Drive across the bridge from the Florida mainland and you’re already feeling the easygoing pace of Key Largo. Ever since Bogey and Bacall holed up here in the 1948 classic Key Largo, the first and longest island in the Keys chain has been a top destination. Get out and breathe the gentle sea air. The perfect attire in this tropical paradise is bare feet and a bathing suit. When you’re ready for fun in the crystal clear water, Key Largo is ready for you. It’s not called the Diving Capital of the World for nothing. The nation’s most dazzling underwater parks and reefs lie awaiting your exploration. John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park is an undersea playground featuring a wealth of opportunities for snorkeling and diving among a variety of multicolored corals and tropical fish. Or you can take it easy on a glass-bottomed boat tour. And don’t neglect the botanical wonders of the backcountry— there are miles of mangrove wilderness trails, which you can explore via kayak, canoe, or paddleboard. The more adventurous can dive to underwater caves or to the Spiegel Grove, a 510-foot-long U.S. Navy ship scuttled in 2002. John Pennekamp State Park is part of the National Marine Sanctuary, which protects 2,900 square nautical miles surrounding the Keys. And tip your hat to the late newspaper editor and conservationist John D. Pennekamp, who helped establish the nearby Everglades National Park. Another Key Largo specialty is the great fishing. Take a charter boat into Florida Bay for redfish and tarpon, or go for bonefish in the Atlantic shallows or game fish farther out. Families will feel right at home at Harry Harris State Park, with its protected beach and tidal pool. Another popular must-do, the dolphin encounter programs at Dolphins Plus or Dolphin Cove let you swim with these intelligent marine mammals. Eco-tours take you into the heart of Key Largo’s spectacular plant and animal life. Manatees, crocodiles, alligators, sea turtles, bottlenose dolphins, and wading birds are some of the animals you might encounter. Photography lovers take note. A great way to learn about the area’s wondrous variety of birds is to visit the five-acre Florida Keys Wild Bird Center, where injured birds—both native and migratory—are being rehabilitated. Many cannot be released, but they serve as living educational displays. And check out the locals’ natural response to a proposed condo development: They decided instead to save one of the largest tracts of West Indian hardwood hammock in the U.S. and created Dagny Johnson Key Largo Hammock Botanical State Park.
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