Key Largo Things to Do

located next to the holiday inn is the holiday inn marina. here you can book fishing trips, glass bottom boat rides, scuba and snorkeling trips, and there is a shuttle to an off shore casino. the holiday inn key west is good place to stop because of the many things to do there.

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My family and I really wanted to see the Christ of the Deep statue. If you've seen photos, you know what I mean. His arms are stretched out welcoming you to the bottom of the water and there is just a "strong at peace feeling" when you see it.

Alas, it was not meant to be for my family. We got on the boat and started heading out. When we finally reached our destination the captain/guide started describing the best places to see coral and fish. I thought it was strange that he had not mentioned the statue yet. That was the "big thing" was it not?

So when he said "does anyone have any questions?"
I asked him "where is the statue?"
He says "Can you swim pretty good? It's 7 miles that way (he points)"
I say nothing, though my face must be saying "Uhhhh what?"
He says "It's just a statue. What you want to see is the coral. The coral is what is amazing here, not some 'ol statue".

I am so speechless, as was my mother. She was really looking foward to seeing the statue too. A few of the other passengers give each other looks of surprise, but then seem not to care anymore and just begin gathering their snorkle gear. We too put on our snorkle gear, I mean, it's not like we can march away mad we were stuck on a boat for 2 hours. So we snorkled...and it was okay...I've seen wayyy better in the Dry Tortugas. Heck I live in KW I can go see coral anytime. It was the Christ of the Deep statue that I wanted to see. :(

I ended up writing an angry letter to JPK park about the situation. How they advertise and hype up the statue...they never mention that there is a chance they could take you to a different snorkle section. I used quotes from their own website. I was extremly angry with the captain who just said it was some 'ol statue that I should want to see the coral. Well captain, it's not some "dumb 'ol statue" to me. It meant something to me. And you took it from me. JPK ended up writing back and apologizing and refunding our trip. I was grateful for the refund, but I still would have rather seen the statue.

So if you are going to the park to see the statue, PLEASE mention to the ticket counter and the captain "we are going to see the statue right?" If they say no, then demand your money back. Unless you are fine with just regular snorkling, but you can experience better snorkling in Key West and Dry Tortugas.

Florida Keys Wild Bird Center is a non profit organization that relys primarily on donations for survival. They care for sick & injured wild birds. It is a great little center!! There are 30+ cages with occupants identified and their stories told in a little pamphlet you can get as you go in. At 3:30 each day they feed the pelicans on the beach & that is quite an event! The caretakers really do care & that is obvious. There is also a small gift shop where you can purchase various bird related items to help also. There is no admission fee...just a suggested donation. Highly recommend for any and all visitors to the keys!!

My family and I took a snorkeling trip aboard the Reef Roamer catamaran in Key Largo and had a wonderful time. The crew was great and taught the whole famlily a lot about the marine life in the keys. The reefs were absolutely gorgeous and up close so the kids could see the fish and coral without diving underwater. There weren't too many people on the boat and the captain let the kids drive the boat some on the way back in. They gave our boys certificates showing their new "junior captain" status and they are telling all their friends they are "captains." It's really cute. I've been on some dive boats in the past where everything very impersonal and these guys went the extra mile. I recommend them. Reef Roamer and Quicksilver Catamarans: (305) 453-0110

key largo and the florida keys offer some of the best saltwater fishing in the united states. depending on the time of the year offshore you can catch marlin, sailfish, shark, tuna, and dolphin (mahi-mahi). on the reefs you can catch snapper and grouper and baracuda. in the bays and back country you can catch tarpon, permit, bonefish, snapper, and grouper. pictured is the yellow bait house which is the best bait house in key largo.

at the dolphin cove research center you can swim with bottle nosed dolphins. bottle nosed dolphins are very intelligent marine mamals that react well with humans. dolphin cove also offers back country ecology tours in the everglades national park and back country kayaking. see their website for more info.

the john penekamp coral reef state park is one of the most visited attractions in the keys. this is the nation's first underwater state park. the key largo coral reef is the third largest in the world and the protected area of the park is over 70 nautical square miles. at the park you can book a glass bottom boat tour, snorkeling, and scuba tours. the park also rents canoes and power boats. if you bring your own boat there is a boat ramp and marina. the park also has a number of camping sites that must be booked in advance especially during the winter tourist season. the key largo coral reef is considered the best snorkeling and scuba diving spot in north america. also the reef and the mangrove islands of the park offer excellent saltwater fishing. for more information see the attached websites.

If you are traveling to Key Largo, take the time one day to go snorkeling on the beautiful reefs. I went with a company called Reef Roamer (boat was Quicksilver) and had the best time. They took us on this huge catamaran to two different reefs inside the Pennekamp park for two hours. It was so cool. We saw a huge eagle ray that we followed for awhile and then it took off. It had all these spots all over it and it was so graceful. Another person on the boat said they saw a turtle but we all saw lots of fish. Captain Jen was our tourguide and she did such a great job. It was inspiring seeing someone so passionate about the wild life and then she put up the sails on the way home. It was so relaxing...I recommend them!!!