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Published: 4/20/24
What To See and Do on the Florida Keys Overseas Highway
Florida’s Overseas Highway (US Highway 1) is one of the most iconic stretches of highway in the United States.
For 113 miles, this two-lane paved highway runs the length of the Florida Keys, from the very tip of Key West all the way to the Florida mainland and then up the entire length of the East Coast through the Carolinas to New England.
Other than by boat, the Overseas Highway is the only way to get from island to island in the Florida Keys. But even if the Overseas Highway didn’t have a monopoly on the Florida Keys transportation, it’d still be a must-do Florida activity. You’ll find opportunities for fishing, hiking, snorkeling, sunbathing, eating, and wildlife viewing.
If you’re wondering what to do on the Overseas Highway, I’ve compiled a list of the best places to stop on the highway from Miami to Key West. These stops include Bahia Honda State Park, restaurants, and unique experiences like visiting recovering sea turtles or hopping aboard Hemingway’s boat.
Whether you’re basing your entire vacation around this drive or simply planning to day trip along Highway 1 during your Miami and Key West vacation, this post will help you make the very most of your time on Florida’s infamous Overseas Highway.
What To Know Before Driving the Florida Keys
• Plan to take your time
• There’s no cost for the drive, but gas and your rental car may be expensive
• It’s a two-lane highway
• Slow down and watch for deer
Like the Kancamagus Highway in New Hampshire, the Overseas Highway is more than a road: it’s an experience.
Since the vast majority of the road is a two-lane highway with a speed limit of 45 – 55 mph, Highway 1 just doesn’t lend itself to standard American “cruising” speeds. Those low speeds are in place in part to protect the Keys’ small population of rare (and tiny!) key deer.
The highway also gets very congested. On a busy summer day, it’s not uncommon for it to take 6 hours (yes, six hours) to drive the 113 miles one way from Key Largo to Key West. There’s a reason why so many visitors opt to do the drive in little bite-size chunks!
On paper, it looks like you can day trip from Miami to Key West. However, this is such a common misconception, that some Key West tour companies have disclaimers on their website expressly telling folks not to sign up for a tour if they’re attempting to day trip from Miami.
Happily, there are no tolls along the Overseas Highway. Sadly, our rental car cost about $100 per day. We also found that gas prices fluctuated wildly around the Keys, with the most expensive gas being on Key West proper.
10 Great Places To Stop On the Drive From Miami to Key West
If you’re planning to drive the length of Florida Keys starting in Miami and heading the full 160 miles to Key West, here’s where I’d stop.
1. Key Largo
Key Largo is the largest island in the Florida Keys and also the first island you reach when you cross over from the Florida mainland. If you’re planning to drive to Key West from Miami over the course of several nights, Key Largo makes a logistical stop for your first night.
Since we were approaching the Overseas Highway from the south, we never made it as far north as Key Largo. If we had, I would have made John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park a priority. This state park is actually located underwear. It’s a great place to go snorkeling!
Distance from Key West: 101 miles
Distance from Miami: 56 miles
2. Islamorada
Islamorada, Florida is known as the sports fishing capital of the world. It’s a great place to embark on a Florida Keys fishing charter, or just swing by the impressive World Wide Sportsman/Bass Pro Shop near the marina. It also happens to be the halfway point between Miami and Key West.
If you don’t have any shopping to do, the real reason to stop here is to view the sister ship of Ernest Hemingway’s beloved boat, the Pilar. Also named the Pilar (confusing, eh?) this boat sits in the dead center of the store and you can clamor aboard if you like. You learn more about Hemingway’s time in the Keys at the Hemingway Home once you reach Key West.
If you’re traveling with kids, you’ll also want to check out the shop’s aquariums. Or if you’re like me and didn’t pack a rain jacket for Key West in December use this stop for some critical shopping.
Once you’re finished in the store, head down to the nearby Bayside Marina. There are a couple restaurants here if you want to grab a bite to eat and watch the boats come and go.
Distance from Key West: 80 miles
Distance from Miami: 80 miles
3. Turtle Hospital
If you have any interest in marine biology, or just love sea turtles (like, totally dude!), you’ll want to stop at the Turtle Hospital in Marathon. Located in a converted motel, this facility now focuses on rehabbing sea turtles.
These turtles come from all over the Gulf of Mexico. Many of the turtles have been injured by boat prop strikes. Another common “reason for visit” is fibropapillomatosis, a benign tumor condition. The goal of the hospital is always to get turtles to the point where they can be released back into the wild, but a few of the turtles end up calling the hospital home.
While the tour guides can be a little out there, this is an excellent stop for folks of all ages. I really enjoyed learning about the different species of turtles and came away with a much deeper understanding of the health and safety challenges these turtles face. You also get to view turtles of all sizes and ages: from tiny babies to massive adult loggerhead turtles.
Tours go every half hour and last about 75 – 90 minutes. It’s best to reserve a tour time, although we were able to jump in on a tour about 10 minutes late. Tours start with a 30-minute Powerpoint, but you’re here to see turtles. If you don’t get the full intro, you’ll still have a great experience.
Distance from Key West: 46.5 miles
Distance from Miami: 112 miles
4. Porky’s Bayside Restaurant
While you can sample endless slices of key lime pie in Key West, you’ll need to head out of town to find the most unique slice of pie in the Florida Keys. Porky’s Bayside Restaurant in Marathon, serves up deep fried key lime pie!
In addition to their original take on key lime pie, this Tiki style restaurant also specializes in barbecue. Its waterfront location makes it another great place to sip a mojito and do some boat watching.
Distance from Key West: 46 miles
Distance from Miami: 113 miles
5. Old Seven Mile Bridge (Knights Key Segment)
As you drive along the Overseas Highway, you’ll notice abandoned bridges running parallel to the bridge you’re crossing a channel on. Between the old Flagler railroad and the 1980s widening of the Overseas Highway, there’s at a lot of excessive bridge inventory around the Florida Keys.
Many folks fish off of these old bridges. The Old Seven Mile Bridge on the west side of Marathon is a great spot to hike or bike. You can take advantage of a nice picnic area just below the official Seven Mile Bridge Overlook parking lot before or after your bridge excursion.
Although this bridge has been cut in half to help facilitate boat traffic, you can hike 3.5 miles on the bridge to Pigeon Key. This small island has a museum, wildlife and snorkeling opportunities, and a beach picnic area.
The bridge is also part of the Florida Keys Overseas Heritage Trail, a multi-use trail for walkers and bikers that runs for 106 miles from Key West to Key Largo.
Distance from Key West: 45 miles
Distance from Miami: 114 miles
6. Bahia Honda State Park
The entire key of Bahia Honda is a state park. This beautiful island covered with luscious tropical vegetation is known for its excellent beaches and snorkeling. It’s also a favorite destination among Florida Keys road trippers because of its campground.
I liked it best for its access to one of the old Flagler Railroad bridges. It provides a great vantage point of both the island, channel, and Overseas Bridge. Although the ocean was too stirred up for us to go snorkeling, we did spy an impressive great egret from the bridge. I especially enjoyed all the informational plaques along the path to the bridge explaining both the island’s history and ecology.
Distance from Key West: 35 miles
Distance from Miami: 124 miles
7. No Name Pub
The kind of place where every square inch of wall and ceiling is covered with dollar bills, No Name Pub has been favorite Florida Keys restaurant since the 1930s. Its somewhat racy origin story includes time as a general store, bait shop, and brothel, before transforming into the beloved tavern with a fun honky-tonk feel that it is today.
No Name serves up pretty typical American fare like burgers, salads, sandwiches, and soups. They’re especially known for their pizzas.
Why doesn’t the pub have a name? Technically it does. It’s named for the island it sits on: No Name Key. The key can only be accessed by vehicle via Big Pine Key.
Since this island has one of the highest populations of key deer (which look like miniature whitetail deer), you might run into these small deer in the pub’s parking lot. However, I wouldn’t plan my visit hoping for a wildlife encounter. Instead, come for the friendly service and fresh, fast food.
Distance from Key West: 31 miles
Distance from Miami: 132 miles
8. Big Pine Key
If you’re looking for key deer be sure to stop on the island of Big Pine Key. The island is home to the National Key Deer Refuge Nature Center. The actual refuge covers portions of 25 different islands including Big Pine and No Name Keys.
Instead of stopping at the center, we opted to take a few drives up Key Deer Boulevard to see if we could spot any deer in the wild. Rainy weather definitely kept the animals bedded down in the forest, but we did spot a couple.
If you also decide to go this route, I recommend stopping at Blue Hole Observation Platform to see the two resident alligators. We also enjoyed a drizzly (and unsuccessful) hike on the Jack C. Watson Wildlife Trail. Even if you don’t spot any wildlife here, it provides a great introduction to the Keys’ unique ecosystem.
Distance from Key West: 29 miles
Distance from Miami: 134 miles
9. Stock Island Mangroves
Called Stock Island because it’s where Key West residents used to keep their livestock, the next-door island to Key West is still the spot to go to find animals in the Florida Keys. Many kayak tours take off from Stock Island and wind through the mangroves. It’s fairly common to see manatees, nurse sharks, birds, and other wildlife while you paddle these quiet waters.
There are several mangrove tours offered, including some tours with glass bottomed kayaks for maximum wildlife viewing opportunities. We had a great time with Lazy Dog Adventures.
Distance from Key West: 29 miles
Distance from Miami: 134 miles
10. Key West
Key West has a vibe all its own.
This vibrant town found at the very start (or end, depending on your perspective) of the Overseas Highway offers fascinating history, delicious Cuban food, rogue roosters, and the most bars/bartenders per capita of any place in the United States.
If you can, I recommend spending at least two nights in Key West. You’ll want at least one full day to explore the town.
A boat or plane ride out to Dry Tortugas National Park – located 80 miles west of Key West in the middle of the Gulf of Mexico is also not to be missed. This is one of the most remote National Parks in America and well worth the hassle to reach it.
Distance from Key West: 0 miles
Distance from Miami: 160 miles
About the Overseas Highway in the Florida Keys
Sometimes called “the Highway that goes to the sea,” the Overseas Highway in the Florida Keys is just the most southern stretch of U.S. Highway 1. This interstate highway starts at the intersection of Fleming and Whitehead Streets in Key West’s Old Town.
The Overseas Highway stretches for 113 miles with the Gulf of Mexico or Florida Bay on the western side and the wild Atlantic Ocean on the other. Once the road hits Florida mainland, it continues north along the East Coast for another 2200+ miles before terminating at the Canadian border in Maine. The total distance of U.S. Highway 1 is 2369 miles.
The unique Overseas section of the highway uses 42 bridges to connect 44 keys (or islands) from the “southernmost point in the continental United States” to the Florida mainland. But don’t think you’ll see all of the Florida Keys by driving the Overseas Highway. There are more than 800 keys. You’ll need a boat (and a lot of time!) if you want to see them all.
Believe it or not, until the 20th century, boat was the only way to explore the Florida Keys. In the early 1900s, Henry Flagler dreamed of connecting the islands that run in a chain from Key Largo to Key West via a railway. The railway, often known as the Flagler Railroad opened in 1912 and closed in 1935 after experiencing significant hurricane damage.
The State of Florida bought the railroad property and infrastructure from the bankrupt Florida East Coast Railway and used the roadbed and many of the bridges to create the Overseas Highway we can drive today.
As you drive the Overseas Highway, you’ll often find yourself parallel with another bridge. Some of these bridges are remnants from the Flagler Railroad days, like the one in Bahia Honda State Park. Others are old highway bridges that were replaced when the road was widened in the 1980s.
Miami vs. Key West: Where To Start Your Overseas Highway Drive
It’s very common for Florida Keys visitors to do a one-way road trip starting in Miami and ending in Key West. It’s a 160 mile drive from the Miami International Airport to Key West. This is a great option since not only will you get to drive the entire length of the Florida Keys on your way to Key West, you’re also much more likely to snag good flight deals into Miami than Key West.
However, car rentals definitely aren’t cheap in the Florida Keys. If Key West is your final destination, I recommend returning your rental car as soon as you arrive and using rideshares as needed. Since the small island is extremely walkable, this will save both money and spare you the hassle of Key West parking.
I had the luxury of planning this trip many months in advance so when I spied a good flight deal for Key West, I grabbed it. In hindsight, I’m not sure I’d recommend flying in and out of Key West, and not for the reason that you might think. It’s not that I feel like I missed out on the drive from Miami to Key Largo – it’s that flying into Key West is surprisingly challenging.
Because of its extremely short (less than a mile) long runway, Key West’s airport has a lot of unique restrictions. After a brief mechanical delay, we ended up spending a night in Atlanta because FAA regulations prevented an aircraft of our size from landing after dark.
Once we were finally airborne the next morning, windy conditions almost forced us to land in Miami anyway. Luckily we made it – but it really made me question why I’d chosen to fly into Key West, especially when the Overseas Highway drive has so much to offer.
Conclusion: Why You Should Drive Florida’s Overseas Highway
If you ever find yourself in Key West or Miami, I highly recommend spending some time exploring the Overseas Highway. Depending on what time of year you visit, you may find heavy traffic, so plan to take your time and enjoy the stunning scene of driving over the ocean.
Even if you find minimal traffic, one day really isn’t enough time to do the Overseas Highway justice. It’s definitely a good idea to plan to spend a night somewhere along the Overseas Highway. Whether you choose Key West, Key Largo, or somewhere in the middle like Marathon or Islamorada, having a homebase in the Florida Keys will help you make the most of your explorations.
You won’t want to miss any of these stops along the Overseas Highway. I hope this post helps you discover the very best that the Overseas Highway offers, from deep-fried key lime pies, unique wildlife viewing experiences, great snorkeling and fishing opportunities, and of course beautiful sunsets and tropical vibes.
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