Florida Honeymoon: Key West Sunsets, Dry Tortugas, Best Months and Getting Married in Florida

FLORIDA · HONEYMOONS AND WEDDINGS · KEY WEST TO THE GULF

A Florida honeymoon can start with a barefoot ceremony on the sand and end with a sunset over open water, and the state makes both easier than most couples expect. Key West gives you an island you can walk end to end, a nightly crowd gathered at the waterfront to watch the sun go down, and a ferry out to a national park you can only reach by boat or seaplane.

Couples who prefer a slower pace have a whole west-facing Gulf coast of sunset beaches, and the paperwork to marry here is short enough to fit inside the trip itself. For timing, Florida’s mild dry season from November through April is the safe bet, and May opens the hot, wet half of the year.

On this page

• Things to do in Key West as a coupleOld Town on foot, Mallory Square sunsets, parking rates
• Dry Tortugas ferry from Key WestYankee Freedom III: 8 a.m. sailing, about $250 in 2026
• Sunset beaches for couplesFort Zachary Taylor fees and the west-facing Gulf coast
• Best month for a Florida honeymoonFebruary, May and December normals, hurricane dates
• Getting a Florida marriage licenseWaiting period, 60-day validity, notary officiants

Since May 12, 2025, the FTC Rule on Unfair or Deceptive Fees has required short-term lodging to show the total price up front, mandatory resort fees included, so a resort fee can no longer surface only at checkout. Taxes can still sit outside that headline figure, because government charges are one of three exclusions the rule allows, alongside shipping charges and optional extras. Our Florida where-to-stay guide sorts the regions, and the Florida trip-cost guide prices the rest of the trip.

Key West honeymoon

Most couples arrive by the Overseas Highway, 113 miles from Florida City to Key West, with the mile markers counting down from about 126 to 0. Four hours covers it without stops, and six to eight is realistic once you pull over for the views, as our Florida road trip plans stop by stop. Key West’s Old Town is the largest wooden historic district in North America, flat and compact enough to cover entirely on foot or by bicycle.

Every evening of the year, weather permitting, Mallory Square hosts the Sunset Celebration, which starts about two hours before sunset and carries on until dusk has faded. Come early for a good spot by the water and stay after the sun drops, since the celebration keeps going into the afterglow. Our Key West guide covers the rest of the island, from museums to dinner.

If you drove down, park once and leave the car. Street meters in Key West run $3.00 an hour, and the Old Town garage charges $6 an hour or $48 a day, so a hotel with its own parking can save a good sum over a long stay. Ask about parking before you book, and check that the quoted price already includes any resort fee.

Dry Tortugas day trip for couples

Dry Tortugas National Park lies 70 miles west of Key West with no road or bridge, so the only ways in are the ferry or a seaplane. The ferry is the Yankee Freedom III, sailing daily at 8 a.m. with check-in before 7:30 a.m. In 2026 the adult fare is about $250, and it covers the park entrance fee, snorkeling gear, breakfast and lunch, so the day out comes at one price per person. See our Dry Tortugas guide for how to spend the hours on the island.

Best Florida beaches for a honeymoon

Fort Zachary Taylor Historic State Park holds the beach most often called the best in Key West, within walking distance of Old Town. Entry is $2.50 on foot or by bicycle, $6.00 per vehicle for up to eight people plus a $0.50 county surcharge per person, and $4.50 for a single-occupant vehicle or motorcycle. The park is open 8 a.m. to sundown, 365 days a year, while the fort itself closes at 5 p.m., so tour the fort first and keep the late afternoon for the sand.

For sunsets straight over the water, head to the Gulf coast. It faces west, so its beaches watch the sun go down into the sea, while the Atlantic side gets the sunrise. Couples who want quiet over theme park crowds often choose an adults-only resort or a small inn there or in the Keys. Clearwater is the easy pick near Tampa, and the beach towns of South Walton sit farther west on the Panhandle.

Best time for a honeymoon in Florida

Florida runs on two seasons rather than four: a mild dry one from November through April and a hot wet one from May through October. February sits in the heart of the dry months, and Key West’s official 1991–2020 normals give it an average high of 77.4°F, an average low of 67.1°F and 1.54 inches of precipitation. Florida in February covers the rest of the state that month.

December looks almost the same on paper at Key West, with a 77.7°F average high, a 68.3°F average low and 2.16 inches of precipitation in the 1991–2020 normals. Couples who marry in the fall can leave right after the hurricane season closes on November 30.

May is the first month of the wet season, and Key West’s 1991–2020 normals show the shift: an 85.9°F average high, a 76.4°F average low and 3.12 inches of precipitation, about double February’s total. It suits couples who like their honeymoon hot.

The Atlantic hurricane season runs June 1 to November 30 and peaks on September 10, with most of its activity between mid-August and mid-October. A honeymoon in that stretch can still work with refundable bookings and travel insurance, and our Florida hurricane season guide explains how to plan around the tropics. For every month side by side, see the best time to visit Florida.

How to get married in Florida

A Florida marriage license is issued by a county court judge or the clerk of the circuit court, so the first stop is a county clerk’s office. Both partners sign a sworn affidavit giving their ages and a Social Security number. Non-citizens give an alien registration number or another identification number instead.

Visitors barely wait. A license normally takes effect 3 days after the application unless the couple has completed a premarital preparation course, but the clerk must grant an exception to that delay for non-Florida residents. A couple flying in from another state can marry the same day the license is issued.

Before issuing it, the clerk needs signed statements from both of you: one saying whether you took a premarital preparation course, and one confirming you have read the state handbook on the rights and responsibilities of marriage. The course is optional, and completing it lowers the license fee. The final price combines state and county charges, so the county clerk where you apply quotes the exact figure.

Once issued, the license is valid for 60 days, and no ceremony may take place after the expiration date stated on it, so picking it up early still leaves room for a later beach date. Florida issues no license to anyone under 18, with one exception: a 17-year-old with written parental consent marrying someone no more than 2 years older.

The ceremony itself can be as small as you like. Florida law lets ordained clergy, judicial officers, clerks of the circuit courts and notaries public of the state solemnize a marriage. That is why a notary can officiate a small ceremony on a beach, with no church or courthouse involved; book the officiant, bring the license, and choose your stretch of sand.