Re: The wife & I are vacationing in the Florida Keys

rhettfla

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Mar 27, 2024, 8:59 AM

It’s been a while since we’ve been there but we went a few times when we lived in Miami. The one absolutely don’t miss is to drive across the 7 mile bridge. The water views are fantastic. The entire drive from Key Largo to Key West has some great views along the way but it is a 2.5 hour drive and can get even longer if there is a lot of traffic or any accidents. If you are flying into Miami you will be doing this at least as far south as whatever key you are staying on. Just be sure to include the 7 mile bridge at some point.
If you like snorkeling, there used to be day trips out of John Pennekamp state park on Key Largo. There also were a couple of good spots to get lunch and a beer right by the bridge over the inlet at Islamorada. Great water views here too. The sunset festival on Key West was a spectacle and pretty entertaining but it’s one of those things that once I had seen it once I didn’t need to go back and do it again. The sunset itself there can be fabulous. I don’t remember which key it was in, but one time when we went the cottage was on a small bay on the west side of the island and they had manatees there most of the time. If you have never seen one they are pretty interesting creatures.
Hope this helps. Let me know if you have other questions. We are local to Easley so we could even meet up and talk over a Mexican dinner if you want.

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We went down in the summer of '21. If you're driving make sure you stop in the Miami area and visit Wynwood Walls. It's an incredible area of street art that will blow your mind. The Keys as a whole is incredibly beautiful. Islamorada is great. Go to Robbie's and take the snorkel trip to Alligator Reef lighthouse. Key West is a long drive and it was ok. Unfortunately we did the whole Duval Street walk and didn't realize there are other nicer areas until it was time to go home. It was July and blazing hot. There are iguanas everywhere, literally. They just walk around like cats and dogs. Driving anywhere in the Keys takes longer than expected so give yourself plenty of time to get to where you're going. The biggest surprise for us was access to beaches. We'd never been so we were expecting what we know...IOP, MB, Folly, etc. where you're driving along and there's the beach. It's not like that in the Keys. The beaches aren't as large as you think but they are beautiful. Don't be surprised to visit a beach and there be folks in boats fishing just beyond the swim areas. That freaked me out a little.

The crystal clear water speaks for itself. Have a great time and be safe!

The wife & I are vacationing in the Florida Keys