour 15 minutes by car) — Drive over the Seven Mile Bridge to Marathon, home to the Turtle Hospital, which rehabilitates injured sea turtles, and to Pigeon Key, a former railroad workers' camp reached by ferry.
When to go with children
The best months overall are December–May. January–March are the busiest, so book the big sights early. Weather by month.
Questions travellers ask
+Is Key West good for kids?
Key West suits families with older children who enjoy snorkelling, forts and boat trips. Duval Street at night is adult-oriented, so families tend to stay on the south shore or in Truman Annex and focus on beaches, the aquarium, the butterfly conservatory and Dry Tortugas.
+What can kids do in Key West?
Fort Zachary Taylor Historic State Park, Key West Aquarium, Key West Butterfly and Nature Conservatory, Mallory Square Sunset Celebration and Key West Lighthouse and Keeper's Quarters.
+Where should families stay in Key West?
Casa Marina and South Roosevelt: Atlantic-side resorts along Smathers and Higgs beaches.