Florida Keys - Family Friendly Options?

The Keys have very few beaches. Beach front with a pool is even tougher. I’d suggest the southern portion of Gulf Coast Florida to find what you seek. Marco Island would fit the bill. There’s a great Marriott property there.

Echoing what others have said above re beaches and other coastal islands. But did stay at Isla Bella Resort which has a beach. It’s on Marathon. There is also a turtle hospital there the kids might like - mine did but a bit older.

Those are tough ages for travel. Ideally I’d recommend finding a resort with a day program that the 4 year old can go for a few hours each day.

We stayed at the Hampton Inn Key Largo for Presidents Day weekend 2020. It has a pool and is beachfront (but see beach info below).

As parents used to East Coast beaches, it was great. Small private beach with plenty of open lounge chairs and shade. Just steps from the room, pool and tiki bar. Kayak and paddle board rentals. Manatees in the canal. No hauling wagons full of gear across tons of sand. No risk of riptides. No watching waves carry a little swimmer farther and farther away from your beach chair.

Our daughter's first impression was not so great. The beach is small and the sand is really compact. She missed the mountains of soft sand needed to make sandcastles, being able to boogie board, and the lazy rivers and waterslides of some beach resorts. She really did end up having lots of fun, but this was not what she had in mind when we told her we were going to the beach.

All in all a good experience. Before my husband tore his ACL, we were headed down to the Keys again around MLK weekend -- mostly down in Key West for a day trip to the Dry Tortugas but had reservations to return to this hotel for a couple of nights.

Feed the tarpon at Robbie’s

We stayed in Key Largo last summer (Moon Bay through VRBO, I think) with our 8 year old and had the best time. Lots of hands-on aquarium experiences, dolphin interaction, kayaking, charter fishing, etc. We did drive a lot, getting from Key Largo to the other Keys for different activities. And we drove to Key West for one day (took a minute to get there with the low speed limit along the way).

So all that being said, I (personally) wouldn't take a 3 year old since they won't appreciate or remember the full experience. When our kid was that age, we spent all day back and forth between the beach and the pool. He could not have cared less about anything else. It's a little harder to do that in the Keys. We stayed at a condo in Key Largo that had a pool and a small sandy area with hammocks, but it's nothing like the panhandle.

Also, everything in the Keys is more expensive. From groceries to restaurants, etc. And the further south you go, the more expensive it gets. Not sure if cost is a factor for you, but I'm throwing this info out there just in case.

Book Dry Tortugas well in advance. Those tours fill up quickly.

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seat up front next to the pilot

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Also a highlight of the trip.


We did the 2:00 flight. The ferry boat is leaving as you land, so you have the fort/key to yourself (aside from the campers). Also could see the sunset if you are on the south side of the plane on the way back.