The Florida Keys

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The Florida Keys are little islands off the coast of Southern Florida that are connected to the mainland via a system of bridges.  The Overseas Highway goes from South Florida to Key West.

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This picture shows the old Overseas Highway which was built on the original railroad connecting Key West to the mainland from 1912.

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Bahia Honda State Beach Park is off the Overseas Highway on the way to Key West.  The bridge in the background was part of the original Overseas Highway.

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Key West features Ernest Hemingway's home.  It was very lush and tropical, and there were lots of cats including the polydactyl cats.

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This is a lighthouse in Key West.  When it was built, it was right by the water.  However, they expanded the island by reclaiming land so the lighthouse is now more inland.

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We took a snorkel cruise out from Key West.  The water was very turquois, and it looked like the waters of the Caribbean.  That's why the Keys are called America's Caribbean.

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The Harry S Truman Little White House on Key West has been used as a Presidential retreat for years.

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This is a waterway out to sea from Key Largo.  Nurse sharks and seals are often seen in these protected waters.

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The Florida Keys are known for Key Lime Pie.  We had some at Mrs. Mac's Kitchen on Key Largo.
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    We went to visit the Florida Keys in May of 2018.  After flying into Ft. Lauderdale, we rented a car and did the approximately 110 mile journey from Miami to Key West.  However, we did stop at several places along the way and explored some of the smaller "keys." as well.  We had a great dinner at Snapper's on Key Largo on the first night.  It was almost destroyed by Hurricane Irma, but they were in the process of rebuilding it when we ate there.  The drive on the Overseas Highway was very beautiful.  The waters were very turquois, and it reminded me of the Caribbean waters.  Moreover, it looked like the waters were pretty shallow.  We saw the old Overseas Highway which was built on the original railroad platform that connected Key West to Miami.  Most of it is in disrepair, but they are trying to make it into a bike and pedestrian trail.  They did not have many beaches however.  Most of the shoreline was mangroves similiar to what I saw in Belize.

    In Key West, we explored Duval Street, which is like a mini version of Bourbon Street in New Orleans.  Hemingway's House is a must see in Key West.  They had the cats with the extra paws.  We also took a rum snorkel tour out of Key West, but the water was too murky and choppy to see anything because of a subtropical storm that passed through the area a few days before we got there.  Key West had lots of nice restaurants and bars by Mallory Square also.

    On the way back, we took a glass bottom boat tour from Key Largo to a coral reef.  Afterwards, we enjoyed some Key Lime pie at Mrs. Mac's Kitchen on Key Largo.

Last Updated:  June 22, 2018 10:09 PM
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