User Panel
Isn't this the time of year with bumper to bumper traffic at 5 mph?
|
|
|
Quoted: Quoted: Make sure you go to the No Name Pub on Big Pine Key, have some pizza and stick a dollar bill on the wall. No name key to pet the deer. Yeah, after you eat pizza at No Name, drive over the bridge to the east to No Name key and feed the deer. Bring along some carrots and/or apple slices. Your not suppose to feed them, but we always do along with a few other folks. Sometimes you don’t even have get out of your car to feed them. Best to go in late afternoon or early evening. Also OP, go to Mallory Square in Key West one evening to watch the sunset as well as all of the street performers. As long as you’re there you might as well go to Sloppy Joe’s too.They usually have a band of some sort in the evening. |
|
Quoted: @denverdan you still working down there, bud? View Quote I certainly am. For some reason I’m not getting my @ notifications. Op like another poster said. If you’re not into ocean activities boating, fishing, diving, etc etc etc you may be disappointed in the Keys. Also the beaches here aren’t what you expect when you picture a south Florida beach. You’d most likely be better off staying on the mainland somewhere and road tripping down for a day. Maybe even stay in Marathon or Islamorada for a night. That way you can still see the Keys but not feel rushed or having to spend all day in the car. The drive to/from the mainland can be a bitch at times. The Keys are amazing and I love living here. That said it’s not what a lot of people think it is. I’d hate for you to waste a vacation based on unrealistic expectations of the place. Hit me up if you make it down. Mahi tacos at Wahoos in Islamorada are on me. |
|
|
|
|
Bahia Honda State Park is a nice stop.
You mentioned roaming around. Dunno how it is nowadays, but I remember some trouble finding a motel room on the fly down there. So a little planning might help. |
|
Quoted: Pilar is open. We visited when I was down in November. We were there while the powerboat races we happening. Damn I love that Rum. View Quote View All Quotes View All Quotes Quoted: Quoted: I stayed at the farthest south hotel on Key Largo, something Cove, and then Silver Palms on Key West. The open air churches are beautiful. Casablanca bar is a hole, but I’d recommend drinking there. Great liquor store on Key Largo. Tower Of Pizza and Miami Grill are some great restaurants. Walk around at night on KW and soak in the atmosphere. Visit the KW Kmart. Say hi to the chickens for me. Get some rum from First Legal Rum Company. Pilars is probably still closed. Pilar is open. We visited when I was down in November. We were there while the powerboat races we happening. Damn I love that Rum. Pilars closed early on the day I got there, opened late the day I left. |
|
|
|
Quoted: Beaches are gravely, not great. Some history in Key West, but the real historical gem is Fort Jefferson. Probably not feasible with a baby. Not much along the keys themselves. Long drive on bridges. Key West can be done in a day, but not much for kids, maybe the aquarium. It's a tourist trap these days, but still fun for parrotheads and bar hopping. Get blackened mako and conch fritters at the half shell raw bar. The ocean is the point of the keys, if you're not wanting to fish or enjoy the water in some way, don't bother. Go to one of the family friendly tourist beaches on the mainland. View Quote Agree. No beaches. Camped by the water on several of the islands and the shore smells really bad. Key West was fun to walk around for a bit. It was on my bucket list. Won't go back. Had a better time on the mainland. |
|
We always visit the Cracked Conch bar and restaurant when we pass through Key Largo. Best Key Lime pie ever.
|
|
It was Chinese college student week when I went a few years back.
The definitely have homo week. Maybe several times a year. The beach is basically a shallow water shoal with lots of e.Coli. Do NOT go in the water at the "beach." Its a tourist trap. |
|
Was down about 3 months ago, hot as hell. One of the guys that went has a son that is a firefighter in Key West. He was our tour guide and he made the entire trip. I would highly recommend getting with someone that knows their way around down there. |
|
Stay away from the bouncer that lives on a yellow concrete boat.
|
|
[4K] Florida Keys USA Scenic Drive - Islamorada to Key West via A1A Highway Road Trip |
|
Love the keys wish I could afford to get some property.
We stayed 3 months last year on big pine in a camper. This year only got 1 month and heading up to Florida city for 2 months. Next year hopefully 3 months on big pine. Beach with sand Bahia Honda state park Calusa Beach & Loggerhead beach. Going north on 1 just before you get on the bridge to Bahia Honda you'll see the old Bridge there's a pullover parking it's a small sandy beach to lay out on and wade . The old Bridge and railroad is cool to check out. There is some sand beach by the mile marker 1 in key west. As far as a beach goes around here you need to remember this is a corral habitat great for snorkeling most beaches have sea grass & corral not like beaches in upper Florida. I like to swim and float around so the best beach for that is Fort Zachary Taylor Park. Go to the very last parking area beach on left. Deep clean no sea grass but no sand bring a chair or rent one. Great historic area Hemingway house go to Geiger key and watch the military jets take of & land. No name pub has the best Chili I eat there one a week. I shoot twice a week at a shop on Big Coppitt key |
|
Quoted: Need to escape the cold for a week or so this winter and Florida is on the approved travel to list. How long does it take to see the Keys? Good places to stay and eat? Best beaches? Military/war history/museums? More info. We'll be traveling with our baby girl and her 9 year old daughter. Don't really drink much and not interested in diving or fishing or other ocean activities. Just want to see the sights, history and spend some afternoons on beaches. Will also be doing some POTA amateur radio. We'd like to stay at hotels that don't have bed bugs, probably stich with Hilton properties unless there's better options. View Quote @tyrex13 Contrary to popular belief (and most of the advice posted here already), you can actually have a great time in the keys with kids in tow, even if you aren’t interested in having a drinking / fishing focused vacation. There is a catch though: it will cost you. We’ve done the keys numerous times over the last 25 years with kids in tow (we have 4) and always had a blast. Here’s a great itinerary for you to consider: Fly into MIA. Rent car (hopefully this part goes smooth as the rental folks at MIA barely habla de engles’) Drive to Hilton Miami Downtown and rent the one bedroom family suite. Attached File Price is probably going to be between $300-$400 night or just use Hilton Points 80k-100k. Take the kids to the Science Museum which is a one block walk from the hotel. The family suite is nice because there is plenty of room for a family of 4 and the kids loved watching the cruise ships come and go from the bay view windows. The next morning, GTFO of Miami and head south to Key Largo to the Baker’s Cay Curio hotel by Hilton (1 hr 15 mins). Check in for 2 nights. Rooms are $750/night or as low as 38k Hilton Honors pts. Relax and enjoy the resort and island for a couple of days. Plenty to do at the resort, and wife and kids will absolutely love it. In fact, mine liked it even more than KW. They have bikes to ride, trails, docks you can fish from with their poles, watersports galore, a great pool with waterfall, and a nice kids pool. Food, bars, service, activities, and views are all exceptional here. Attached File Video of Baker’s Cay Curio Resort The next morning check out and drive 30 mins south to Islamorada and stop at Robbie’s and let the wife and kids watch manatees and then hand-feed tarpon from the dock. Attached File Then set out for Key West, stopping at any scenic sights along the way that catch your interest. It will take you about 1hr 45 mins to get to the heart of Key West - Mallory square. Arrive Key West - head to North Duval street and check-in for 3 nights at The Pier House Resort and Spa which is around $700 per night (with the AAA rate). The key selling point to this resort (even though it’s not a Hilton), is location, location, location! Not having to deal with parking is a beautiful thing. Another big selling point to this resort is: they have their own “private beach” with white sand, beach lounge chairs and nice towels. As previously mentioned, if there is one thing to know about Key West -it’s that it really lacks any decent beaches, and this solves that problem quite handily. The pool is not huge, but it’s nice and we even saw big iguanas roaming the trees and bushes surrounding the pool. Attached File Attached File Attached File From this resort location you can set out and easily walk to most of the sites that KW has to offer. With kids in tow, you can easily walk to the bite, the Mel Fisher Museum, Aquarium, Hemingway House, and all the shops and restaurants you’d ever want to see. NOTE: the Southernmost point is a hike (by the S end of Duval), so maybe drive down there to get your obligatory tourist pic. For food: eat what you like. I highly recommend you take the kids to breakfast at Pepe’s one morning, and Blue Heaven another, if nothing else. Santiago’s Bodega is also great for lunch/dinner. Final day: check out and drive back to MIA and return rental car. It can be done. We have done it. I promise it will be fun, but it won’t be cheap. Good luck! |
|
Quoted: How is the Nature Coast in January? Crystal Springs and that area. I was thinking about going there for MLK Day week, or maybe Presidents Day week in February. View Quote Did you mean Crystal River, where the manatees are? You're really talking about Old Florida (which IMHO is best Florida.) They call it the Nature Coast for a reason, as it's not really a place to find nightlife, cultural events, etc. You're more likely to find an old bar with a local band, friendly people, and local seafood. It doesn't have the beautiful beaches found further south, but if you (like me) aren't a 'lay on the beach all day' kind of person, then you'll find plenty of relaxing fun. Cedar Key is a great town to just 'hang out.' My last vacation was a week at a BNB there. I really enjoyed just driving around, fishing, eating great food, and taking lots of pictures. Coastal fishing (redfish, trout, snook) all up and down the coast is superb, and there are a lot of charter captains who will put you on fish. Weather can be a bit variable in January. It can be a perfect 60-75°, or it can be kind of cold. |
|
|
|
Just landed in the Keys last night.
My in-laws come down every Christmas for 2-3 weeks. Pretty much did everything my first week down here. Lots of bars. The shipwreck museum was pretty cool. And the Fort (Fort Zachary). The museum right off the airport is pretty cool too (old fort also). The haunted tour was kind meh, same with the "conch tour", but the Tour is good if it's your first time and you wanna get to know the area. Other than that just relax, drink, and enjoy the show. |
|
It would take weeks or months to see and do everything. If you make it to Key West you should go the the Pilar distillery tour.
we were there in October. Stayed three nights on Ilsamorada at the Islander resort and 2 nights at the Ocean Key resort on Key West. Islander view from our room Attached File Ocean Key resort view Attached File |
|
Quoted: @tyrex13 Contrary to popular belief (and most of the advice posted here already), you can actually have a great time in the keys with kids in tow, even if you aren’t interested in having a drinking / fishing focused vacation. There is a catch though: it will cost you. We’ve done the keys numerous times over the last 25 years with kids in tow (we have 4) and always had a blast. Here’s a great itinerary for you to consider: Fly into MIA. Rent car (hopefully this part goes smooth as the rental folks at MIA barely habla de engles’) Drive to Hilton Miami Downtown and rent the one bedroom family suite. https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/301438/B6115BF7-5A93-4178-96DA-F4AA18C0FC8D_jpe-2209215.JPG Price is probably going to be between $300-$400 night or just use Hilton Points 80k-100k. Take the kids to the Science Museum which is a one block walk from the hotel. The family suite is nice because there is plenty of room for a family of 4 and the kids loved watching the cruise ships come and go from the bay view windows. The next morning, GTFO of Miami and head south to Key Largo to the Baker’s Cay Curio hotel by Hilton (1 hr 15 mins). Check in for 2 nights. Rooms are $750/night or as low as 38k Hilton Honors pts. Relax and enjoy the resort and island for a couple of days. Plenty to do at the resort, and wife and kids will absolutely love it. In fact, they liked it more than KW. https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/301438/512D2DD8-0704-4FA3-86E1-44FD716B6E2D_jpe-2209202.JPG The next morning check out and drive 30 mins south to Islamorada and stop at Robbie’s and let the wife and kids watch manatees and then hand-feed tarpon from the dock. https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/301438/3C5EAE25-7FD7-4663-A7EC-CCEF86729477_jpe-2209324.JPG Then set out for Key West, stopping at any scenic sights along the way that catch your interest. It will take you about 1hr 45 mins to get to the heart of Key West - Mallory square. Arrive Key West - head to North Duval street and check-in for 3 nights at The Pier House Resort and Spa which is around $700 per night (with the AAA rate). The key selling point to this resort (even though it’s not a Hilton), is location, location, location! Not having to deal with parking is a beautiful thing. Another big selling point to this resort is: they have their own “private beach” with white sand, beach lounge chairs and nice towels. As previously mentioned, if there is one thing to know about Key West -it’s that it really lacks any decent beaches, and this solves that problem quite handily. The pool is not huge, but it’s nice and we even saw big iguanas roaming the trees and bushes surrounding the pool. https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/301438/3D94E42C-B3DF-4C5E-A341-8DF9D026F86B_jpe-2209203.JPG https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/301438/0D7C9479-A4C4-4BBC-A6DD-56AFC75488F3_jpe-2209205.JPG https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/301438/E15FEF1E-9A25-4FDC-AFF0-7B44975EF4F9_jpe-2209326.JPG From this resort location you can set out and easily walk to most of the sites that KW has to offer. With kids in tow, you can easily walk to the bite, the Mel Fisher Museum, Aquarium, Hemingway House, and all the shops and restaurants you’d ever want to see. NOTE: the Southernmost point is a hike (by the S end of Duval), so maybe drive down there to get your obligatory tourist pic. For food: eat what you like. I highly recommend you take the kids to breakfast at Pepe’s one morning, and Blue Heaven another, if nothing else. Santiago’s Bodega is also great for lunch/dinner. Final day: check out and drive back to MIA and return rental car. It can be done. We have done it. I promise it will be fun, but it won’t be cheap. Good luck! View Quote I stayed in that room at the Pier House Before |
|
Quoted: @tyrex13 Contrary to popular belief (and most of the advice posted here already), you can actually have a great time in the keys with kids in tow, even if you aren’t interested in having a drinking / fishing focused vacation. There is a catch though: it will cost you. We’ve done the keys numerous times over the last 25 years with kids in tow (we have 4) and always had a blast. Here’s a great itinerary for you to consider: Fly into MIA. Rent car (hopefully this part goes smooth as the rental folks at MIA barely habla de engles’) Drive to Hilton Miami Downtown and rent the one bedroom family suite. https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/301438/B6115BF7-5A93-4178-96DA-F4AA18C0FC8D_jpe-2209215.JPG Price is probably going to be between $300-$400 night or just use Hilton Points 80k-100k. Take the kids to the Science Museum which is a one block walk from the hotel. The family suite is nice because there is plenty of room for a family of 4 and the kids loved watching the cruise ships come and go from the bay view windows. The next morning, GTFO of Miami and head south to Key Largo to the Baker’s Cay Curio hotel by Hilton (1 hr 15 mins). Check in for 2 nights. Rooms are $750/night or as low as 38k Hilton Honors pts. Relax and enjoy the resort and island for a couple of days. Plenty to do at the resort, and wife and kids will absolutely love it. In fact, mine liked it even more than KW. They have bikes to ride, trails, docks you can fish from with their poles, watersports galore, a great pool with waterfall, and a nice kids pool. Food, bars, service, activities, and views are all exceptional here. https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/301438/512D2DD8-0704-4FA3-86E1-44FD716B6E2D_jpe-2209202.JPG Video of Baker’s Cay Curio Resort The next morning check out and drive 30 mins south to Islamorada and stop at Robbie’s and let the wife and kids watch manatees and then hand-feed tarpon from the dock. https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/301438/3C5EAE25-7FD7-4663-A7EC-CCEF86729477_jpe-2209324.JPG Then set out for Key West, stopping at any scenic sights along the way that catch your interest. It will take you about 1hr 45 mins to get to the heart of Key West - Mallory square. Arrive Key West - head to North Duval street and check-in for 3 nights at The Pier House Resort and Spa which is around $700 per night (with the AAA rate). The key selling point to this resort (even though it’s not a Hilton), is location, location, location! Not having to deal with parking is a beautiful thing. Another big selling point to this resort is: they have their own “private beach” with white sand, beach lounge chairs and nice towels. As previously mentioned, if there is one thing to know about Key West -it’s that it really lacks any decent beaches, and this solves that problem quite handily. The pool is not huge, but it’s nice and we even saw big iguanas roaming the trees and bushes surrounding the pool. https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/301438/3D94E42C-B3DF-4C5E-A341-8DF9D026F86B_jpe-2209203.JPG https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/301438/0D7C9479-A4C4-4BBC-A6DD-56AFC75488F3_jpe-2209205.JPG https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/301438/E15FEF1E-9A25-4FDC-AFF0-7B44975EF4F9_jpe-2209326.JPG From this resort location you can set out and easily walk to most of the sites that KW has to offer. With kids in tow, you can easily walk to the bite, the Mel Fisher Museum, Aquarium, Hemingway House, and all the shops and restaurants you’d ever want to see. NOTE: the Southernmost point is a hike (by the S end of Duval), so maybe drive down there to get your obligatory tourist pic. For food: eat what you like. I highly recommend you take the kids to breakfast at Pepe’s one morning, and Blue Heaven another, if nothing else. Santiago’s Bodega is also great for lunch/dinner. Final day: check out and drive back to MIA and return rental car. It can be done. We have done it. I promise it will be fun, but it won’t be cheap. Good luck! View Quote Thanks for the great info! Gonna take the time to digest all this |
|
We have been to key west about 4 times and each time with kids, and it has been a blast!
Normally try to go during the boat show in Miami and make it a Miami/Key West Trip |
|
Quoted: Popularity has killed many a decent place. I couldn't get over all the gay boys parading around in orange work boots and short shorts. Wtf? Is KW a queer magnet? View Quote View All Quotes View All Quotes Quoted: Quoted: Key West was cool 40 years ago. There's really no beaches, and the luster has faded. You should do the Sarasota area: Anna Maria Island, Lido Key, Longboat Key, Siesta Key. Sarasota itself has money, and the downtown is small but really nice. Definitely check out Munchie's 420 Cafe by the marina. Lots of great restaurants. Much less crowded. Popularity has killed many a decent place. I couldn't get over all the gay boys parading around in orange work boots and short shorts. Wtf? Is KW a queer magnet? When people thought the government could re-define marriage and were pushing to have the government try and fake that here, one of the earliest if not the first lawsuits over that came out of KW. |
|
Quoted: Check the dates carefully before going to make sure it isn't a special Gay event happening when you're going to be there. Then it's REALLy packed with them! View Quote View All Quotes View All Quotes Quoted: Quoted: Its fulla queers and crossdressers in key west. Stay away, unless you dig that kinda horseshit. Check the dates carefully before going to make sure it isn't a special Gay event happening when you're going to be there. Then it's REALLy packed with them! It's the same for disney world. https://duckduckgo.com/?t=ffsb&q=gay+days+at+disney&ia=web ... and unless things have changed (I highly doubt they have) disney doesn't issue any sort of notification or warning for those. As if the gun control and fingerprinting of kids wasn't bad enough. |
|
Quoted: Gravely is an adjective, not a noun. As in not the smooth sand tourists are looking for. View Quote View All Quotes View All Quotes Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: Beaches are gravely, not great. Some history in Key West, but the real historical gem is Fort Jefferson. Probably not feasible with a baby. Not much along the keys themselves. Long drive on bridges. Key West can be done in a day, but not much for kids, maybe the aquarium. It's a tourist trap these days, but still fun for parrotheads and bar hopping. Get blackened mako and conch fritters at the half shell raw bar. The ocean is the point of the keys, if you're not wanting to fish or enjoy the water in some way, don't bother. Go to one of the family friendly tourist beaches on the mainland. Beaches are coral, not gravel. Shoes required to swim at all times!!! Gravely is an adjective, not a noun. As in not the smooth sand tourists are looking for. Gravelly. Not gravely. |
|
Quoted: Worth seeing ONCE. Then driving away, and watching the end of True Lies to refresh your memory. View Quote View All Quotes View All Quotes Quoted: Quoted: It's worth seeing each island of the keys. Isla Morada, Key Largo, etc. Worth seeing ONCE. Then driving away, and watching the end of True Lies to refresh your memory. IIRC, they blew up that part of the old bridge in reality, it wasn't CGI. |
|
If you don’t want to dive, fish or drink, the keys isn’t for you.
|
|
Islands of Misfit Toys. Hot, muggy, mosquito infested, islands of Misfit Toys.
|
|
Wish I was wealthy enough to have one of those homes with a tropical looking backyard and in ground pool. Looks very cozy.
|
|
Quoted: Need to escape the cold for a week or so this winter and Florida is on the approved travel to list. How long does it take to see the Keys? Good places to stay and eat? Best beaches? Military/war history/museums? More info. We'll be traveling with our baby girl and her 9 year old daughter. Don't really drink much and not interested in diving or fishing or other ocean activities. Just want to see the sights, history and spend some afternoons on beaches. Will also be doing some POTA amateur radio. We'd like to stay at hotels that don't have bed bugs, probably stich with Hilton properties unless there's better options. View Quote Are you planning to be here over the Holidays? Everybody and their Little Brown Dog will be here. Everything will be crowded. January and February have a lot of Snow Birds but are sparse on tourists. That is the best time to go to the attractions like Disney. Just get here before the Spring breakers. After the Spring breakers leave it OK for a few weeks until school is out and then it gets crowded again. |
|
|
|
Quoted: I have heard that but didn't see much evidence when I was there, apart from a few rainbow flags. The place seemed heavily heterosexual. View Quote View All Quotes View All Quotes Quoted: Quoted: Key West is a huge destination and place to live for the LGBTQ crowd. I have heard that but didn't see much evidence when I was there, apart from a few rainbow flags. The place seemed heavily heterosexual. It is not what it was like in the 80s and 90s as far as gay life. A lot of gays have moved on to other locations. I think it is because gays can be more open now with their lifestyle and are more or less accepted by the general population. There are still a lot of gays there but they are living a more staid life than the guys in the 80s and 90s, getting married, adopting kids, buying houses, running businesses. On the other hand, there is the 801 Bar. |
|
|
Quoted: Key West was cool 40 years ago. There's really no beaches, and the luster has faded. You should do the Sarasota area: Anna Maria Island, Lido Key, Longboat Key, Siesta Key. Sarasota itself has money, and the downtown is small but really nice. Definitely check out Munchie's 420 Cafe by the marina. Lots of great restaurants. Much less crowded. View Quote Sarasota is booming, by the way - I myself am a new resident, after moving from La Jolla, CA (San Diego). We recently did the keys with the kids and it was wonderful; I think it was a couple of months ago. We loved it. I'll try and remember some detail so that we can suggest but if main concern is escaping the cold, you'll succeed with little effort and the scenery and amenities are still worth it. |
|
Quoted: Thanks for the great info! Gonna take the time to digest all this View Quote View All Quotes View All Quotes Quoted: Quoted: @tyrex13 Contrary to popular belief (and most of the advice posted here already), you can actually have a great time in the keys with kids in tow, even if you aren’t interested in having a drinking / fishing focused vacation. There is a catch though: it will cost you. We’ve done the keys numerous times over the last 25 years with kids in tow (we have 4) and always had a blast. Here’s a great itinerary for you to consider: Fly into MIA. Rent car (hopefully this part goes smooth as the rental folks at MIA barely habla de engles’) Drive to Hilton Miami Downtown and rent the one bedroom family suite. https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/301438/B6115BF7-5A93-4178-96DA-F4AA18C0FC8D_jpe-2209215.JPG Price is probably going to be between $300-$400 night or just use Hilton Points 80k-100k. Take the kids to the Science Museum which is a one block walk from the hotel. The family suite is nice because there is plenty of room for a family of 4 and the kids loved watching the cruise ships come and go from the bay view windows. The next morning, GTFO of Miami and head south to Key Largo to the Baker’s Cay Curio hotel by Hilton (1 hr 15 mins). Check in for 2 nights. Rooms are $750/night or as low as 38k Hilton Honors pts. Relax and enjoy the resort and island for a couple of days. Plenty to do at the resort, and wife and kids will absolutely love it. In fact, mine liked it even more than KW. They have bikes to ride, trails, docks you can fish from with their poles, watersports galore, a great pool with waterfall, and a nice kids pool. Food, bars, service, activities, and views are all exceptional here. https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/301438/512D2DD8-0704-4FA3-86E1-44FD716B6E2D_jpe-2209202.JPG Video of Baker’s Cay Curio Resort The next morning check out and drive 30 mins south to Islamorada and stop at Robbie’s and let the wife and kids watch manatees and then hand-feed tarpon from the dock. https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/301438/3C5EAE25-7FD7-4663-A7EC-CCEF86729477_jpe-2209324.JPG Then set out for Key West, stopping at any scenic sights along the way that catch your interest. It will take you about 1hr 45 mins to get to the heart of Key West - Mallory square. Arrive Key West - head to North Duval street and check-in for 3 nights at The Pier House Resort and Spa which is around $700 per night (with the AAA rate). The key selling point to this resort (even though it’s not a Hilton), is location, location, location! Not having to deal with parking is a beautiful thing. Another big selling point to this resort is: they have their own “private beach” with white sand, beach lounge chairs and nice towels. As previously mentioned, if there is one thing to know about Key West -it’s that it really lacks any decent beaches, and this solves that problem quite handily. The pool is not huge, but it’s nice and we even saw big iguanas roaming the trees and bushes surrounding the pool. https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/301438/3D94E42C-B3DF-4C5E-A341-8DF9D026F86B_jpe-2209203.JPG https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/301438/0D7C9479-A4C4-4BBC-A6DD-56AFC75488F3_jpe-2209205.JPG https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/301438/E15FEF1E-9A25-4FDC-AFF0-7B44975EF4F9_jpe-2209326.JPG From this resort location you can set out and easily walk to most of the sites that KW has to offer. With kids in tow, you can easily walk to the bite, the Mel Fisher Museum, Aquarium, Hemingway House, and all the shops and restaurants you’d ever want to see. NOTE: the Southernmost point is a hike (by the S end of Duval), so maybe drive down there to get your obligatory tourist pic. For food: eat what you like. I highly recommend you take the kids to breakfast at Pepe’s one morning, and Blue Heaven another, if nothing else. Santiago’s Bodega is also great for lunch/dinner. Final day: check out and drive back to MIA and return rental car. It can be done. We have done it. I promise it will be fun, but it won’t be cheap. Good luck! Thanks for the great info! Gonna take the time to digest all this Cool. Hope it helps Question on the POTA…. do you ever use a slick line to setup a temp antenna for that? |
|
|
The keys are expensive.
The middle keys are more fushing oriented. Key West is designed to separate you from your money however the performers at Mallory square are worth seeing. Fort Jefferson too and of course the Dry Tortugas. |
|
|
Quoted: Tickets booked! Jan 21-29 View Quote There's lots of good advice and some, not so much, in this thread. If you are not into drinking, still walk down Duval street during the day. You can still get lunch at the Hard Rock without booze. Make sure to walk the Garrison Bight docks, lot's of fish, boats and history. Fort Zachery Taylor park is the best beach in Key West. Also, check out Mel fishers, Hemingway house. |
|
The further south you go in the keys, the more fabulous it becomes.
|
|
Marco island is what you seek. Shorter drive, full house rentals with water access/dock, great restaurants, very nice farmers market, boat rentals delivered to your dock. Many backwater areas to explore with small islands and sand bars all to yourself. Beaches are very nice.. we love tiger tail. The family will be going beginning of February!
|
|
Sign up for the ARFCOM weekly newsletter and be entered to win a free ARFCOM membership. One new winner* is announced every week!
You will receive an email every Friday morning featuring the latest chatter from the hottest topics, breaking news surrounding legislation, as well as exclusive deals only available to ARFCOM email subscribers.
AR15.COM is the world's largest firearm community and is a gathering place for firearm enthusiasts of all types.
From hunters and military members, to competition shooters and general firearm enthusiasts, we welcome anyone who values and respects the way of the firearm.
Subscribe to our monthly Newsletter to receive firearm news, product discounts from your favorite Industry Partners, and more.
Copyright © 1996-2024 AR15.COM LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Any use of this content without express written consent is prohibited.
AR15.Com reserves the right to overwrite or replace any affiliate, commercial, or monetizable links, posted by users, with our own.