Tavernier's housing reflects its setting as a residential Keys community rather than a dense resort town. The stock includes older Florida Keys cottages and concrete-block homes, along with newer elevated, storm-hardened construction, and a significant share of properties are positioned for water access. Homes line canals that open to Florida Bay or the Atlantic side, and many include docks, boat lifts, or direct ocean access, which is central to the local lifestyle. The community also includes condominium complexes and some modest inland lots along the Overseas Highway corridor. Because Tavernier is unincorporated and built out along a narrow island, new supply is limited, and ownership here is closely tied to boating and water access.

Tavernier stretches for roughly three miles along Key Largo's southern tip, and its character shifts between the Atlantic and bayside. The oceanside, facing the reef and open Atlantic, holds many of the community's residential streets and some of its historic structures from the Planter settlement era. The bayside, toward Florida Bay, is where many canal-front neighborhoods and marinas are found, prized for protected dockage and sunset views. The Overseas Highway corridor running through the middle carries the community's commercial activity, with dive shops, restaurants, and services. Across Tavernier Creek, Islamorada continues south, giving the area a connected Upper Keys community feel rather than sharp municipal boundaries.

Life in Tavernier revolves around the ocean. Residents dive and snorkel the nearby reefs, fish the flats and offshore waters, and boat to sandbars and nearby islands, with a fleet of charter operators and dive centers based in town. Kayaking, paddleboarding, and eco-tours explore the mangroves and shallow bays, while the waterfront restaurants and tiki bars along the Overseas Highway anchor the social scene. The pace is relaxed and water-oriented, with a strong year-round community alongside seasonal visitors. The community's fishing and maritime heritage, from its wrecking-era origins to its modern sportfishing culture, remains a visible part of local identity.

Students in Tavernier are served by the Monroe County School District, the countywide system that covers the Florida Keys. Tavernier is home to Coral Shores High School, which serves grades 9 through 12 for the Upper Keys, and Plantation Key School serves middle grades in the community. Several elementary schools operate in the surrounding Upper Keys area. Because Monroe County spans the length of the Keys, school campuses are distributed across the islands, and Tavernier's role as an Upper Keys education hub gives local families access to elementary, middle, and high school facilities close to home.

U.S. Route 1, known as the Overseas Highway, is Tavernier's main artery, running the full length of the community and connecting the entire Florida Keys island chain. Mile-marker signage along the highway orients residents and visitors, with Tavernier sitting in the low mile-marker 90s. The drive to Florida City on the mainland takes under an hour, with Miami and its international airport roughly an hour and a half beyond. Local and regional bus service operates along the highway corridor, and Monroe County's scattered geography means most travel, whether to Key West to the south or the mainland to the north, happens along this single coastal route.

Tavernier is a recreation destination built around the water. The Conch Reef and Alligator Reef, among the upper Keys' most popular dive and snorkel sites, lie offshore, and local operators offer reef and wreck dives, snorkel trips, and glass-bottom tours. Charter boats run fishing trips for the flats, reef, and offshore waters, while kayak and paddleboard rentals explore the protected bays and mangrove shorelines. Tavernier's canal-front marinas support boating access to the wider Keys, and the community's historical structures and small museums give the town a land-based counterpoint to its marine life. Nearby John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park extends protected reef and snorkeling opportunities just up the road on Key Largo.