Living in the Florida keys

The Island Lifestyle - Living in the Florida Keys

The Florida Keys provide an easy escape to an island life without leaving the continental United States. The Keys are a chain of islands extending south and west of Miami and the southern tip of the Florida peninsula.

Key West is the last island connected by a road to the rest of the islands and the mainland of Florida. Key West is a special place and it provides plenty of relaxed living for young and older visitors. If you decided to make your home in Key West, welcome!

Here are some suggested outdoor activities that are a part of our daily life in the islands:

Key West Fishing - Key West offers world class fishing on the flats, in the backcountry and offshore. The pristine waters of the Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of Mexico meet along the Florida Keys offering great fishing opportunities on reefs and wrecks, in the shallow flats around mangrove islands and in the deep drop offs where the Gulf Stream flows offshore between the Florida Keys and the coast of Cuba.

Key West Snorkeling & Diving - Snorkeling and diving on North America's only living reef is very visually rewarding. Trips from Key West to snorkel and dive run in the morning, afternoon, sunset, and there are night dives available. The reef is teeming with sea life. There are plenty of diving and snorkel areas so the reef is not overcrowded. There are a few great wrecks off Key West worth diving too!

Key West Kayaking - Seeing the Key West backcountry from a kayak is really a great experience. There are many channels that wander through mangrove islands. Some of these channels host many species of fish and there are often birds nesting in the mangrove trees. Great white herons, blue herons, osprey, and cormorants are just some of the birds seen in our wildlife sanctuary.

Dry Tortugas National Park - The Dry Tortugas is nearly 70 miles from Key West harbor and is host to plenty of wildlife and marine life. Fort Jefferson is located on the largest island, Garden Key, and has a moat wall surrounding the fort with brilliant coral and tropical fish. For the Key West traveller, the Dry Tortugas is a fabulous day trip that should not be missed. Two charter boats and a seaplane charter visit the fort daily.