John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park

John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park is located on Key Largo, FL, just 30 Minutes North of Islamorada on your way to the airport.. .or rather, just offshore.

102601 Overseas Highway (MM 102.5), Key Largo, FL 33037.
Phone: (305) 451-6300.

It is a Florida State Park with 70 square nautical miles of adjacent Atlantic Ocean waters. The park, known for incredible snorkeling, is roughly 25 miles long and extends 3 miles into the Atlantic Ocean.

You can Canoe and kayak through the park's waters; plus fishing is permitted in designated areas. Saltwater fishing licenses are required. Visitors can go walking on the Mango path trails, picnicking, or swimming at the beach (the latter being murky and dubious...) The Visitor Center has a 30,000-gallon saltwater aquarium and nature videos are shown in its theater.
This (off shore, reached by boat) is also where you can see the Jesus of the Abyss, also called Christ of the Deep statue underwater. You DO need a boat to reach it!

John Pennekamp Camp and Dock

Less than a five minute walk from the dock where boats from Sea Base will dock overnight, you will find the camp showers which are quite nice, free and have warm water. There are 4 shower stalls in the gray building that's a 5 minute walk away. There are only two showers in the one that's close (2 minute walk). And right there in the building at the dock, there is a small bathroom with a couple of sinks and I think one stall in it.

But at least it's close for nocturnal needs.And an ice machine to buy ice.

The John Pennekamp Camp Store

Obviously, the most popular things at the camp store are the ice cream and the cold drinks. Kids, Boy Scouts, etc. go straight for the ice cream case. You can see the 2026 prices of the ice cream in the photo. The small was good sized for the price.

Our crew bought a frozen Key Lime Pie to have that night on the boat, which was also a treat, although at $40 for a small pie, it was pretty ridiculous.

Spoiler: after you return from Florida, you can make your own, better genuine key lime pie for $5, shown at right, with this recipe. Celebrate the great trek with a key lime pie!

So, some of the prices, of course, being a state park, are exorbitant at the camp store.

But when it's a hot summer day, those cold drinks and ice cream do help.

Did someone ask for pizza?

Visitors, like Boy Scouts, like the nearby "Tower Of Pizza" restaurant in Key Largo (which also has other food)! Large 16˝ pizza's in 2026 are $23.00. Plus, they have Greek salads, cannoli's, key lime pie by the slice ($5.50 per).
They deliver to John Pennekamp for the Sea Base boat crews, and also for the park's campers and staff. As of August 2026, their website says dine in, take-out and delivery are available from 11 am to 11 pm, 7 days a week. Fun fact: the food is authentic: George the owner of Tower of Pizza came to America in 1976 from a small- town set in the mountains of Greece.
Phone: (305)-451-3754.
Email: towerofpizza2022@gmail.com.

Meanwhile, back to the camp store

Tthe following photos should give you an idea of the wide variety of items they sell at the camp store.

Whether you're camping on land or on a boat, if something breaks or you forget something you can pretty much get it here. Everything from snorkels and goggles although they are fairly low end, to toys and air mattresses, clothing, souvenirs, coffee mugs, tchotchkes; you name it.

The John Pennekamp Camp Store drinks

John Pennekamp Beach

Okay, to be fair... This is one of the worst Florida beaches I've seen. It's not white sand, because it's not white and it's not soft. It's kind of small grained gravel, really, more like construction sand. And it was really filthy in the water with lots of muck. Nobody wanted to go in the water. You couldn't see anything if you snorkeled there, anyway.

The John Pennekamp Museum and Aquarium

The camp has a pretty good museum and aquarium and it's free. So sit down in the movie theater, in the nice ice cold air conditioning and enjoy an interesting documentary for a while. Then head outside and walk around to see the giant killer iguanas that are 5 feet long and feel like you're in a Jurassic Park movie. Or take a walk through the mangrove -mango trails. Yes, there are mango's growing there, too.

The John Pennekamp Aquarium and Museum Iguanas at John Pennekamp John Pennekamp lizards

See a 20 second clip of the giant iguanas here!

Here's the park map you'll want to use!

Fun Stuff before or after Sea Base

What can you do after finishing at Sea Base if you have time before your flight or before coming to Sea Base? There is plenty to do before your flight, all of which are close by, some just 5 minutes away. See the interactive map of these destinations on Google Maps here.

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