What to do in the Keys when you can’t be on the water….

You travel down to the beautiful Florida Keys in hopes of having a few days of scuba diving, fishing, boating, etc. When you finally arrive, you are greeted with storms and high winds, basically the type of weather that will keep you off the water. So, what do you do? You already paid for the hotel, so no point in going home, what do you do? We’ve heard so many people tell us that the only thing the Florida Keys has is Key West, which couldn’t be further from the truth. The Florida Keys is extremely rich in history and beautiful sites, sites that aren’t on the water.

The Florida Keys History and Discovery Center is one amazing place that we happened to discover. This museum is located in Islamorada, just off US 1 behind the Islander Resort. When you walk inside, you see the true history of the Florida Keys, there are big aquariums which show Coral Reef research being done by Mote Marine. There are pictures and historic artifacts dating back to the earliest days of the Florida Keys. You can also learn about local favorites like how Robbie’s initially got started.

The Florida Keys History and Discovery Center was definitely an awesome place to check out. Another place that we discovered was the Windley Key Fossil Reef Geological State Park! This place is truly a hidden treasure. It highlights all the history surrounding how key limestone was mined and harvested along with the history of the railroad and how it helped shape the Florida Keys. This park had beautiful walking trails and some phenomenal sites. The history is right in front of your eyes as you’re walking around. Admission is only $2.50 and hours can be spent here looking at everything!

The Florida Keys is so much more then just hanging out on the water. If you do make it down to Key West and the weather is still rough, check out the Mel Fisher Maritime Museum, or even the Shipwreck Museum! There are tons of things to do on Duval Street or near Mallory Square. Obviously if we had our way we’d be scuba diving every day, but when you have an opportunity to explore the rest of what the Keys have to offer, don’t pass it up!