Do you need a getaway? We just got back from an adults-only long weekend in the Florida Keys and I highly recommend that you give one a try!
My husband recently celebrated a milestone birthday and his only request was an few days away without the kids to relax. You see, we haven’t had a grown-ups only getaway since before kid #2 was born. And before that, we had only had two one night local “stay-cations” after we had kid #1. Needless to say, we were due for an adults-only getaway.
When we started talking about where to go and what to do, a few ground rules emerged. First, we didn’t want to leave our kids (aged 5 and 2) for too long. Second, we didn’t want to go too far away. With these ground rules in mind, we decided on a 3-night trip within driving distance of either our house in Pennsylvania or my parents’ house in Florida. Our perfect solution didn’t take long to emerge – an adults-only long weekend in the Florida Keys!
Things to Know
You can access the Florida Keys by airplane (via airports in Miami or Key West) or car (via US-1). We drove down from my parents’ house about halfway down the east coast of Florida, so we accessed the Keys from the North. If you fly into Miami and rent a car, you can do the same general itinerary.
Having grown up in Florida, I’ve been to the Keys a handful of times. I didn’t come into this adults-only long weekend in the Florida Keys blind. Based on my previous experiences, I knew that I didn’t want to stay in Key West. It’s a wonderful day trip, but I much prefer to stay on another key overnight. We stayed in Islamorada (the last key in the Upper Keys region) all three nights.
Although you could just pick one key and stay there for your whole trip, I highly recommend doing things all along the Keys. There are slightly different vibes and offerings on each key, and you don’t want to miss them!
With the stage set, let’s get into what we did during our adults-only long weekend in the Florida Keys
Adults-Only Long Weekend in the Florida Keys
Day 1 – Arrive and Key Largo
Drive to Key Largo
From my parents’ house to our first stop in Key Largo was about a three-hour drive, straight down the Florida Turnpike to US-1. In a perfect world, we would have left first thing in the morning to drive down to the Keys, but I had to register my son for extended day Kindergarten right at 9:00 am on the day we left my parents’ house. That meant we got a little bit of a later start and needed to book our Key Largo activity for later in the afternoon.
Glass Bottom Boat Tour
What was our Key Largo activity, you ask? Exploring John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park (the nation’s first underwater state park) by glass bottom boat! There are a few options for glass bottom boat tours, but we chose the Key Largo Princess because they had availability on their late afternoon cruise on our arrival day. I was not at all disappointed in that decision. Jeff was a great guide who even taught me (former member of an environmental science competition team who thought she knew everything about the Florida environment) a thing or two.
Just a heads up, though, exploring the state park is a little depressing these days. Ocean temperatures are so high that the coral is bleaching. Thank goodness people like Dr. David Vaughan are finding ways to reproduce corals that are more resistant to higher ocean temperatures through his Plant a Million Corals Foundation. Hopefully my kids will get to know a Florida Reef that is thriving as they grow up.
Pre-Boat Drinks
Our boat ride didn’t depart until 4:00 pm, so we had a little time to kill after we arrived in Key Largo. What can two parents celebrating a big birthday who find themselves child-free do for an hour or so? Grab a beer at a bar with a great atmosphere, of course! We sat at the outdoor bar at Skipper’s Dockside and drank a Kona beer, which took us right back to our Hawaiian honeymoon oh so many years ago.
Dinner
While we were on our glass bottom boat tour, we asked our fabulous guide Jeff where we should go for a delicious dinner in Key Largo. He suggested Mrs. Mac’s Kitchen without hesitation. This place didn’t have a view or fancy atmosphere, but the food was darn good! We both got mahi mahi sandwiches (mine was blackened, my husband’s was grilled) that hit the spot perfectly. If you find yourself at Mrs. Mac’s Kitchen and need to decide between their many fry options, my recommendation is to go with the homey fries. They were by far the superior fry option.
Check-in
After we filled our bellies at Mrs. Mac’s Kitchen, we got back in the car and drove 40 minutes south to our hotel on Islamorada. After much deliberation, we decided to stay at Amara Cay Resort. Even as we pulled into the parking lot, we could tell that investments have been made to renovate this resort. See, the thing about the Keys is that most of the resorts are small and older. We were blown away by the outdoor areas at the Amara Cay Resort. The pool area, the tiki bar, the dock, and the man-made beach were just gorgeous.
Unfortunately, the same investment was not made in the guest rooms. They’re not horrible by any stretch of the imagination, but they could use a bit more rehabilitation. Even just a few more electrical outlets and a new toilet could have really gone a long way. Without those things, it was still a nice home base for our adults-only long weekend in the Florida Keys.
Day 2 – Key West
I love a day trip to Key West! It’s such a unique place. I really think everyone should go at some point, so it was a no-brainer when we were planning our adults-only long weekend in the Florida Keys. But it’s important to understand that the Keys are a big place. It takes about two hours to drive from Islamorada (where we stayed) to Key West on US-1, which is largely just a two-lane road. Keep these travel times in mind when you’re planning your trip to the Keys!
Breakfast in Marathon
Because we had some time in the car to get down to Key West, we wanted to grab some breakfast somewhere along our drive. We found a great breakfast spot called Wooden Spoon in Marathon. Look, this place isn’t fancy, but it’s a great stop for breakfast on your way to Key West. The coffee was surprisingly great, and my husband and I both enjoyed our omelets.
Central Parking
Parking in Key West can be a bit tricky. It’s an island, after all. And although Key West is super walkable, not everything is located on one side of the island, so I highly suggest that you park in a central location. In my opinion, that perfect central location is the Old Fire Station lot ($6/hour). It was never out of the way when we needed to head back to the car for any reason and it has public restrooms. You can’t really ask for much more than that!
Southernmost Point
If you find yourself in Key West, you have to go to the Southernmost Point and take a picture. The Southernmost Point is a concrete buoy that marks the southernmost point in the continental U.S. If you go due south, it’s 90 miles to Cuba. Although it’s not technically the precise southernmost point, it’s close enough and makes a cute picture.
Hemingway Home
One of Key West’s most famous residents was, of course, the author Ernest Hemingway. The home where he lived with his second wife, Pauline Pfeiffer, and their two sons from 1931 to 1939 is now open to the public for tours and cat snuggles. Cut snuggles? What do I mean cat snuggles? Ernest Hemingway was a super fan of six-toed cats, and the progeny of his original brood remains on the property today. Seriously, come to see where Hemingway was his most prolific, stay for the cuteness.
Truman Little White House
Did you know that Harry S. Truman ran the country from a repurposed house on a Navy base for approximately six months during his presidency? He sure did! The State of Florida now owns the house and lets you tour it, Truman-era furnishings and all. The history of the house and Truman’s time there was certainly interesting, but it was worth the price of admission for the air conditioning alone on a hot day in Key West.
Waterfront Brewery
After so much walking and touring, it was time to sit down. And what better place to do just that than the Waterfront Brewery right at the Marina. My husband and I are a sucker for breweries, so we had to taste the local beer. He tried a flight of their flagship beers and I tried a Hazy NE IPA called 35A IPA. The winner was the Lazy Way IPA in the flight – it was both fruity and piney in the best way. We also had our first piece of key lime pie of the trip, and it actually turned out to be our favorite. If you find yourself at the Waterfront Brewery, please order a piece of pie too!
Dinner at OnlyWood Grill
We had only had a piece of pie since our breakfast in Marathon, so we opted for an early dinner at OnlyWood Grill, an Italian restaurant near the Waterfront Brewery. You might think that Italian food is an interesting choice when you’re in Key West, but don’t sleep on this place. It was delicious! My husband was in the mood for seafood pasta, so he got a Florida lobster ravioli. I am a creature of habit, so I got a pizza with prosciutto and arugula, which is what I will always get at a place that offers this particular item on the menu. We got another piece of key lime pie for dessert, but we probably shouldn’t have. It didn’t live up to the pie from the brewery and it tipped me from pleasantly full to stuffed.
Sunset Celebration
Every Key West day must end with the sunset celebration at Mallory Square. Where else can you find a nightly arts festival that coincides with the breathtaking sinking of the sun into the Gulf of Mexico? That’s right. Nowhere. Don’t miss this one-of-a-kind celebration on your adults-only long weekend in the Florida Keys.
Day 3 – Upper Keys
Our third day in the Florida Keys was all about relaxation, so we stayed close to our home away from home.
Breakfast in Islamorada
We started our day at Mangrove Mike’s and I’m so glad we did. If you’re hungry, definitely get an omelet. My husband got the Western omelet and it was absolutely enormous. I got a delicious breakfast sandwich on a croissant with the best grits of the trip and a decent cup of coffee. If you need breakfast in Islamorada, stop into Mangrove Mike’s!
Kayak Tour
One of the things I miss the most about living in Florida is getting on the water. My preferred way to do this is in a kayak, so you can get up close and personal with the water and the mangroves that line the Florida coast. So, especially being in the Keys, we couldn’t pass up an opportunity to kayak. We chose to book a tour with Paddle the Florida Keys on Tavernier (between Key Largo and Islamorada) and it was a highlight of our adults-only long weekend in the Florida Keys.
We went out in a small group with our guide, Brittany, who had great energy and was obviously excited about her job and the environment around us. We navigated a mangrove tunnel, looked for manatees, and saw two dolphins, a sting ray, and all sorts of beautiful birds. Please book a kayak tour if you’re taking an adults-only long weekend in the Florida Keys.
Robbie’s
Have you ever seen a tarpon? They’re huge! If you’re looking for a unique thing to do in the Florida Keys, stop by Robbie’s in Islamorada to feed the tarpon. It’s an experience, y’all. Just be warned that the tarpon aren’t the only things interested in your bait fish. Watch out for the pelicans.
Resort Afternoon
In the afternoon of day three of our adults-only long weekend in the Florida Keys, we leaned into the relaxation goal of our trip and set up in lounge chairs on the manmade beach at the resort. With the pool behind us, the Straits of Florida in front of us, and a beer from the tiki bar in hand, we took the afternoon to chill. I read almost a whole book that afternoon. It was bliss.
Dinner at Lazy Days
If you choose to stay in Islamorada on your adults-only long weekend in the Florida Keys, please eat dinner around sunset at Lazy Days. This meal is the epitome of the Keys. You sit with your feet in the sand watching the sunset across the water while you’re eating delicious fish. I mean, look at this view!
My husband opted for a special of the day that included grilled grouper (my favorite fish) and shrimp in a lobster sauce and I opted for a blackened grouper sandwich. We opted for our third and final piece of key lime pie for dessert. This took our #2 spot for key lime pie on this trip.
Day 4 – Leave the Keys
We decided to get up and get going on the last day of our adults-only long weekend in the Florida Keys. My son had learned to ride his bike without training wheels and was itching to go on a long bike ride, something my mom couldn’t do while also being in charge of my daughter. He was waiting for us in the driveway with his helmet on when we arrived not a moment too soon. But, we did eat breakfast on our way out!
Breakfast at Doc’s Diner
Our last breakfast in the Keys was in Key Largo at Doc’s Diner. A true old-school diner, it reminded me so much of a place I used to eat breakfast when I was a little kid in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Once again, the portions here were huge. I got a half-order of biscuits and gravy and it came out on two plates with a mountain of scrambled eggs and a pile of bacon and sausage links. My husband got a bagel breakfast sandwich that was stuffed to the gills. Needless to say, we didn’t need to eat again until dinner.
And with that, our adults-only long weekend in the Florida Keys concluded. It was such a nice break from life, filled with fresh fish, sun, and water. We will be back, Florida Keys!
Other posts
This is my first foray into travel-related content, but if you’re interested in content from a middle-aged mom of small kids, please feel free to check out these posts:
So, are you ready to plan your adults-only long weekend in the Florida Keys? If you have any questions or other suggestions for things to do in the Keys, please leave them below or over on Instagram @sarainseason.
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