Key West is known for many things, but is it an adventurer’s paradise? I think the answer is yes — this little island has a ton of crazy tours, attractions, and excursions to make any type of traveler happy. You can scuba dive into the deep, snorkel with the fishes, jump out of airplanes, play all day long on the world’s only offshore water park, or just cruise on the boat and explore the wild backcountry.
But if that’s all too much, Key West, Florida tours include things like the classic Conch Train and sitting in a bar with a drink. Whatever floats your boat, you know?
Key West Adventure Tours for Every Type of Traveler
Key West has a lot to offer as an island: stunning water, tropical scenery, fine dining, and fun hangouts. But you can have plenty of adventures and experiences here that are better than anywhere else. From Key West water rides to land-based island adventures, here are some ideas for your next island excursions.
Landside Key West Tours and Attractions
It might not be a high adventure, but there are Key West tours to suit every palette. The most famous is the Key West Conch Train, the tourist-filled trolley that roams the island’s highlights. But there are also plenty of Key West day tour options that are less crowded: history tours, walking tours, Jimmy Buffett tours, eating tours, drinking tours…you name it! Hey, just wandering the streets here could be considered an adventure!
For a look at the island’s museums and other attractions, check out our lists of things to do with kids or things to do on a rainy day.
Parasailing in the Keys
Parasailing is a great way to take to the skies for an exhilarating bird’s eye view of our little postage stamp-sized island. There are several parasailing operators to pick from, but most give you an hour-long tour and a fun boat ride to boot. You can fly solo, in tandem with a partner, or triples for families.
Want to get really crazy? How about cutting the cord and jumping out of an airplane? Operating out of the small private airstrip on Sugarloaf Key, Sky Dive Key West takes you up in a plane and encourages you to jump out of it. The views are supposedly stunning, but you won’t catch me jumping out of a perfectly good aircraft.
Go Snorkeling in Key West
One of the best Key West water adventures, a snorkeling cruise gets you out on the water and lets you see one of the Keys’ most unique features — the only living coral reef in the contiguous United States. If you’ve never snorkeled before, do not fear; even first-timers can nail snorkeling on the Keys’ reefs.
There are countless Key West tours that can take you snorkeling. Most are three or four-hour boat cruises that take you to the best reefs, about six miles offshore. There, you’ll swim in shallow water, surrounded by colorful reef fish, bright sponges, and delicate corals. If you’re lucky, you might also catch a glimpse of some bigger wildlife: harmless nurse sharks, graceful spotted eagle rays, or shy sea turtles.
If you are going snorkeling, look for boat trips that only take snorkelers and avoid scuba dive charters. Divers will favor deeper spots where the snorkeling isn’t as good. For a quieter experience than the big “cattle boats” offer, consider booking a private snorkeling cruise for you and your group.
Take a Scuba Certification Key West Vacation
If snorkeling whets your appetite for more underwater adventure, consider getting scuba-certified on your next trip to the island. All of the major dive shops in town offer classes, and you can save time on vacation by starting the bookwork before you arrive.
Another option is to complete the bookwork, pool sessions, and written tests with a dive shop at home and then do the qualification diving in Key West, Florida. The open-water diver course usually requires four dives, so it’s easy to knock them all out in a few days.
If you’re already a diver, Key West is also a great place to get add-on ratings to your C-card. There are plenty of places to try your hand at a wreck or deep diving, plus specialties available like underwater photography. Most shops will work with you to find a class and schedule that will suit your vacation. And, if it’s been a while since you last under, consider getting a quick refresher dive with an instructor before booking a trip.
Paddle on a Mangrove Kayaking Florida Keys Adventure
The Keys are the perfect place to try paddling a kayak or paddleboard. While your resort might have a couple of boats lying on the beach, the best kayak tours Key West offers allow you to get into the ‘backcountry.’ That’s all those uninhabited mangrove islands you see in the distance from the Overseas Highway. There, you get away from the town noise and can experience the real Florida Keys — clear water, birds everywhere, and beautiful mangrove tunnels and sandbars to explore.
There are many rental outfits on the island, but for my money, I’d head a few miles north to find an operator on one of the other Lower Florida Keys: Big Coppitt, Saddlebunch, or Sugarloaf Keys.
Paddlin’ Madeline (Big Coppitt)
Get Up and Go Kayaking (Sugarloaf)
Take a Key West Dolphin Tour
No matter what type, the highlight of any one of the Key West water excursions is seeing a dolphin in the wild. Any time you’re on the water around our island, you stand a good chance of seeing these friendly mammals playing and chasing fish. Several types of dolphins call these waters their home, but the most common is the Atlantic Bottlenose Dolphin.
You should know that swimming with, feeding, or interacting with wild dolphins is illegal. That means the dolphin-watching trips in Key West waters are only for watching. If you want to swim with the dolphins, there are only a few facilities in the Keys where you can do that: Dolphins Plus in Key Largo, Theater of the Sea in Islamorada, Dolphin Research Center on Grassy Key, and Dolphin Connection at Hawks Cay Resort. All interactions are with trained animals and under the supervision of a trainer.
Visit an Ocean Water Park in Key West
Key West isn’t really the place to go for water rides or amusement parks — most of us prefer the amusement of nature’s playground. But one company has figured out a way to accomplish both — Fury’s Ultimate Adventure. A large sailing catamaran takes you out to their open-ocean playground, set up with 3,500 square feet of water toys and slides, banana boat rides, jet ski trips, and parasailing. All this while being in one of the most beautiful places on earth — anchored off a sandbar near Key West. The three-and-a-half-hour tour departs the dock at 12:30.
Book a Private Key West Sandbar Charter
If you haven’t noticed a theme, the best tours in Key West, FL, are the ones that get you out on the water. This island is a special place, not just because the town is cute or because the bars are famous. It’s special because it’s a dot at the end of the world and because it’s in one of the most unique ecosystems in America.
Sandbar tours offer a great combination of the best elements of Key West adventure tours: boat rides, wildlife spotting, beautiful beaches, swimming, and snorkeling. By going with a local captain, you’ll see all the best spots, and you can customize your adventure to suit your party.
So book a private sandbar cruise with Captain Zak on the Casual Monday and embark on one of the ultimate Key West excursions.
