Indian Key and Lignumvitae Key kayak or boat trip

Two small state-park islands lie on either side of the Overseas Highway off Lower Matecumbe, and both are reached only by boat or kayak. Indian Key, on the ocean side, is the paddle most people manage: about 20 minutes by kayak from the shore, easy even for first-timers. It was a busy wrecking town and briefly the county seat until a raid in August 1840 burned it and killed 13 people. Today it is foundations and cisterns under trees, a self-guided walk, and snorkelling off the edge. Bring snorkel gear and a cooler.

Lignumvitae Key, a mile out on the Florida Bay side, is the opposite: a hardwood hammock of about 60 Caribbean tree species, lignum vitae and gumbo-limbo among them, left largely as it was. A Miami chemist built a house here in 1919 with a windmill and a cistern, and it is now the visitor centre. Visits go by guided walk of about an hour, numbers on the island are capped at 50, swimming is banned near the dock, and closed shoes and mosquito repellent are wise.

Kayak rentals and guided paddles to both islands start from Robbie's marina on Lower Matecumbe, and private boats from Islamorada include them in history trips.