Never been to Keys before. Will be travelling with my family.
We want to spend time at the John Pennecamp State Park.
Will fly into Miami and rent a car.
Should we stay in Key Largo or Islamorada?
How far is Islamorada from Pennecamp?
Are there more dining choices in Islamorada? We're a casual family that enjoys good seafood.
Any comments or suggestions would be appreciated. Thank you. Ben

Stay in Islamorda. It is more of what the keys are about and more centrally located. Pennecamp is around mile marker 103 and Islamorada runs from about 79 to 80. The best restaurants are in Key West but you will find a few good ones there too.

There is a great restaurant in Islamorada called Bentleys. Great seafood, it's right on the highway. Enjoy

I would suggest Key West. There is much more to do with kids there. If your kids are teenagers they might find Largo and Islamorda boring.

Key Largo is known for diving and snorkeling and not much else. It is very laid back.
Islamorda is known for fishing and has a little more to do.

Look at floridakeys.com. It is loaded with a lot of good information about each area of the Keys.

If you are going to dive and snorkel at Pennekamp most of the time, stay in Key Largo. If not X is right, Islamorada is more "Keysie". Islamorada Fish Company is a good casual place with dining on the pier in back, good value. Green Turtle is also good. In Key Largo take 'em to Mrs. Mac's for breakfast, lunch or dinner. Real Key's dive with good food. Fish House in Largo is also good seafood. Tugboat Restaurant is a little difficult to find but worth it. Have fun in a laid back way!

'Fraid if I lived in Key Largo, I could get tempted by Mrs. Mac's for all three meals. Might slip out to Alabama Jack's for a bit of variety and awesome atmosphere....

If you land in Islamorada, try Hog Heaven for food. Sounds bad, tastes great!!

I've never stayed in Islamorada so I can't comment on its virtues. But from experience I can say that if you want to visit Pennekamp more than once, e.g. glass-bottom boat tour, snorkeling, aquarium, beach (such as it is), or kayaking, you will get very very tired of driving up and down Route 1.

I second the recommendations for seafood at the Fish House and Tugboat in Key Largo.

Where is the Tugboat Restaurant located?

The Tugboat restaurant is located at 2 Seagate Boulevard in Key Largo. It serves burgers & steaks from $8 to $12.

The best seafood in Largo is at Sundowners (bayside). A little more pricey than the above mentioned Fish House ($20 entree vs $15 at Fish House) but much better IMO and with sunset water view (versus no view at the Fish House). Mrs Mac's and Harriet's are the places to go for breakfast and lunch, Ganim's is a good alternative if those two have too big a wait.
I agree with the Islamorada restuarant suggestions above, and I think that overall Islamorada is a better vacation spot than Key Largo. However, if you end up in Largo you would still have a good time. Sometimes I get the feeling that many people's impressions of Largo are formed while driving through on the way to Key West, rather than from actually spending time there on vacation.