The Florida Keys is the place to go for glorious sunsets and lazy days on the beach.
By Miami Herald Archives
From Miami Herald
MIAMI—March and April mark the height of spring tourist season in the Florida Keys.
Special events fill the calendar to give visitors more to do than just a bar crawl along Duval Street in Key West.
Whatever your plans, you can always count on glorious sunsets and lazy days on the beach.
Here are some other helpful things to know about the Florida Keys:
Upcoming Events
NAS Key West Southernmost Air Spectacular: March 29–30, Boca Chica Field. The Blue Angels and other military and civilian performances will fill the skies over the Florida Keys.
Key West Sailfish Tournament: March 28–29, World-class teams will compete in this two-day shootout-style tournament, battling for the top of the leader board and prize money.
The Most Notable Beaches in the Keys
The Florida Keys aren’t known for beaches. If you’re imagining an island paradise, you’re in luck. If you’re imagining an island paradise with miles of sandy shore, you could be disappointed. There are only a few of those accessible by land. Here are the most notable:
Sombrero Beach: 200 36th St. on the ocean side in the Middle Keys city of Marathon. This is one of the Keys best-kept secrets. It’s a picturesque sandy beach with crystal-clear shallow water. There are also playgrounds, restroom facilities, and picnic areas.
Anne’s Beach: Mile marker 73 in Lower Matecumbe Key in the Village of Islamorada. While not a traditional beach, it’s a hidden treasure in the Keys. The very small beach has a boardwalk under a mangrove canopy. Instead of setting up a spot on the sand, beachgoers typically pitch their chairs in the shallow clear blue water and laze the day away. Restrooms are in the small parking lot, and picnic tables are on the boardwalk.
Bahia Honda State Park: 36850 Overseas Highway at mile marker 37 in Big Pine Key. Like Anne’s Beach, Bahia Honda is a palm tree-lined beach with clear turquoise water. But it’s a lot bigger, with three stretches of beach. Beachgoers can also rent kayaks and snorkeling gear.
Harry Harris Park: 50 E. Beach Road, between mile markers 92 and 93, in Tavernier in the Upper Keys between Key Largo and Islamorada. The oceanfront county park has a small, family-friendly beach, playgrounds, and picnic pavilions.
Curry Hammock State Park: 56200 Overseas Highway at mile marker 56.2 in Marathon. The park has a 1,200-foot wide sandy beach, picnic facilities, and a playground. It is a hot spot for kiteboarders and those who want to sit back on the sand and watch the high-flying action.
Clarence S. Higgs Memorial Beach: 1000 Atlantic Blvd. in Key West. The Atlantic Ocean beach includes the 400-foot Reynolds Street Pier, as well as historic sites, a shore-accessible underwater marine park, a variety of activities, and concessions.
Are There Tolls on the Overseas Highway?
No toll: Traveling on the Overseas Highway is toll-free.
Are There Tolls on Card Sound Road?
Toll:
Card Sound Road, considered an alternate road to the Keys, has a toll, taken electronically through SunPass, at the northern end of the bridge, a 65-foot high, 2,800-foot long span that crosses Card Sound. The cost for SunPass holders is $2.08; the toll-by-plate cost is $3.12, plus a $2.50 monthly administrative fee. Cash is not accepted.
Directions: Getting into the Keys using Card Sound Road, or County Road 905A, drivers take the highway southeast, over the bridge to a three-way stop sign. If you make a left, you’ll head to the ultra-exclusive gated community of Ocean Reef. Turn right on County Road 905 (without the “A”) and you’re on your way to Key Largo.
How Long Will It Take to Reach Your Destination?
Traffic congestion in the Keys—especially during weekends, special events, spring break, and the peak tourist season—can slow things considerably. Passing is allowed only at certain spots. Most of the Overseas Highway runs two lanes.Here are some estimates for your trip:
Miami to Key Largo: The trip can take about 2 1/2 hours, although it can take about an hour less, depending on traffic.
Key Largo to Key West: The trip takes about 2 1/2 hours.
Miami to Key West: Without delays, it’s about a four-hour drive from Miami to Key West, and under three hours from Florida City to Key West.
What to Know About U.S. 1 in the Florida Keys
Length: The highway runs 113 miles through the Keys over the Atlantic Ocean, Florida Bay, and the Gulf of Mexico.Mile markers: Green mile marker signs are on the side of the road and are used for addresses and directions. The road begins and ends in Key West, where the mile marker zero signs are at Whitehead and Fleming streets.
Bridges: The longest span is the Seven Mile Bridge, which is actually 6.79 miles long. The second longest is the Long Key Bridge, at 2.3 miles.
How to Monitor Traffic To and From the Florida Keys
Two free apps can help you navigate the Overseas Highway. One is for traffic and the other is a guide to the Keys.The
Monroe County Sheriff’s Office has a namesake app that is a must-have for people who must take the road regularly. The app has a “live calls and traffic info” tab that gives the location and times of crashes or other traffic disruptions, such as when a medical helicopter is landing on the highway. You can also sign up for notifications, which will tell you when lanes are reopened. The sheriff’s office also posts about crashes in real time on its Facebook and Twitter feeds, which you can access through the app.
A travel app from the
Monroe County Tourist Development Council—The Florida Keys and Key West—features just about everything that
you'll want to know about exploring the islands. The app includes narrated driving tours—one for each direction of the highway—along with lists of hotels, restaurants, art galleries, watersports rentals, and fishing guides. Information is categorized by location: Key West, the Lower Keys, Marathon, Islamorada, and Key West. The app also has videos of the Keys, a map, and weather forecasts.
Both apps are available through the
Apple Store and
Google Play.
What If You Get Seriously Sick During Your Visit?
Monroe County has three hospitals, with one marking each major section of the island chain from Key Largo to Key West.
For major traumas, patients are airlifted by helicopter to medical centers in the Miami area.
Addresses and phone numbers for the hospitals are listed here, but if you have a medical emergency, call 911.
Lower Keys Medical Center: 5900 College Road, Key West, 305-294-5531. Key West’s Lower Keys Medical Center has 167 beds spread over two locations. The main campus with an emergency room is on College Road on Stock Island. The hospital has 23 beds at its DePoo Medical Building, 1200 Kennedy Drive, where mental health and rehabilitation services are offered. The number at DePoo is 305-294-5535.
Fishermen’s Hospital: 3301 Overseas Highway, Marathon, 305-434-1000. This hospital is in the Middle Keys city of Marathon and run by the nonprofit Baptist Health South Florida. The entirely new 33,330-square foot, 22-bed hospital replaced the original 1962-era hospital, which was severely damaged by Hurricane Irma in 2017. Fishermen’s, which is now designed to withstand the wind speeds of a Category 5 hurricane, offers specialized services such as 24/7 emergency care with nine emergency department beds.
Mariners Hospital: 91500 Overseas Highway, Tavernier, 305-434-3000 In the Upper Keys, Mariners Hospital is a 25-bed hospital run by Baptist Health South Florida. Mariners dates back to 1962. It’s home to the only hospital-based hyperbaric chamber in the Keys. It uses oxygen therapy to treat illnesses that include diving-related decompression sickness.
What Are Some Must-See Attractions in the Keys?
Duval Street: World famous
Duval Street is where the party starts in Key West. Duval awaits visitors with bars,
live music, restaurants, art galleries, hotels and guesthouses, and clothing and souvenir shops. The 1.25-mile-long Duval Street stretches from the Atlantic Ocean to the Gulf of Mexico.
Conch Tour Train: The
Conch Tour Train, which started in 1958, is an easy way to see the major sights in Key West and learn the island’s history. The ride starts at a depot on Front Street and ends right behind it in Mallory Square. The 75-minute trip makes a loop through Old Town and runs daily.
Southernmost Point buoy: This waterfront spot downtown is possibly Key West’s most photographed attraction, claiming to be the southernmost point in the continental United States and a landmark “90 miles to Cuba.” You will likely have to wait in line for a turn to stand before the giant
marker located where Whitehead and South streets meet.
Key West Lighthouse: You can walk up 88 steps to the top of the Key West Lighthouse, which opened in 1848 and was decommissioned by the U.S. Coast Guard in 1969. Today, it’s a
museum dedicated to Key West’s maritime heritage, honoring those who kept the light shining through trying times. In addition to the view, the museum includes belongings, photos, and memories of the lighthouse keepers and their families.
John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park: This Key Largo state park is famous for being underwater and boasts four kinds of
boat tours, which include glass-bottom boat trips.
Rent a kayak, canoe, or paddleboard and make your way through the park’s 50 miles of mangrove wilderness. Reservations must be made
online, but you can call 305-451-6300 for more information.
Bahia Honda State Park: With access to both the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean, Bahia Honda is a great launching pad for boaters. If you aren’t using your own boat, you can join a
boat tour and snorkel in the Looe Key National Marine Sanctuary. Boaters can also camp on their boats, which is the perfect opportunity to stargaze after dark. The park cautions that because of its popularity, the park can close when it reaches maximum capacity in its day-use areas. It’s best to arrive early on busy days such as holidays and weekends.
Theater of the Sea: You can swim, wade, or paint with a dolphin at Islamorada’s
Theater of the Sea, which also offers a chance to hang out with sea lions, an alligator, nurse sharks, stingrays, a sea turtle, and parrots. Created in 1946 by the P.F. McKenney family, which still owns and operates the attraction, Theater of the Sea pumps in 12 million gallons of ocean water a day to maintain the three-acre natural saltwater lagoons. While the theater has a list of “animal interactions” for extra fees, you can opt to pay general admission to watch the dolphin, sea lion, and parrot shows, take a short boat ride, lounge on the lagoon-side beach, and take a fish and reptile tour that includes alligators.
Robbie’s Marina: No trip through the Upper Keys is complete without a stop to feed the tarpon.
Robbie’s Marina of Islamorada offers charter fishing trips, parasailing, and boat and kayak rentals along with a restaurant and open-air market. But it’s the chance to feed tarpon by hand at Robbie’s that makes it a classic Keys roadside attraction. A school of more than 100 tarpon hang out at the marina for hours, according to Robbie’s, and occasionally one of the “silver kings” will emerge from the water to grab some tossed fish. There’s a dock access fee, and you’ll also pay for a bucket of fish.
Dolphin Research Center:
The Dolphin Research Center on Grassy Key is dedicated to learning and teaching about dolphins and is licensed by the federal government to help manatees in distress. It also welcomes people to spend a couple of hours or the day on the grounds or pay to swim with a dolphin. Higher ticket options include a chance to shadow dolphin trainers or spend half a day with the dolphins and sea lions. General admission allows you to observe the dolphins and sea lions.
Pigeon Key: At just five acres, this island beneath the “Old” Seven Mile Bridge in Marathon sure is tiny. But it played a huge role in Keys history. This is where hundreds of workers bunked while building Henry Flagler’s Key West extension of the Florida East Coast Railway, which connected the Keys to mainland Florida. Pigeon Key’s grounds and buildings date back to 1908. These days, the buildings are used for
marine science education programs. People in the programs get to spend the night on the island. But you can still visit Pigeon Key.
Tours, which have an admission price and last about an hour, are available. You’ll take a ferry from the Pigeon Key visitor center at mile marker 47.5 between the Faro Blanco Resort and the Marriott Hotel.
The Turtle Hospital: The
Turtle Hospital in the Middle Keys city of Marathon is much more than a place to meet some sea turtles up close and personal. Richie Moretti, a New Jersey native and former Volkswagen mechanic, opened the hospital in 1986 to
rescue and rehabilitate injured and sick sea turtles, and when they’re healthy enough, release them back to the ocean. Moretti turned the old Hidden Harbor Motel into a veterinary hospital for turtles. Since its founding, the Turtle Hospital has helped heal and release more than 1,500 sea turtles. The rehabilitation area includes 23 tanks that range between 150 gallons and 800 gallons, and a 100,000-gallon saltwater pool. After the tour, which has an admission fee, visitors may feed the “permanent resident” turtles.
National Key Deer Refuge: The adorable Key deer are found in the Lower Keys, and nowhere else on the planet. Stop in Big Pine Key or the remote No Name Key, and you’re likely to spot the deer, which grow to about 3 feet tall. Created in 1957 to protect and preserve the deer, the
National Key Deer Refuge covers 9,200 acres and is home to 23 endangered and threatened plant and animal species.
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