Miami and Florida Keys help please

[Charliebean]

We have been to Florida many times but always been to Orlando and the Gulf Coast. We would like to try Miami and the Keys but we are a bit worried that there won't be much to do for our DC's (15 and 10). Could anyone help with information on Miami and the Keys. Is it worth it ? What is there to do ? Best places to stay etc. Thank you.

Have a look at Hawks key resort.
It’s about half way down the keys just past Islamorada.
We stayed in 2017 in August with our teens in a sunset villa.

Thank you. Will have a look at that.

Miami is a city with lots to do. The beach is fantastic. You can hire bikes and ride along South Beach. There are lots of family restaurants and shops. There a zoo, seaquarium, jungle island, hop on hop off bus, boat trips, the Venetian Pool, baseball and basketball stadiums. My teens particularly liked the Thriller Boat out of Bayside Market. My 12 year old loved riding the free Metromover around the skyscrapers of downtown! You can also drive or take a tour out to the Everglades for the day.

There’s also lots to do in the Keys if you like water sports, beaches, swimming, snorkelling, boat trips etc. There are Turtle Hospitals and aquariums, Key West has lots to do including a Ripley’s Believe It Or Not, The Little Whitehouse, Hemmingways House, Kermits Key Lime Pie Shop!

It’s not as full on as Orlando, but your kids definitely won’t be bored!

We stayed in Islamorada with teens and there was lots to do. snorkelling at Jon Pennekamp, boat trips, we went for a days canoeing in the everglades and also went to the sealife park etc. A week on the keys I felt was long enough.

Miami has a great science museum/aquarium my 11 year old and 14 yo really enjoyed that.
We drove out to the Everglades and had a fasnasitix hoverboat ride and saw alligators in the wild. Was a Highlight.
We were surprised about the amount of rain - we went in July. Some eventings it was tricky to do anything.
Go to little Havana and have an amazing Cuban meal.
Didn’t do public transport - a local friend warned me of it. But I don’t know how safe/dangerous it really is.

Public transport in terms of both the metro system and their downtown (free to use) Metromover is safe to use.

I went to Key West twice when I was a teen. I loved it. My favourite place was Mallory Square during the Sunset celebration. It's beautiful watching the sunset, and there is loads of street performers (escape artists, contortionists etc., can change each night) and food carts to try different foods. We only spent 2-3 nights there though as any longer and me and my younger sister would have got bored.
I also loved walking down the Main Street there looking in all the shops and eating at Sloppy Joes, and enjoyed walking up the lighthouse (but not walking down) and Hemingway House.

Thank you everyone. That's really helpful. I have written down all the suggestions and have just got to decide how long to spend at each place and where now :)