Once, when I was young and naïve, I accompanied a boyfriend on a vacation to a lush tropical country that shall remain nameless. We lazed on white-sand beaches, snorkeled in azure seas, and danced under a romantic full moon.

Let's face it ... this is just not the kind of thing that belongs in a hotel bathtub.

On our final night in this idyllic setting, my boyfriend nearly got hauled off to a third-world prison for grilling a fish.

I was out picking up last-minute gifts. Fueled by too many frozen drinks and worried that smoke from his grill might rise from our hotel room’s balcony (where grills were prohibited), he decided to cook his “catch of the day” on a makeshift barbecue in the bathtub — a place he regarded as perfectly reasonable.

By the time I returned, our room was unnervingly full of fishy-smelling smoke and a 350-pound security guard named Raoul, who couldn’t decide whether to laugh or call the federales.

Laughter won — but when smoke alarms in the corridor began shrieking, the federales arrived even without Raoul’s summons.

Now here's a fun-filled experience involving fish: feeding tarpon from the dock at Robbie's Marina in Islamorada. (Photo by Bob Krist/Florida Keys News Bureau)

As we fled the country the next morning, I found myself reflecting that this wasn’t the way a vacation was supposed to be.

A vacation is supposed to be relaxing. Renewing. Fun. Filled with unexpected happenings (though not those involving large armed guards) and new discoveries.

And that’s what vacationing in the Keys is all about.

Sure, you can have a wonderful time partying in the local bars and doing a little shopping. But even if you think you know the island chain pretty well, you’ll create far richer memories if you take your vacation experience to the next level.

Here are three of my favorite spots in the Upper and Middle Keys for doing just that.

Robbie’s Marina, MM 77.5 bayside in Islamorada, www.robbies.com. Robbie’s is a wonderfully funky marina with a true Old Keys atmosphere — and the biggest draw is feeding wild tarpon from the marina’s dock. The gang at Robbie’s has been feeding these fishy friends for decades, and kids and grownups delight in purchasing buckets of bait to share the oddly satisfying experience. You’ll also find eco-tours and watersports excursions, fishing charters and the (wait for it!) Hungry Tarpon restaurant.

Imaginative crafts and fine art await visitors to Islamorada's Rain Barrel.

The Rain Barrel Artisans’ Village, MM 86.7 bayside in Islamorada,  www.keysdirectory.com/rainbarrel/.  This artisans’ enclave features work by scores of skilled creative spirits, and many of the finest have working studios onsite. Take a leisurely ramble through the sprawling property, watching the resident artists and chatting with them as they work. Under the spell of this center for artistry, I guarantee you’ll be inspired to launch a new exploration of your own creativity. 

Pigeon Key's restored historic structures and tranquil atmosphere offer visitors a glimpse of the Overseas Railway era. (Photo courtesy of the Pigeon Key Foundation)

Pigeon Key, www.pigeonkey.net. Just over two miles west of Marathon, nestled beneath what’s now called the Old Seven Mile Bridge, lies the five-acre historic treasure of Pigeon Key. In the early 1900s the island was a base camp for workers constructing the original Seven Mile Bridge, the centerpiece of the astonishing Overseas Railway that stretched from mainland Florida to Key West. Today, you can reach Pigeon Key by ferry or by biking or walking along a portion of the old bridge. Once you’re there, the modern world fades away beneath the true tranquility of the Keys. Spend the day touring the railroad museum, exploring the restored turn-of-the-century buildings, soaking up sun, snorkeling the tidal shoreline and absorbing the history of the early Florida Keys.

Whether you follow these suggestions or find your own adventure, let it recharge your batteries and introduce you to a new aspect of the fabulous Florida Keys.

But, please (and I speak from experience here), don’t even THINK about grilling fish in your hotel bathtub.