10 best things to do in the Florida Keys

John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park is the first underwater park in the USA, protecting and preserving a portion of the only living coral reef in the continental United States. It extends three miles into the Atlantic Ocean and is approximately 25 miles in length. Take a glass-bottomed boat tour or go snorkelling, diving or kayaking. On the shore you can visit the small but interesting aquarium in the visitor centre or walk the designated nature trails.

The Turtle Hospital provides a unique ninety-minute educational experience and behind-the-scenes look at the hospital facilities and rehabilitation area, plus there’s an opportunity to feed the permanent residents. The Keys are home to five of the world's seven species of turtle and this is possibly the world's only dedicated turtle hospital and is fascinating to visit. While there are several tours a day, they are very popular so pre-booking is advised.  

The Coral Restoration Foundation's one-day dive programs, run in conjunction with local operators, let you help plant sea coral. Twenty different species of coral are grown in special nurseries and are then planted out on the reef by volunteers. It's proving incredibly successful. If you can't dive or have limited time, do visit the CRF centre on Key Largo to find out more about the reef and ways to help it. 

Founded by Captain Samantha Zeher, a typical one-hour eco tour with KeyZ Charters guides visitors through narrow mangrove channels to experience the Keys’ natural wildlife. Sam is a marine biologist and you have a very good chance of seeing manatees and a wide range of exotic birdlife. You might also be lucky and see an American crocodile (note crocodile, not alligator - a rare spot!). 

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Join Honest Eco for small group tours on an electric-powered boat, SQUID, with marine biologists. They know where to find Key West's dolphins and are a font of knowledge on them. Then enjoy snorkelling (beginners welcome) and get to see the exotic underwater life of the Keys. 

Excellent charter company Bluesail offer sunset cruises and eco trips around the Keys on a range of luxurious boats and catamarans. You'll feel like a celebrity! For something very special they also offer multi-day charters to the Marquesas Keys and Dry Tortugas National Park.

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In 1946, this historic building first served as the winter White House for President Harry S Truman, who then carried on visiting every year on 'workcations'. It was later used by other Democratic presidents for meetings and stays even after being turned into a museum in the late 1980s. You can take a guided tour and see President Truman's briefcase, books, telephone and car, as well as his famous 'The buck stops here' sign. 

Stroll through an exotic land of flowering plants, waterfalls, flamingos and thousands of fluttering butterflies at the Key West Butterfly & Nature Conservatory. There are over 50 different species of butterfly to admire and you'll feel you have entered an enchanted land. 

Delve into the history of legendary American novelist Ernest Hemingway at Hemingway Home and Museum. Go early to avoid the queues, and do take one of the free guided tours as they are crammed with fascinating facts and quirky tales about Hemingway and his second wife, Pauline Pfeiffer, with whom he lived. It was also in Key West that he met his third wife, journalist Martha Gellhorn. The house is also famous for its many polydactyl (six-toed) cats which are descended from one Hemingway was gifted. 

The US’s least accessible national park, 113km off Key West, can be reached by ferry, seaplane or charter boat. Visit Dry Tortugas National Park for its 19th century fort, snorkelling and marine and bird life. Day trips and overnight camping generally need booking far in advance. 

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Quiz: How well do you know the Florida Keys and Key West?