Nanda & Nathan The Travellers: The Florida Keys

December 16-17, 2015---- It was Christmas break. It was very cold in Canada. It was time to go to the South to visit family. It was close to our 8th wedding anniversary. And it was cheap to fly to Miami......Yep! Key West was top on the list!

Nathan and I flew to MIA and stayed at a hotel around the airport overnight. We rented a car and drove down to Key West the next morning. Before the trip, I did some research on Google and found very useful information about restaurants and places to stop on the US-1 along the Florida Keys. Here's the link. http://www.floridarambler.com/florida-destinations/florida-keys-roadtrip-mile-marker-guide/

The drive from MIA to Key West can take about 4 hours on US-1S and you can avoid paying for tolls if you just stay on the US-1S the entire way. Our rental car company offered a deal on tolls for $10/day, but Nathan and I declined it because we wouldn't use Tolls at all. We just took our time and enjoyed the view along the way...

The Upper Keys

Finally we reached the Upper Keys! The view was nothing worth mentioning since we didn't see much of the seaside but only restaurants and resorts/hotels/motels in Key Largo, Plantation Key, Windley Key, and Islamorada. However, we still found some interesting stops in this part of the Keys. The first stop we made was at the Florida Keys Wild Bird Sanctuary located at mile marker#93.6. It was completely free, but donations are gladly accepted. Nathan and I walked around and saw some unfortunate owls and other birds that were injured and rescued by the kind people there. There was a boardwalk all the way to the seaside, and we spent about 10-15 minutes there.

The next stop was at Windley Key State Fossil Reef Geological Site, but it was closed on Wednesday so we just continued straight to the Hurricane Memorial located at mile marker#81.5. It's the memorial for those who died in the hurricane in 1935. Just around lunch time we reached Habanos Restaurant where we decided to have our Cuban-inspired meal.

The gorgeous view of the FL Keys started to appeal once we reached the end of the Upper Keys. Anne's Beach (mile#73.4) and Channel 2 Bridge (mile#73). If you haven't stopped anywhere since Miami, these two spots are definitely worthwhile to stretch your legs and breathe in some ocean breeze.

Florida Keys Wild Bird Sanctuary

Hurricane Memorial

Lunch at Habanos Restaurant

Anne's Beach

Channel 2 Bridge

The Middle Keys

It started to look like the Caribbean once we reached the Middle Keys! The ocean was shallow with white sand beaches and emerald-color water. There are many beautiful State Parks, but Nathan and I wanted to be in Key West by 4 p.m., so we just drove through and enjoyed the view from the drive instead. We made a stop at the Turtle Hospital and learned a bit about sea turtles and how human beings and technology have affected their lives. There is also a tour of the hospital for a fee if you are interested in seeing the sick and unfortunate creatures.

The next worth-stopping view point is at the Old Seven Mile Bridge (mile#47). Here Nathan and I parked and strolled on the old bridge that was built from 1909-1912 to extend the railroad to Key West. Nowadays the bridge is only open to pedestrians and cyclists. The new Seven Mile Bridge was built over 30 years ago after the old bridge was damaged by many hurricanes and started to sag.

The drive in the Middle Keys was truly amazing. I loved the view of the ocean from the long Seven Mile Bridge. You might want to rent a convertible if you plan to drive down this way!

Turtle Hospital

Old Seven Mile Bridge

Seven Mile Bridge

The Lower Keys

Nathan and I planned to stop at only two spots in the Lower Keys. First at the Veterans Memorial Park, but somehow we missed the stop, so we didn't get to see it till we drove back toward Miami the next day. The beach was small, but quiet and peaceful. The water was so clear and shallow that we could see the see grass and some sea life underneath. I really enjoyed walking in the warm water and wish I had more time to picnic or swim in the ocean there. It was definitely my favorite beach of all in the FL Keys!

The last stop in this part of the Keys was at the National Key Deer Wildlife Refugee. It was difficult to find at first because it was located in a shopping area. There was an exhibit and a ranger there to give us some information about the endangered Key Deer. We hoped to see some deer and got a map to drive around, but, as the ranger said, the deer like to appear in the evening or night when the sun goes down. So we didn't see a single one, but we learned from the ranger that they are smaller than deer in other parts of the country due to the lack of food in the FL Keys.

National Key Deer Wildlife Refugee

Key West

Day 1

We finally got to Key West around 4 p.m. as planned! We went straight to our hotel to check in and park our rental car. We picked to stay at Hyatt Key West Resort & Spa because of its location and good reviews. I have to admit that it was a really great resort and we really enjoyed our stay there.

After settling in our room, we planned to go see the sunset at Mallory Square around 5:45 p.m.. Nathan suggested that we still had enough time to stroll on the Historic Seaport Harbor Walk, which is right next to the resort. The harbor was very scenic and full of restaurants. We saw a lot of fish in the water as well.

The sunset at Mallory Square was the most beautiful sunset I have ever seen! The only problem was we got there so late that there was no sitting spot left, and there were a ton of people. However, we got there just in time to see the sun go under the horizon.

After the sunset, we strolled around the small town a bit before hopping in our rental car and driving to have dinner at Hogfish Bar&Grill. I picked this restaurant because it got really good reviews and seemed to be where locals hang out. The food was DELICIOUS and I ate so much that my stomach ached. I had to order dessert, the very authentic Key Lime Pie, to take to our hotel and had it later after we relaxed in the hot tub.

Hyatt Key West Resort & Spa

Historic Seaport Harbor Walk

Sunset at Mallory Square

Dinner at Hogfish Bar & Grill

Day 2

As soon as we got up, I packed everything ready to check out at 11 a.m. We went to breakfast at a local shop on Duval Street and strolled along the most famous street of Key West till we got to the Southernmost Point. It was a nice long walk through some historic houses and shops. There were some chickens freely roaming around on street. After over an hour in the small town, we got back to the resort and checked out.

Because I wanted to spend time at Fort Zachary Taylor Historic State Park during lunch time but wasn't sure if there was any food for sale there, we drove to Kim's Kuban and got take-out sandwiches for our lunch later at the fort. They were one of the best sandwiches we have ever had! Fort Zachary has beautiful beach that is also great for snorkeling, but on the day we were there, the sea was really rough and windy, so we just strolled around a bit. Later we walked at the old fort where there were some old cannons, brick prisons, and a few other things to look at.

One nice and free place to visit in Key West is the FL Keys Eco-Discovery Center. It is right next to the fort and there is a great exhibit about the Keys. Plan to spend at least half an hour there.

After we finished seeing everything in town, we decided to start our journey back to the mainland. We stopped at Smathers Beach briefly just to see what "the best beach in Key West" looks like. It wasn't the best I have seen, nothing like Thai beaches.

Our journey back to Florida's mainland was smooth and enjoyable. We stopped at the Veteran Memorial Park briefly to soak our feet in the water. I liked this small beach better than Smathers Beach because it was quite and peaceful, and the water was clear and shallow.

Overall, our trip to the Florida Keys was enjoyable. It was nice to get away from the cold in Canada. Nathan always dreams to live in FL, but I wasn't so keen to that idea. Now I have to say that I fell in love with FL and wouldn't mind the heat after all.