Thanksgiving in the Keys

Start Thanksgiving Morning Outside

There's no rule that Thanksgiving has to begin in the kitchen.

Start the day with coffee overlooking the water, take the paddleboards or kayaks out, head off on a fishing trip or simply enjoy a slow morning outside.

In Marathon, you might walk or bike the Old Seven Mile Bridge. In Key Largo, spend the morning exploring the water. Farther south, take in the natural beauty of the Lower Keys or wander the colorful streets of Key West before the holiday crowds arrive for dinner.

However you spend it, there's something particularly satisfying about knowing that while much of the country is bundling up for November weather, you're starting Thanksgiving in flip-flops.

Let Someone Else Cook Thanksgiving Dinner

One of the best parts about spending Thanksgiving on vacation? Nobody has to volunteer their kitchen.

Restaurants throughout the Florida Keys traditionally offer Thanksgiving menus and holiday specials, giving you the option of a classic turkey dinner — sometimes with a decidedly tropical backdrop.

In Key Largo and Islamorada, waterfront restaurants make it possible to pair Thanksgiving dinner with views across Florida Bay or the Atlantic. Marathon and the Lower Keys offer plenty of casual spots where fresh seafood can share the table with more traditional holiday favorites.

And in Key West, you'll find everything from traditional Thanksgiving dinners to upscale meals and distinctly island-style alternatives.

Take Thanksgiving Out on the Water

If you'd rather skip the dining room altogether, Key West offers another way to make Thanksgiving memorable: take the celebration onto the water.

Thanksgiving sunset cruises and sails have become a popular way to spend the evening, with options that may include traditional holiday meals, drinks, live music and, of course, a front-row seat for the sunset.

Turkey and stuffing are great. Turkey and stuffing while cruising past Key West at sunset? That's a Thanksgiving story worth bringing home.

Make Your Vacation Home the Gathering Place

Of course, you don't have to give up your family's Thanksgiving traditions just because you've changed the scenery.

A vacation home gives everyone room to gather while still having space to spread out — something that's particularly nice when you're traveling with several generations of family.

Cook the recipes you make every year. Pick up prepared dishes locally. Bring in takeout. Put football on the television while someone works on dinner. Eat outside if the weather cooperates.

Then leave the dishes for later and walk outside to watch the sunset.

You get all the familiarity of Thanksgiving at home, with one very important difference: you're in the Florida Keys.

Thanksgiving Weekend: Four Days to Explore

One of the best reasons to travel for Thanksgiving is the long weekend that comes with it.

Once Thanksgiving dinner is over, you still have several days to get out and enjoy the islands.

Go snorkeling or fishing. Paddle through the mangroves. Visit the Turtle Hospital in Marathon. Explore John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park in Key Largo. Browse galleries and shops in Islamorada. Bike through Old Town Key West. Or skip the itinerary altogether and spend the afternoon beside the water.

By Thanksgiving weekend, you'll also start seeing the Florida Keys shift into holiday mode, with lights, decorations and seasonal celebrations beginning throughout the islands.

It's a combination you don't get everywhere: Thanksgiving dinner one day, palm trees wrapped in Christmas lights the next.

Where to Spend Thanksgiving in the Florida Keys

Give Thanksgiving a Better View

Thanksgiving is ultimately about gathering with the people who matter.

The turkey can come out of your own vacation-home kitchen, a waterfront restaurant or even a galley on a sunset cruise. The traditions can stay exactly the same — or you can start a few new ones.

But when Thanksgiving dinner ends with a Florida Keys sunset, you'll probably remember the view long after you've forgotten who made the mashed potatoes.