Florida Keys Tours
When it comes to enjoying nature, sun, beaches, and sea, the Florida Keys tours are rich in adventures for all the family. The Chamber of Commerce corresponding to Key Largo, Islamorada, Marathon, Big Pine Key, and Key West, is a good starting point to plan your visit to the so-called Florida Paradise. Most of the Florida Keys Visitor Centers are located at the various Chambers of Commerce; visit them to find brochures, maps, Florida Keys tours, and other useful information, including "fun packs" offered by some of the Keys authorities. Of course, there are as many Floridian tour operators that will lead you through the natural beauties of the Florida Keys as there are places to find resources. Being an internationally renowned destination, your local travel agent can provide you with all the printed information of tours available, maps, and directions to get there. By air, land, or sea, you can begin a tour starting at Key Largo and ending in Key West, instead of just visiting one of the Keys.KEY LARGO
Just leaving the mainland a visitor will find Key Largo and the enchantment of eco-tours sharing the Everglades National Park, an ecosystem that is unique in the world, comprised in about 1.4 million acres, the largest subtropical wilderness in America. Key Largo and the Everglades are the ideal setting for Florida Keys tours like bird watching with over 300 species of rare birds calling this area home. The park is the habitat of many endangered species, including bobcats, alligators, deer, and bald eagles. Fishing, canoeing and kayaking are common activities offered by diverse tour operators within and outside this region. If you need further information of tours available which are operated by Everglades National Park call (305) 242-7700.
Florida Bay Outfitters are located at MM 104, and provide visitors with sea kayaks and canoe rentals for touring the John Pennekamp and Coral Reef State Park, one of the featured attractions at Key Largo. Further information is available by calling (305) 451-1621 or 305) 451-3018 Diving and snorkeling tours are located just 6 miles off Key Largo at the U.S. Navy Landing Ship Dock. This site is of particular interest, constituting one of the recent wreck sites in Florida submerged 130 feet below the Keys.
A Florida Keys Tour in Key West Some other tour operators in this region include:
- Amy Slate's Amoray Dive Center, phone (305) 451-3595
- Coral Sea Eco Tours, phone (305) 453-4117
- Everglades Air Boat Tours, phone (305) 852-5339
- Florida Keys Wild Bird Center, phone (305) 852-4486
- Key Largo Princess, phone (305) 451-4655
- World Parrot Mission, phone (305) 453-1800
ISLAMORADA
Paradise would not be complete without this fishermen’s haven where experts and novice anglers find a common meeting place. Popularly known as the sportfishing capital of the world, Islamorada offers numerous Florida Keys tours and getaways, including romantic trips and family sightseeing. Guided and self-guided tours are offered on a daily basis throughout this Key and around the surrounding sea. Robbie's Rent-a-Boat is a service that lets you explore by yourself the enchanting nature and wildlife aboard 14 to 27 foot motor boards with 15 to 200 horsepower. Call for further details at (305) 664-9814 Florida Keys Kayak and Sail offers botanical preserve tours to Lignumvitae Key, backcountry tours around the island, summer tours exploring the mangrove tunnels of Islamorada, and historical site tours to the Indian Key. Call (305) 664-4878 for details.Theater of the Sea is a marine adventure park with Dolphin encounters. There are several travel agents on the island operating eco-tours to this place, which also showcases Sting Rays, Sea Lions, and a splendorous landscape setting. If you want to go on your own, call (305) 664-2431 for further information.
Some other tour operators in this region include:
- A1A Watersports & Boat Rentals, phone (305) 664-8182
- Anne's Easy Adventures, phone (305) 852-4553
- Bay and Reef Co., phone (305) 393-0994
- Backcountry Cowboy Outfitter, phone (305) 517-4177
- Bud N' Mary's Fishing Marina, phone (305) 664-2461
- Islescapes, phone (305) 923-3319
MARATHON
Internationally renowned by its Seven Mile Bridge, Marathon is the heart of the Florida Keys, situated just in the middle between Key Largo and Key West. Florida Keys tour adventure starts here at the home of the annual Seven Mile Bridge run, attracting visitors from around the world. The Bahia Honda Bridge is another must-visit site when touring around this Key. The city of Marathon offers great tour opportunities including fishing in aquamarine waters under the tropical sun that invites you to relax at the beach. Hall's Dive Center & Career Institute is a place where you can join a guided tour, snorkel, and dive at Sombrero Reef, Looe Key, Coffins Patch, Contene Key, and Delta Shoal, spending nearly one hour visiting each site. Tours are scheduled in the morning and you can call for further details at (305) 743-5929.The Museums and Nature Center of Crane Point Hammock is the right spot for cultural tours. Visit the Florida Keys Children's Museum, the Museum of Natural History, and the restored house of George Adderly and enjoy a natural trail that encompasses all these museums. For further information, call (305) 743-9100. The Turtle Hospital, founded in 1986, is an encounter with nature, which has environmental values. Guided Educational Tours, provided to visitors with previous reservation by calling (305) 743-6509. Another interesting eco-tour takes you to the Dolphin Research Center, where you will learn more about these extraordinary mammals and Sea Lions living in the same habitat. For reservations, call (305) 289-0002
Some other tour operators in this region include:
- Adventure Watersports Rentals, phone (305) 289-0715
- Conch Air, phone (305) 395-1117
- Marathon Kayak Resource, phone (305) 743-0561
- One Travel Source Com, Inc, phone (305) 743-7430
- Wheels 2 Go, phone (305) 289-4279
- WindRider Sailing, phone (305) 743-3017
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BIG PINE KEY
Big Pine Key is the entrance door to the Florida Lower Keys, an area with numerous Florida Keys tours, eco-tours and maritime tours operating seven days a week. Enjoy a colorful drive through scenery with plenty of papayas, mangos, tamarinds, avocados, limes, sapodillas, and other fruit growing trees around the island, where mangrove trees predominate. Tropical vegetation invites you to self-guided tours through hiking trails. Guided tours are also available from many travel agents and professional guides operating in this zone. Bahia Honda State Park offers snorkel tours to the Looe Key National Marine Sanctuary, as well as recreational activities and tour discounts. Call (305) 872-3210 for further information and schedules. Reflections Nature Tours provide you with kayaks to explore Big Pine Key or any other place between Sunshine and Cudjoe Keys. Rental and tour information is available by calling (305) 872-4668 No visit to Big Pine Key is complete if a tour to the National Key Deer Refuge is omitted. This natural habitat of the endangered Key deer and subspecies of white-tailed deer is open to the public, but there are some provisions that you must observe while touring. For more information, call (305) 872-2239Some other tour operators in this region include:
- Accommodations Key West/Big Pine Key, phone (305) 872-3052
- Big Pine Kayak Adventures, Inc., phone (305) 872-7474
- Fantasy Dan’s Airplane Rides, phone (305) 745-2217
- Lower Keys Kayaking Tours, phone (305) 744-0263
- Pine Pine Key Eco Tours and Kayak Rentals, phone (305) 872-4668
- Reflections Nature Tours, phone: (305) 872-4668
KEY WEST
Touring around Key West is not an easy task... there are so many thing to do and see, that you need to visit the place more than once. Key West's sampling of Florida Keys tours includes Eco-tours, air tours, sailboat tours, educational tours and many more are inviting adventures to discover the many faces of a vibrant city where fun and festivity are just around the corner. Bicycling and mopeding tours are available at numerous locations within the city, some sponsored by the Key West Tour Association. Parrotheads on Parade is a 90-minutes fun walking tour through Jimmy Buffet's music career and Key West living since the 1970s, operated by Parrotheads to Parrotheads, or in other words, from fans to fans. Call for more information at (305) 292-2040. Sharon Wells provides you with cultural tours to enjoy literature and architecture of the city, however you can also engage in Gay and Lesbian tours to approach the other face of Key West, where these communities are respected and recognized as an integral part of the city. Further information is available by calling (305) 284-8380. Take the tour to the "Cigar Alley" is finding yourself with Ernest Hemingway and other famous smokers of Cuban cigars. This area is also known as the Pirate's Alley, encompassing the Conch Republic Cigar Factory, and numerous "viejitos" (little old men) narrating stories of this alley. For information, call (305) 295-9036.Some other tour operators in this region include:
- Catamaran Echo-Wild Dolphin Encounter and Shipwreck, phone (305) 292-5044
- Dry Tortugas National Park Day Trip Aboard the Sunny Days, phone (305) 296-5556
- Fury Water Adventures, phone (305) 294-8899
- Island Concierge, phone (305) 296-0041
- SeaPlanes of Key West, phone (305) 294-0709
- Visitor Fun Pack, 1201 White Street Suite 3
Branson Key West Dolphin Swim