It’s a roughly 160-mile drive from Miami International Airport to the end of the Overseas Highway in Key West, the official end of the road in the Florida Keys. But if you just speed along for the 3.5 hours it takes to get to Key West, you’re missing the whole point of this beautiful place. Much of what there is to see and enjoy in the southernmost island chain in the U.S. is found at mile markers along the way in the Upper, Middle, and Lower Keys–both at big name islands like Islamorada and Key Largo and smaller spots, too, with their own unique spoils (like Lower Matecumbe Key and Sugarloaf Key, to name just a few). So take your time and enjoy the ride and views all around as you cross some 42 bridges–including the Seven Mile Bridge, which is as long as it sounds–through this watery wonderland.

Far and away the most pedestrian-friendly of the Florida Keys, Key West can easily be explored without a car thanks to hotels that offer their own shuttle services, free hop-on/hop-off bus service along the Duval Loop, bike and scooter rentals everywhere and, of course, your own two feet. But unless you’re flying directly into Key West–and most certainly if you plan to explore further afield in the island chain–renting a car is your best option for getting around.

It’s easy to default to classic dishes, but you’ll miss out on much of the magic in these parts if you relegate your eating to tourist standards. To be sure, fresh seafood stars in these parts. But get beyond the usual grouper and snapper fallbacks to try flopping-fresh delicacies like hogfish, sweet, and mild Key West pink shrimp (best peeled fresh with a sunset view and something frosty to drink), stone crabs (the sustainable crustacean’s season runs from Oct. 15 to May 1 every year), Caribbean spiny lobster, and more. And while you’ll never go wrong with a slice of Key Lime pie (proffered nearly everywhere), look for Cuban pastries like guava pastelitos at roadside bakeries and surprises like coconut cake, too. When in doubt, ask a local for their favorite spot to eat or grab a drink–it’s sure to be down a sandy backroad and likely not on your radar at all.

It’s easy to get lost in the bar crawl along Key West’s legendary Duval Street, catch a sunset at Mallory Square and call it a day. And some visitors who beeline the trip through the Keys to the end of the road are left wondering why there wasn’t more to see and do along the way. Most likely, they missed the chance to get out on the water–where the real magic in the Florida Keys unfolds. Find it in water that glows indigo at sunset during a sailing trip, snorkeling among sea turtles and nurse sharks on one of the islands’ classic spur and groove-formation shallow coral reefs, kayaking through mangrove tunnels or scuba diving along one of the best shipwreck trails in the world, the Florida Keys Wreck Trek.

The stories in these islands are endless–from anglers who’ll tell you over a few drinks at a tiki bar that they know just wear a large stash of pirate treasure is waiting to be discovered (if they could just get a salvage team to go down on it) and boat captains who’ve weathered hurricane after hurricane to YOLO-types who followed the Overseas Highway to its end looking for the rainbow’s pot of gold (and often found it). Take the time to converse with the people you meet along the way in these parts–they’re the ones who can let you in on the most magical ways to peel back the Florida Keys, layer by fascinating layer.