Have any of you done the Florida Keys?

[alohamom]

First a little intro-
We are looking at doing a 20th anniversary trip this summer Late August for approx 2.5 weeks) and we have three ideas. One is Hawaii (where we were married and have been back to a few times) California, (which we love and have not seen all of) or the Florida Keys which are kind of on MY bucket list, not really my husbands. I am trying to find out about the Keys so that I can makes a choice.

My question to my fellow Canuck Dis'ers is-

Have you been and what did you think? I know late August there is a chance of hurricanes which scares me a bit and it will be humid but I figure we will be near water the majority of the time and it will make it more tropical feeling. I love the idea of travelling on the over water highways and tripping from Key to Key, discovering as we go. Then I even thought about flying into Miami or Fort Lauderdale and then flying home from Orlando so we could get a Mickey fix at the end (lots of driving though) Any ideas? Any experience? Any help is appreciated!

 

[mkmommy]

We kind of did the Florida Keys in March.

We flew into Fort Lauderdale and rented a car, drove to Key Largo which is the top of the Keys, easy drive about 3 hours with a lunch stop. We spent 3 nights there, did day trips including driving as far as the 7 mile bridge. We were there in March and the weather was perfect I imagine August would be hot.

We then went to Miami for a couple of days and then did a 4 day cruise on the Wonder with a stop in Key West.

Key West is much prettier than Key Largo , but we found lots to do all 4 days in the Keys. Would love to go back and rent bikes and just explore, it has a similar laid back feel you get in Hawaii , just not quite as tropical. Everyone we talked to seemed to be there for snorkelling / scuba diving and said that was great. We spent a lot of time in the hotel pool just enjoying the warmth and sunshine. Lots of great little seafood places and the Key Lime pies are wonderful.

 

[alohamom]

Thanks for the reply mkmommy! Do you mind telling me what you consider perfect weather-what temp? I need it to be mid to high 80s for a while outside for the ocean to be warm enough for me so I find anywhere I go in March isnt really warm enough. I know once we were in Orlando in early Oct and it was between 95-100 every day and that is swimming weather to me-LOL! When I was a kid I used to swim in the lake in May to Oct and it didnt matter if it was freezing but now I just cant!

 

[mkmommy]

Thanks for the reply mkmommy! Do you mind telling me what you consider perfect weather-what temp? I need it to be mid to high 80s for a while outside for the ocean to be warm enough for me so I find anywhere I go in March isnt really warm enough. I know once we were in Orlando in early Oct and it was between 95-100 every day and that is swimming weather to me-LOL! When I was a kid I used to swim in the lake in May to Oct and it didnt matter if it was freezing but now I just cant!

We have done Orlando most spring breaks for the last 7 years and it is usually about 70-75 which is ok but not perfect . This past year in Miami/ Florida Keys it was 82 and sunny which to me is perfect. We did swim in the ocean in Miami and it was even warm enough for me , which says a lot as I do not like cold water. I imagine the ocean would be lovely in August. Just a warning I don't think the Florida Keys are known for big beautiful beaches. We did a bike tour in Key West and we did ride by a couple of beaches but they were small, and the only beach we found in Key Largo was even smaller.

 

[alohamom]

I hear what you are saying about the beaches and that is certainly a consideration. I am looking at some of the national park beaches and they look interesting.

 

[krazy4crusing]

First a little intro-


My question to my fellow Canuck Dis'ers is-

Have you been and what did you think? I know late August there is a chance of hurricanes which scares me a bit and it will be humid but I figure we will be near water the majority of the time and it will make it more tropical feeling. I love the idea of travelling on the over water highways and tripping from Key to Key, discovering as we go. Then I even thought about flying into Miami or Fort Lauderdale and then flying home from Orlando so we could get a Mickey fix at the end (lots of driving though) Any ideas? Any experience? Any help is appreciated!

We have been a few times, we have driven once and landed there by cruise ship a few other times. When we drove, we took our time and we stopped in Isla Morada at a hotel overlooking the ocean, it was beautiful. We would stop at each key and drive around to get a feel for the place. The history in the area is really interesting. In Isla Morada or Key Largo (I forget) We did a glass bottom boat tour (and got sea sick!) and had dinner at a local restaurant. We went to Bahia Honda state park, it was nice. We just stopped for a bit and then drove on but you can camp there too which looked fun. There is a key just before you get to key west on the north side and there are a species of deer on the island that can only be found in the Keys. They are called Key deer. They are a smaller version of the white tailed deer we have in Canada. We looked for some but never did see any. They roam wild on the island. The next day we drove to Key West and planned on staying for 1 night but loved it so much we stayed for 3 nights. We love to walk and I loved that you could walk everywhere in Key West. We have done the conch train tour a couple of times which is a nice way to get a detailed tour of the island. We did the haunted Key West tour too which was interesting and creepy.

Check out trip advisor for lots of tips.

Here are a few popular things to do there:
Kermit's Key Lime pie yum
Shell Market
Kayak tours of the mangroves
The sunset party at the docks
Fort Zachary Taylor beach
Butterfly conservatory
Duval St. Lots of shopping, bars and restaurants
There are lots of boat excursions that take you into the mangroves etc.. ie snorkelling, sunset sail, dolphin watching

 

[alohamom]

excellent-thanks krazy4cruising!