Cancel

Open app

Search

Indian Key State Historic Site

4.5 (22 reviews)

Indian Key State Historic Site Photos

You might also consider

More like Indian Key State Historic Site

Recommended Reviews - Indian Key State Historic Site

Your trust is our priority, so businesses can't pay to alter or remove their reviews. Learn more about reviews.
Yelp app icon
Browse more easily on the app
Review Feed Illustration

Reviews With Photos

Hermit crab
Laura N.

This place is ok. We rented kayaks to get out here. It's a small island you can walk around within an hour. There is an observation deck but it isn't high enough to see anything more than the surrounding trees. It is very rocky near the shore so make sure you have some good shoes with you. Overall I wouldn't come back here. If I rented a kayack again I'd probably go in the opposite direction.

Our set up LOL
Ericka G.

Indian Key is a great spot in the Keys to just kick back and chill. It's nothing fancy, be prepared to step on plenty of rocks but put that all aside and be prepared for fun in the sun. Located in Islamorada right before Robbies (where you feed the tarpins). We simply pulled up to great views,pulled out our umbrella,chairs, grill, cooler, and we're set to enjoy the day. Plenty of boaters and jet skis pass by but also people on kayaks just enjoying the ocean. Back on land there were plenty of families enjoying themselves as well. We all splashed and swam in the water. I was lucky because hubby brought his diving gear and caught four lobsters. We respect the oceans and threw back the ones that were legally to small but the rest went straight on the grill and into our bellies. Talk about fresh!! Can't wait to come back and just relax.

The old streets and street signs are still on the key!
Lena C.

Indian Key was so cool! I had heard about this Key and kayaking over from the road or from Robbie's for as long as I've been coming to the Keys, but had no idea about the history of this site, or that there was an entire town there! Luis went into all that, so I'll just say that it was really neat to get to go over to check it out. The streets & street signs are still there, so you can navigate through what used to be the town. You have to access Indian Key by boat, so you can put in at the road of US1 or rent a kayak or boat from Robbie's. It was a bit too windy for kayaking so we paid for a ride/tour over to both Indian & Lignumvitae Key ($40 each) and it was totally worth it. We got a great tour from the lady from Robbie's on the history of Indian Key. You don't have to get a tour, but we did and enjoyed hearing the history of the place. If your kayaking over for the day, you'll have to pack everything on and off (drinking water too). And don't forget your snorkel gear. We were advised to wear water shoes due to the number of sea urchins on the rocks! You can see them chillin in the holes, but sometimes they just look like shadows. I really enjoyed the tour, but can't wait to get back and spend more time just relaxing with the urchins and swimming around.

me snorkeling at Indian key
Pinky And The B.

luis gave the history of Indian key so I won't repeat it. Snorkeling here is one of the most peaceful ,beautiful things you could possibly do. We had a private canoe and snorkel tour of Indian Key. It is accessible only by kayak or canoe.

Nicole J.

Loooove it, full of baby nurse sharks. A only a short kayak ride away from the island! You can pull your kayak onto the designated kayak spot and walk around and read the cool history at the island! I won't give it away lol

The rocks where you walk out to snorkel
Cristal E.

Loved this park! Rented kayaks from Robbie's and it was a short kayak there. A lot of pretty butterflies, I believe they're Great Southern Whites. The area you can snorkel is extremely rocky, so bring water shoes! My boyfriend and I loved it, we got cool underwater shots, and saw a decent amount of sea life. We saw parrotfish, scrawled file fish, sea urchins, etc. can't wait to go back!!

luis s.

Ok This place is great.. If you find yourself a bit on the adventurous side I recommend driving to the Keys and going here.. All you have to do is rent a kayak at Robbies its like 15 dollars (snorkel gear included) ANd paddle about 3/4 of a mile or less to this key, it sits just east of robbies... Now you ask why is it cool? well here it is... (fyi good place to spend the day picnic snorkel and explore) EARLY HISTORY Through archaeological excavations, it is known that Indians lived in the Keys for several thousand years before the arrival of the Spanish explorers. When Ponce de Leon discovered Florida in 1513, he found a quick way for Spanish vessels to return home with their cargo of treasure taken from the Maya, Inca and Aztec empires: the Straits of Florida and the Gulf Stream. It was a dangerous route for the cumbersome Spanish sailing vessels because of the coral reefs lining the south Florida coast and the constant threat of hurricanes. At the time, hostile Calusa Indians lived in the Keys. They became the first to profit from vessels wrecked on the offshore reefs. By the time of the brief English occupation of Florida starting in 1763, however, the Calusas had disappeared from the Keys. Bahamian fishermen and turtlers took their place, making salvage a way of life. "Wrecking" proved to be a profitable business; so lucrative, in fact, that it attracted pirates who soon became a threat to merchant vessels. AMERICAN HISTORY American occupation of Florida in 1821 stopped the pirates' activities. In addition, American wreckers drove the Bahamians out of business in the Keys and monopolized it themselves. Key West was the main wrecking station in south Florida and became a wealthy community from the profits of salvage. The monopoly of Key West was challenged by a man named Jacob Housman. Having arrived from Staten Island in one of his father's ships which he "borrowed," he found wrecking to his taste. After disagreements with the Key West establishment, which accused him of various shady business maneuvers, he thought it best to own his own wrecking station. The strategic location of Indian Key, nearby fresh water on Matecumbe and proximity to the most dangerous reefs, made it ideal for Housman's plans. He bought the island in 1831 and began to build his own small empire. This included a thriving store, hotel and dwellings with cisterns, as well as warehouses and wharves. Housman turned Indian Key into a busy port with 40 to 50 permanent inhabitants. He even brought soil to the rocky island and landscaped it with tropical plants. Housman's profits from his business ventures and wrecking were substantial. Eventually, there were more disputes with the Key Westers, who again accused him of illegal conduct as a wrecker. In an effort to make his island independent of Key West, he had the Legislative Council establish Dade County in 1836, with Indian Key as the county seat. In spite of this success Housman's fortunes began to decline. He lost numerous court battles and eventually his wrecker's license. At the outbreak of the Second Seminole War in 1835, he also lost his Indian trade. In the end, he had to mortgage the island. In 1838, Dr. Henry Perrine, a physician with a consuming interest in tropical botany, moved to Indian Key to await the end of the war. He wanted to use a government grant to cultivate useful tropical plants on the mainland. Perrine's special interest lay in cultivating agave for the manufacture of hemp, but he also included many others, such as tea, coffee, bananas and mangos, in his plans. While waiting for the war's end, he started a nursery on Matecumbe. As the war continued, Housman's island became an endangered outpost because of the well-stocked store and warehouses. He asked for government protection. Eventually, military forces were stationed at nearby Tea Table Key. They proved of little value, however, in the events that followed. In the early morning of August 7, 1840, a band of more than 100 Indians attacked the island. Most of the inhabitants, including Housman and his wife, managed to escape. However, some were killed in the attack and subsequent looting and burning of the buildings. Dr. Perrine hid his family in a turtle kraal below the house, where they survived the attack. He was not so fortunate. After a futile attempt to talk to the Indians, he was killed and the house set on fire. Except for one building and the stone foundations, all the structures on Indian Key were destroyed during the attack. As the survivors learned too late, the garrisons at Tea Table Key had been reduced to five able men a few days before. Although some of the inhabitants returned to the island after the incident, Housman did not. Instead, he sold Indian Key and returned to Key West, where he served as a crew member on a wrecking vessel. In 1841, during salvage operations in rough seas, he was accidentally crushed between two ships. Indian Key has remained uninhabited since the early par

See all

3 years ago

Helpful 1
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

4 years ago

Helpful 3
Thanks 0
Love this 2
Oh no 0

6 years ago

Helpful 1
Thanks 0
Love this 2
Oh no 0
Photo of Laura N.
34
133
54

5 years ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

10 years ago

Helpful 6
Thanks 0
Love this 5
Oh no 0

3 years ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0
Photo of C D.
0
44
0

3 years ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

10 years ago

Helpful 6
Thanks 0
Love this 4
Oh no 0

16 years ago

Helpful 3
Thanks 0
Love this 4
Oh no 0
Photo of Lena C.
661
551
2086

11 years ago

Helpful 3
Thanks 0
Love this 2
Oh no 0
Photo of Pinky And The B.
823
1463
5796

16 years ago

Helpful 1
Thanks 0
Love this 1
Oh no 0

8 years ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

6 years ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0
Photo of Cristal E.
142
124
102

9 years ago

Helpful 1
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

18 years ago

Helpful 12
Thanks 0
Love this 7
Oh no 0

18 years ago

Helpful 5
Thanks 0
Love this 5
Oh no 0

17 years ago

Helpful 4
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0
Photo of El T.
0
163
0

12 years ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

15 years ago

Helpful 3
Thanks 0
Love this 1
Oh no 0

9 years ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0
Photo of Tom M.
0
12
0

12 years ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

15 years ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

Ask the Community - Indian Key State Historic Site

Review Highlights - Indian Key State Historic Site

You can pull your kayak onto the designated kayak spot and walk around and read the cool history at the island!

Mentioned in 11 reviews

Read more highlights

Verify this business for free

Get access to customer & competitor insights.

Verify this business

Lignumvitae Key Botanical State Park - Registered Natural Landmark

Lignumvitae Key Botanical State Park

3.9(7 reviews)
2.2 mi

IMPORTANT: You need to come prepared to this key If you expect to enjoy everything it has to share…read more The state park does not treat the island with pesticides. Bring: water, bug spray, and maybe a hat. There are bathrooms past the house on the right with a ramp. COST: $2.50 and $2.00 for access and tour. HOW TO GET HERE: We moored on the other side of the island and took the dinghy to the dock. Their Website has information for transportation to the island. We had a private tour of the island it the history is just unreal. The vegetation is massive and I had no idea how large this key actually measured. Because you can't swim or fish 100' from the dock or mangroves, it acts as a nursery for a ton of fish. I saw barracuda, sheep's head, yellow fin, ciro.

Lignumvitae Botanical state park is one of the last remaining natural keys. This park has a strict…read morepolicy on visitation and only offers restricted access due to its natural preservation efforts. Like others, I recommend to come in the winter months, due to the amount of mosquitos. This island is not sprayed like the residential keys, due to preservation, so you can imagine the number of hungry mosquitos. We came over in late October and it was still pretty buggy. There's a neat old house on the island and the ranger will give you the history of the house and the residents who maintained it. There is a long hiking trail but we only made it about 20 minutes in before turning around due to the bugs. And I do have a fairy high threshold for bugs. We did get to see some Golden Orb Weaver spiders, so that was totally worth the trip. It was cool to get the history of the Key. I'm looking forward to come back hike the entire trail in the winter!

Photos
Lignumvitae Key Botanical State Park - The real Florida!

The real Florida!

Lignumvitae Key Botanical State Park - Cistern building.

Cistern building.

Lignumvitae Key Botanical State Park - Caretaker's house.

See all

Caretaker's house.

Indian Key State Historic Site - landmarks - Updated May 2026

Loading...
Loading...
Loading...