KeysCompassMy trip 0

Island → starter day → planner

Start a Keys day without hunting the whole directory.

Each kit is a short, honest skeleton of real listings—park or marina check-in, groceries when they exist, a meal cluster and sometimes lodging. Add the day to your trip, then customize on the planner. Kits do not book anything or show live hours.

How to use a kit

A useful day is short.

Pick the island that matches tomorrow’s scarce constraint: a reef boat, a charter dock, a park gate, a hub restock or an Old Town walk. The kit copies those directory pins into the trip planner on this device and assigns them to the next empty day.

Re-open each listing’s source the morning you go. Hours, ferry check-in, ramp fees and park parking still belong to the operator. Organic directory order is not sold on KeysCompass.

How to use this index
  1. Read the kit that matches the island you will actually sleep on or drive to that day.
  2. Add the day to your trip, then drop or swap stops on the planner.
  3. Confirm each source link before you treat a pin as a reservation.

North to south

Available day kits

7 starter days, ordered like the Overseas Highway.

Day kit · Key Largo · MM 97–107

Key Largo snorkeling day

A starter skeleton for a Pennekamp or reef-boat morning on MM 97–107. Cluster the park, an operator example, groceries and a meal on the same Upper Keys stretch. This is not a reservation, a ranking or live park data.

  1. Park / day-use check-inJohn Pennekamp Coral Reef State ParkMapped state-park pin. Confirm hours, parking and current access on Florida State Parks the morning you go.
  2. Reef-boat operator exampleRainbow Reef Dive CenterOne directory operator for a snorkel or dive check-in—not a ranking. Confirm the boat, meeting point and weather policy on the source.
  3. Grocery restockPublixMapped Key Largo supermarket pin. Confirm hours on the store listing; this is not a stock or opening-time promise.
  4. Meal clusterMrs. Mac's Kitchen IICurated Key Largo kitchen near the highway. Confirm hours and waits on the listing source.

Starter skeleton from directory listings—not a booking, live ops feed or sold ranking. Re-check each source the morning you go.

Open trip plannerKey Largo snorkeling day: Pennekamp, reef boats and honest logistics

Open the Key Largo directory

Day kit · Islamorada · MM 72–90

Islamorada fishing day

A starter skeleton for a village marina morning around MM 72–90. Decide charter vs self-launch first; this list does not book a captain or invent bait hours.

  1. Marina / charter staging exampleBud N’ Mary’s Fishing MarinaOfficial marina listing for a dock check-in example—not an endorsement. Confirm slip, charter and parking rules with the operator.
  2. Bait and tackleTackle Center of IslamoradaVillage bait shop listing. Live bait and hours change; re-check the source before you hitch or meet a boat.
  3. Meal and outdoor-store clusterWorld Wide SportsmanOfficial outdoor-store and bayside marina cluster. Confirm restaurant and dock hours on the operator source—not this kit.

Starter skeleton from directory listings—not a booking, live ops feed or sold ranking. Re-check each source the morning you go.

Open trip plannerIslamorada fishing day: ramp, tackle and charter checklist

Open the Islamorada directory

Day kit · Marathon · MM 47–60

Marathon Mid-Keys hub day

A starter skeleton for a practical MM 47–60 day: a timed attraction, a grocery stop, a city beach and a marina pin. Marathon is the hinge, not a same-day Key West add-on.

  1. Timed attraction check-inThe Turtle HospitalOfficial Turtle Hospital listing. Tours are a scarce timed seat—confirm current tickets and hours on the source.
  2. Grocery restockPublixMapped Marathon supermarket pin before Seven Mile Bridge. Confirm hours on the store listing.
  3. City beachSombrero BeachMapped Marathon city beach off the highway. Confirm access, parking and any closures on the listing source.
  4. Marina pinMarina Marathon at Tarpon CreekOfficial marina listing as a Mid-Keys dock example—not a ranking. Confirm fuel, dockage and guest rules with the operator.

Starter skeleton from directory listings—not a booking, live ops feed or sold ranking. Re-check each source the morning you go.

Open trip plannerMarathon as a Mid-Keys base: day plan

Open the Marathon directory

Day kit · Bahia Honda · MM 36–38

Bahia Honda & Big Pine park day

A starter skeleton for the MM 29–38 stretch: Bahia Honda as the park day, Big Pine as the grocery, meal and Key deer stop. Gate hours, parking and wildlife driving rules belong to the sources.

  1. State-park check-inBahia Honda State ParkOfficial Florida State Parks listing. Peak days fill; confirm entrance, beach and parking guidance the morning you go.
  2. Park lodging / campBahia Honda State Park CampgroundsOfficial campground listing if you overnight in the park. Loop, rig-length and pet rules are on the park source—not this kit.
  3. Lower Keys groceryWinn-DixieMapped Big Pine supermarket pin. Provision here rather than expecting a town inside the park.
  4. Meal clusterNo Name PubOfficial Big Pine kitchen listing. Confirm hours on the source; this stretch is not a Key West dining strip.
  5. Wildlife stopNational Key Deer Refuge Nature CenterOfficial refuge visitor-center listing. Never feed Key deer. Confirm open days on the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service source.

Starter skeleton from directory listings—not a booking, live ops feed or sold ranking. Re-check each source the morning you go.

Open trip plannerBahia Honda camping: Buttonwood, Sandspur & Bayside loops

Open the Bahia Honda directory

Day kit · Key West · MM 0–4

Key West Old Town day

A starter skeleton for a walkable MM 0–4 day: one ticketed house museum, a grocery pin, a meal and the historic seaport. Park once. This is not a cruise-crowd forecast or a ticket inventory.

  1. Ticketed museum exampleThe Ernest Hemingway Home & MuseumOfficial museum listing as one Old Town timed stop—not a must-do ranking. Confirm tickets and hours on the source.
  2. Grocery pinFausto's Food PalaceMapped Old Town grocery. Confirm hours on the listing; it is not a full warehouse run.
  3. Meal clusterBlue HeavenOfficial Bahama Village kitchen listing. Confirm hours and waits on the source.
  4. Historic seaport / marinaKey West Bight Marina at the Historic SeaportOfficial City seaport marina listing. Confirm dockage and waterfront access with the operator.

Starter skeleton from directory listings—not a booking, live ops feed or sold ranking. Re-check each source the morning you go.

Open trip planner

Open the Key West directory

Day kit · Dry Tortugas · 70 miles west

Dry Tortugas ferry day

A starter skeleton for a Garden Key day from Key West. Transportation is the scarce piece. This list does not sell seats, pack your water or promise weather.

  1. Ferry check-inYankee Freedom Ferry to Dry TortugasOfficial NPS concession ferry listing. Reservations are essential; confirm check-in, baggage and cancellations on the source.
  2. National parkDry Tortugas National Park & Fort JeffersonOfficial NPS park listing for Fort Jefferson and Garden Key. There is no road, lodging or general store in the park.
  3. Pack-from-Key-West groceryFausto's Food PalaceMapped Key West grocery for food and water before the boat. The park does not sell what you forgot.

Starter skeleton from directory listings—not a booking, live ops feed or sold ranking. Re-check each source the morning you go.

Open trip plannerDry Tortugas day trip planner

Open the Dry Tortugas directory

Day kit · Stock Island · MM 4–5

Stock Island working-waterfront day

A starter skeleton for MM 4–5: marina, seafood and a pillow immediately east of Key West. It is not a substitute for Old Town walking time, and marina restaurants are not automatically public to every dock.

  1. Working marinaStock Island Marina VillageOfficial marina listing. Confirm dockage, guest access and parking with the operator.
  2. Meal clusterHogfish Bar & GrillOfficial waterfront kitchen listing. Confirm hours on the source.
  3. Lodging exampleThe Perry Hotel & Marina Key WestOfficial hotel-and-marina listing as a Stock Island pillow example—not a ranking. Confirm rates and pet rules with the property.

Starter skeleton from directory listings—not a booking, live ops feed or sold ranking. Re-check each source the morning you go.

Open trip planner

Open the Stock Island directory