Whether you are a certified foodie, a shopper, nature-lover, or are simply looking for your next adventure, there’s no better place to go to than the key. If you’re headed out to Key Largo, be sure to check out these awesome spots:
ALABAMA JACKS
If a dive with paper towels on the tables, dollar bills on the walls, license plates on the ceiling and a dock in the back is your jam, Alabama Jacks is your kind of place. With waterway access to Barnes Sound, boaters can pull right up to this spot on Old Dixie Highway and stay for a few drinks, a sandwich or to see a live band. Dani, a server for six years, tells us this watering hole sees plenty of locals as well as tourists. Shrimp tacos are a favorite for many guests, she said, but the real “must-order” menu item is the conch fritters.
CAFÉ MOKA JOHN PENNEKAMP CORAL REEF STATE PARK
Whether açaí, a sandwich or a breakfast pastry is your idea of the perfect post-beach snack, Café Moka has you covered. Their açaí bowls are topped with coconut, bananas and honey. Our special section editor, Andrea, says the coffee and pastries, especially the “Nutella Twist,” are must-haves. If you’re in the mood for something a little more lunch-y instead, the baguette sandwiches and house salad are also worth a try.
SHELL WORLD
Shell World, Key Largo’s curio shop, is a fun stop for tourists visiting for the first time. It’s the quintessential souvenir shop stocked with local art, fridge magnets and bleached shells. The store has been open for 50 years at mile marker 97.6. Jim Waterman, its founder and owner, bought out his parents’ rickety old gas station to establish the store, which still sits right off Overseas Highway.
JOHN PENNEKAMP CORAL REEF STATE PARK
If you’re heading to the Keys to drink fancy cocktails by the pool of a five-star hotel, you may not end up spending much time in Largo. But if you’re here for the watersports, particularly of the underwater variety, welcome to paradise. John Pennekamp is one of the most well-known dive and snorkel sites in the Keys, with locations like Snapper Ledge and French Reef being popular with local shops—of which there are many. If it’s your first time, then “Christ of the Deep” statue is a must-see. For more experienced divers, the USS Spiegel Grove is a deeper Key Largo destination.
words_kylea henseler, nicole facchina & andrea valdes-sueiras. design_sydney burnett.
illustrations_lindsay jayne. photo_ sydney burnett & kylea henseler.