Rodriguez Key is a popular go-to for many that live in the area where we rented our Keys house. You may be wondering why I say you need to ‘learn’ to love Rodriguez Key. Here is a photo I took of the water.
It’s still crystal clear water. In my opinion the reason we say you need to learn to love Rodriguez is because as nice as the water may be, it’s not mosquito bank. Spoiled much? haha If you read my post about Mosquito Bank though, you know that the conditions aren’t always right to visit Mosquito Bank. It’s choppy? Forget it. Low tide is at a awkward times? You better bring your floats. Rodriguez Key on the other hand though is always there for you! It is located just East of Key Largo. We stay ocean side and I say it’s practically in our backyard! We get there in about 5 minutes by boat and most of that time is spent leaving our canal.
Rodriguez Key is shallow for the most part so adults will usually be able to reach and won’t need floats. Kids will still need a lower tide but at dead low tide parts of it even have no water. Since it’s shallow and close by, it’s easy to access even on a choppy day!
One downside it does have is that it is a little grassy and has some rocks so I highly recommend water shoes! You can find some very reasonably priced options in my Amazon Storefront in my boating essentials list. I actually bought these for myself and the kids last year and we are still using them this year so they are decent quality! Peter and I as well as my parents agree though that as long as you have water shoes it’s no issue. We also have a bit of a hard time anchoring because of the rocks so if you have an anchor that struggles to catch in rocky areas, go with some patience.
Otherwise we always have a wonderful time! It’s a great option if you also don’t want to spend your whole day out on the water or don’t want to have to plan around tide times. We’ve gone on days when we’ve worked earlier or gone to lunch and then headed out for a few hours. The kids have also always enjoyed snorkeling here. It’s not meant for snorkeling but you can find tons of sand dollars and shells!
It also has really nice scenery especially as the sun starts going down over the key.
I actually say it’s a great happy hour spot! I’ve noticed often times on weekdays it fills up around 4ish and I think it’s locals or people like us working from here and then heading out to enjoy the water for a bit. The other night we were out there with friends past 7PM! It’s so close that we can be out there late and do not need to worry about a long boat ride back home.
We have definitely learned to love Rodriguez Key and are thankful it’s not as much of a fuss to visit as some of our other favorite places in the keys! If you are planning to visit Key Largo, make sure to have it in mind!
Thanks for visiting!
-Jenny
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