I have been to the Florida Keys twice now, and this time, I really made an effort to explore more than I did on my first trip. Some of the places below were last-minute decisions, thanks to a tropical depression, but nevertheless, these places should be on your must-do list throughout the Keys.

1. Robbie's of Islamorada

I can see why this place was voted #1 in the Florida Keys. Between their food, cocktails, local beers, and adventures, it makes sense. My favorite adventure there was feeding the 100 tarpons on the dock! My boss told me I needed to do this because of how wild they get: from jumping just inches to entire feet out of the water to get the fish out of your hand.

You must pay 5-10 dollars for a dock feed, and a bucket of fish (5 or 8) costs 3 dollars each. I got two buckets because it was that fun! Also, the pelicans kept trying to take the fish out of my hands.

Something to note: Be mindful of how long you wait because you will be missing a fish, and it's not because of the tarpon!

How did 100 or so tarpons start to hang out here? We must thank the owners for saving "Scarface" in 1976. Sadly, this tarpon was injured when it arrived at the dock. The owner thought the fish was stuck because of how shallow the waters were, but instead, the right side of its jaw was ripped open.

After placing the fish into an oxygen-rich shrimp tank and calling a doctor, Scarface had stitches created from some twine and needles from a mattress (crazy)! Scarface started recovering after they force-fed him for a few days, and then the owner released him. For a while, he returned with friends, and this was the start of the unique experience of feeding tarpons!

If the thrill of feeding jumping fish isn't your cup of tea, fear not! Robbie's of Islamorada has a plethora of other adventures to choose from. Whether it's snorkeling, scuba tours, jet skiing, kayaking, or paddle boarding, there's something for everyone. And if you're not in the mood for an adrenaline rush, you can always opt for a leisurely lunch while watching people feed the tarpon. You may also want to view the stunning blue waters.

2. Aquarium Encounter

I wasn't planning to make another stop on my way to Key West, especially since I was trying to beat the tropical depression, but my gut told me to pull over for this adventure. Here, you can pay the $30 entry fee and walk around the coral reef tank, access their tide pool touch tank (you can touch cownose sting rays, for example), or pay more to snorkel. Or, if you are certified, you can dive in the coral reef tank, which I did! I wasn't sure, with the tropical depression, if I would have a chance to snorkel as I did in my prior travels, but they said I could hand-feed sharks, so they sold me. I love sharks, and I swam without a cage in Hawaii.

Snorkeling and diving do cost extra. I believe I paid 125 dollars, which covered my entry fee and snorkeling. You get 45 minutes inside the tank with various fish and cownose stingrays coming up to you while you feed them. Then, in the last section, you get a chance to feed 3 to 4 different sharks. Sadly, you can't swim with them, so I had to feed them through a hole on the other side, but it was still excellent! I asked my instructor (I was the only one who signed up) why we couldn't, and he said it was for liability reasons. However, he said they are the gentlest sharks, and he swims with them daily.

After your tour, you get out of your wet suit and get a little bag of shark teeth, which was the cherry on top for me. You have the option to buy pictures or videos. I chose to do both, which cost me 100 dollars.

3. The Key West Butterfly and Nature Conservatory

I will admit this wasn't on my list of things to do in Key West, but this adventure came in handy after a day of rain from the tropical depression, and I couldn't eat or drink anymore. After you pay the $17.50 fee, you enter and experience 50 to 60 different species of live butterflies.

I must confess that butterflies are still not my favorite animal. I was scared of these insects as a kid, yet I have always loved snakes. Yes, there is no logic to that; maybe it foreshadowed Moth Gate. I still have PTSD from that. But seeing them flying around in a climate-controlled habitat was really cool.

Another cool thing is that they have two flamingos, and it was mating season because they were putting on a show for us by dancing and making mating calls! If you are more of a bird person, they have a few canaries, zebra finches, and other small birds. Just be mindful of where you step since some birds are walking around on the ground.

This is a great place to spend a rainy day in Key West.

4. Fort Zachary Taylor State Park

When the sun finally came out after the tropical depression left, I headed to this park to try to swim and take a tour of the fort. After paying the $6 fee to enter and chatting with the ranger, my goal of swimming didn't happen. The waves were too strong!

But walking around to see where you could swim and snorkel was pretty. One thing to note, bring rock shoes or Chacos because this beach isn't sandy . . . it's shelly . . . meaning there are tiny shells for the coastline.

After lying out for a couple of hours, I headed over to the free tour of Zachary. You must do this tour when you are here. The ranger was very engaging, and the history was crazy! Did you know this fort was used for the Civil War and Spanish-American War? Or did you know that this fort was used by the North and not the South? Also, this fort was modeled after the French Forts. The amount of history this fort has is crazy!

5. Hemingway House

The Hemingway House is a significant landmark in Key West. It was the home of Ernest Hemingway, an American novelist and short-story writer, for eight years. He is also known for his love of cats, which is evident in the over 50 cats that now reside in the house, some of which are descendants of his original six-toed cat, Snow White.

Once you pay the $18 fee (only on site), you can jump on a tour that starts every 15 minutes or wander the house that was first built in 1851 and then expanded by Hemingway soon after he moved into it.

Now, if you like a scavenger hunt, I recommend heading to the most extraordinary feature of the house: the pool! This was the first pool in Key West, and it cost $20,000 back in 1937-38 (which is a bargain nowadays). Because of the steep cost of the pool, Hemingway jokingly took a penny and placed it in wet cement. See if you can find the penny! Again, don't be surprised if you see a cat lying by the pool. And yes, you can pet them!

Then, after exploring the house, you can head to their gift shop.