People are always asking about inexpensive activities and free things to do in the Florida Keys. There are lots of options if you know where to look. Yes, there are lots of premium priced things to do, but you’ll be able to stick to a budget pretty well if you have a plan that include inexpensive things to do. Believe me when I say I hate spending money when I can enjoy a similar experience on the cheap. Adding activities to a trip makes the total cost of a vacation go up significantly and quickly.
We love to find free or really cheap things to do when the destination is an expensive one (yes, the Keys are expensive). Thankfully there are tons of inexpensive activities from Key Largo to Key West. And beaches aren’t just inexpensive, they’re (mostly) free things to do. Before we dig into it, here’s a tip: If you come with your own kayaking or snorkeling gear, your world of options opens up significantly, as there are lots of free places to explore the water in the Florida Keys. As we go, if you have any questions about our suggestions or need additional recommendations, please leave a comment or send us a note. We’re always happy to share more and help you plan a fun trip to the Keys.
Free or Cheap Outdoors Activities in the Florida Keys
Thank goodness the Florida Keys are beautiful with great weather, because most of the free and cheap things to do are outdoor activities. There are wonderful parks, walking trails, beaches and sights to take in that will help you stay on a budget and have a wonderful visit. It’s always a good idea to have at least one free activity planned for each day in the Keys so that you don’t break the banks, and depending on the weather and who you’re traveling with, these things to do may even be your favorite AND you’ll save money.
Florida Keys Beaches for Free
You’ll find that there actually aren’t a ton of beaches in the Florida Keys. I know, it’s a shock because you’d think the Keys would be the cream of the crop for beaches. The way the islands are formed, beaches just aren’t a naturally occurring thing in most spots. There are SOME though. Parking is limited at many of the beach access points, so be smart about where you park along the highway.
The beaches in the Florida Keys that are easily accessible are few and far between, and often they aren’t broad, sprawling beaches. Hands down the best beach in the Florida Keys is either Sombrero Beach on Marathon or Calusa Beach in Bahia Honda State Park. As you look at the map of the Florida Keys beaches below, think about how many islands there are and these are basically the ONLY options, so you may find crowds depending on the day and weather.
Planning beach time helps make an affordable Florida Keys vacation doable. Here’s the link to our complete Google Map of the Beaches in the Florida Keys. If you want a Florida beach vacation, you need to consider the Florida Gulf Coast beaches or north Florida because the Florida Keys ARE NOT a primary beach destination.
List of Florida Keys Beaches to Enjoy
Here’s the list of beaches in the Florida Keys. It’s a pretty comprehensive list, but keep in mind that a lot of these have coral fossils you’ll have to cross, or flats with thick settled layers to walk across. Not all of them are just perfect sand, but a few are. The beaches in bold are ones I recommend for a nice beach day. The others are good for access to the water, but aren’t my favorites.
- John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park – entrance fee
- Sunset Point Park
- Harry Harris Beach and Park – entrance fee
- Founders Park – entrance fee
- Library Beach Park
- Indian Key Fill / Parker Pindler Channel
- Parker-Pinder Channel
- Anne’s Beach
- Long Key State Park – entrance fee
- Curry Hammock State Park – entrance fee
- Coco Plum Beach
- Sombrero Beach – parking fee
- Bahia Honda State Park – entrance fee
- Horseshoe Beach / Old Bahia Honda Bridge – the south side is cool, but not swimmable
- Ramrod Swimming Hole
- End of the Road
- Smathers Beach
- Rest Beach
- Fort Zachary Taylor Historic State Park – entrance fee
Free (or cheap) Snorkeling Spots in the Keys
Snorkeling is one of the most fun and interesting things to do in the Florida Keys, so if you show up with your own snorkel gear (or buy some for cheap) you should be able to have a great time and see some beautiful wildlife under the surface of the waters surrounding the Keys. Each of the spots listed below is a good snorkeling spot that you don’t need a boat to access and you can easily add to your Florida Keys trip to keep it on a budget.
- Rowell’s Waterfront Park, Key Largo – former quarry so it’s deep with Rick walls to explore; good for hogfish, nudibranchs and more
- Harry Harris Beach Park, Tavernier – a paid entry park, on a calm day the rock structures and dock make for interesting snorkeling; good for random fish, turtles and nurse sharks
- Founders Park, Islamorada – paid entry but it’s a big park with a great beach; mangrove, grassy flat and rock structures to check out; good for rays, seahorses, large schools of fish
- Bahia Honda State Park, near Marathon – jetties on both sides of Calusa Beach are awesome for snorkeling; great for sting rays, snook, colorful fish and spiny lobsters
- Horseshoe Beach, Bahia Honda – another former quarry, there are shallows and rock structure to investigate; ideal for shallow school, nurse sharks and Spanish dancers (sea hares)
- Pine Channel Nature Park, Big Pine Key – part of the Key Deer National Wildlife Refuge, this cove was also a quarry and it’s FULL of nudibranchs or cool fish
- Smathers Beach, Key West – when it’s calm there is good snorkeling at the jetties and rounding along the rocks towards Roosevelt Blvd; good for puffer fish, parrot fish and lionfish, occasional moray eels
- Fort Zachary Taylor State Park, Key West – when it’s calm it’s awesome for snorkeling, but when there are small/medium waves it gets very turbid with poor visibility; similar to Smathers Beach
Cheap Things to do in Key West
Although tours like snorkeling or other boating adventures in the Florida Keys are expensive, a wonderfully inexpensive option, particularly in Key West, is doing a guided walking tour or trolley tour. Whether it’s a nighttime ghost tour or a historic walk through the beautiful overgrown neighborhoods, guided walking tours provide a great value for the cost. The trolley tours run a little bit more expensive, but not too bad for the amount of history and stories you get, and if it’s the Old Town Trolley Tour, that one is a hop-on-hop-off so you can use it as transportation too.
Tip: the Conch Train and Old Town Trolley are both really great sightseeing tours in Key West, but for a family of four, it’ll run you around $120. It gives you a fairly complete history of the town and you’re allowed on and off, but it’s still rather pricey.
Another fun thing to do in Key West that’s only as expensive as you make it is hunting for key lime pies and window shopping. Since you can go at your own pace, walking along Duval Street or in the Historic Seaport neighborhood you’ll find lots of fun shops and places to get key lime everything. We love doing this simply because it lets us mingle with people and we get to try local treats, such as EVERYTHING key lime pie.
When it comes to museums, the Key West Art and History Museum and the Mel Fisher Maritime Museum pack the most punch for the dollar. They’re both well put together and fascinating, and for families you’ll not break the bank. Both museums are a good option with kids, and they a great idea in the heat of summer.
Check out guide to Key West attractions here!
Free Things to do in Key West
Key West is both a tourist hot spot and a city that real people live in. With that, there are a lot of things to do for both cost and free. I will say though, the free side of things requires you to be chill and just enjoy the flow of Key West. Here are our top picks for free things to do in Key West:
- Mallory Square Sunset Celebration
- Afternoon tarpon feeding in the Historic Seaport
- Florida Keys Eco Discovery Center
- Walk Duval and Whitehead Streets
- Snorkel at Simonton Beach dock
- Beach day at Smathers Beach
- Visit the Southernmost Point Bouy
Visiting Fort Zachary Taylor State Park in Key West
A great budget activity that can last all day is the state park in Key West. At the edge of old town Key West is a really cool old fort from the Civil War era: Fort Zachary Taylor. With bunkers, tunnels, picnic areas, walking trails, historic displays and lots of beach space, it’s the one stop shop for an interesting day. One of the cheapest things to do in Key West, a day at Fort Zachary Taylor State Park will bring you everything you could want of a Flori-day.
Because it can get busy, arrive early if you’d like to secure a great beach spot or a prime picnic table in the shade. There is lots of parking, but lounge space is limited. You can be here from 8:00 am until around 5:00 pm if you like, and there’s even a snack bar onsite if you need food and didn’t bring any.
Note: as you approach the entrance gate it may look really busy and like you’ll never get in, but it’s just a slow process. Be patient. If you’re riding bikes or walking in, there’s a path and attendant to help you.
Florida State Parks to Visit
Florida State Parks are a wonderfully inexpensive option for things to do all through the Florida Keys. From Key Largo to Key West there are several really wonderful parks you can enjoy. The State Parks of the Keys are a combination of beaches, forests and historic areas, so there’s something for everyone and they’re scattered all throughout. Add some of these parks to your Florida Keys trip and you should be able to stick to your budget and save money while still having an awesome time.
Here are the State Parks in the Florida Keys that we recommend for fun and fascinating activities:
- John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park – beaches, nature center, inexpensive snorkeling tours, cheap kayak rentals
- Dagny Johnson Key Largo Hammock State Park – nature trails through the hardwood hammock forest
- Windley Key Fossil Reef State Park – fossils and railroad history with a museum
- Long Key State Park – nature trails and beaches (not the best beaches though)
- Curry Hammock State Park – beaches, camping, kayaking and wildlife
- Bahia Honda State Park – three different beaches, great snorkeling, trail up the old Bahia Honda Bridge
- Fort Zachary Taylor State Park – beaches and a cool Civil War era fort
There are more state parks in the Florida Keys, but these are the most easily accessed with the most things to do. Enjoy a few of these and you’ll have a great visit to the Key and stick to your budget.
Kayaking in the Florida Keys (cheap or free!)
The cheapest way to get on the water in the Florida Keys is to arrive with your own kayaking or SUP gear. There are lots of wonderful spots to put in and beautiful, unique paddling trails. Kayaking in the Florida Keys can be very mellow or something for advanced paddlers with lots of gear. There are some different kayak rental option, both within and outside of the state parks, and of course lots of kayaking tours. The best budget friendly option is to bring your own kayak or SUP, but not everyone has that option.
Be careful when you launch that you stay out of the strong currents going between certain channels. You can tell where the current is strong because the water really does flow past quickly. For the safest experience, paddle out from your launch point and then turn to where you want to go versus just paddling along the shore until you’re near a channel. Kayak launch site map link here.
If you don’t have your own gear, renting kayaks can be pretty inexpensive and totally worth it. You can expect hourly kayak rentals in the Florida Keys to range from $12 per hour within the state parks to $28 per hour for kayaks delivered to a variety of launch points. Some of the best kayaking in South Florida is found in the Keys, and it’s a great budget-friendly activity.
If you have any questions or need specific recommendations for hotels and tours on your affordable Florida Keys trip, please send us a note or leave a comment. We’re happy to help you plan an incredible trip! Sticking to a budget in the Keys can be tricky, so ask all the questions you like!
