Date Range: Jan 29 to Feb 3
Summary: We spend 5 nights in the Keys touring the islands, sampling the local food, and even enjoying a Margarita in Margaritaville! And spend $0 on lodging.
ââHa.
Day 1 - Miami to Key Largo
We left the Port of Miami in the late morning and found one of the last Wal-Marts on the way to the Keys to stock up on provisions for the trip. We filled our two 5-gallon Coleman Water Carriers that lasted us the whole time, and some non-perishable food items: PB&J fixings, apples, granola bars etc. We were also exhausted from our cruise (late nights of entertainment, early disembarkation get-up time), so took a nap in the parking lot.
After waking, we made our way to Key Largo, and the sun was just about to set. We found a spot to watch it fade, then the realization hit that we had no idea where we were going to sleep for the night, or anywhere to rest and hang out until it was time to sleep. Luckily, there was a Starbucks on Key Largo for the latter.
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When we were ready for sleep, we drove around the dark streets of Key Largo for about 45 minutes looking for a spot that was the perfect balance between "not obvious" and "suspicious." Tension was high - it's never a good idea to do something that stressful when you are sleepy! Luckily, we got better at it as we went.
We settled on an unnamed parking lot behind some businesses where a semi and trailer were parked. While there was a "No Overnight Parking" sign posted at the edge, we were undisturbed. Well, until the garbage truck came at 6AM the next morning to empty the dumpsters.
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Day 2 - Key Largo, Islamorada, & Marathon
Islamorada
You will also find the Hurricane Memorial and crypt on Islamorada (at Mile Marker 81.5) honoring the 485 people lost during the massive hurricane of 1935.
âThe 1935 Labor Day Hurricane was the strongest and most intense hurricane to make landfall in the United States and the Atlantic Basin in recorded history. It was a category 5 hurricane, and Islamorada sustained winds of 200 miles per hour which obliterated the town. During that time, about 700 military veterans were employed constructing the first Overseas Highway to connect the mainland to Key West, and 257 of them perished in the hurricane. |
This gave us a new appreciation for the Overseas Highway we were driving on. A lot of the old construction is currently used for pedestrian bridges out over the water, where many people go to walk, bike, and fish. Other sections were left as memorials - decrepit sections of bridge slowly being reclaimed by the ocean, but reminding travelers of the lives lost.
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Marathon
On Marathon, we lingered. Cait had a friend who had lived on Marathon Key, and she recommended a local restaurant called Burdine's. The food was fabulous (you HAVE to get the hush puppies and the Chicken Florentine Burger!) and with it you got a waterside view of the boats coming and going.
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Day 3 - Bahia Honda, Big Pine, No Name, Key West
Bahia Honda
Big Pine Key
There is a big deal about being able to actually find No Name Pub, since it doesn't have a name. In reality, it is easily found on a GPS. The pub is no-frills (beer served in plastic disposable cups), unless you count the thousands upon thousands of dollar bills - real money - hanging on the walls, ceiling, rafters, and anywhere else a staple or nail could hold them!
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No Name Key
Key West
The Secret to Car Camping in the Keys (from the Experts)
It was warm in the Keys the whole time we were there, but the hottest days were when we were in Key West. We biked to all the beaches to determine which one was best, but ended up determining that the public beaches weren't Key West's strong point. The water was cloudy, and you couldn't see the sharp hunks of coral and rock just beneath the surface that caused more than one stubbed toe. A lot of the beaches also had the ammonia stink from the rotting seaweed, which doesn't make for a pleasant day at the beach. Check out the "Read More" section at the bottom for more info on the beaches.
We also checked off some bucket list items:
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Taste of Cuba
Day 5 - Snorkeling Sombrero Reef
Blog: Getting Stung by Jellyfish & the Home Remedy that WORKS
At least we had a beautiful sunset to send us off!
Check out the aerial drone footage we took while we were there:
- Fort Zachary Taylor Park & Beach - While we did not make it to this park and beach, we heard from many locals and vacationers alike that this was the beach to go to.
- South Beach - Small and located behind and squashed between some resorts. Busy.
- Dog Beach - As the name suggests, this is the dog-friendly beach. It is very small and crammed between a couple of hotels. LOTS of dog traffic here, so if you didn't bring your canine companion you probably won't want to deal with other peoples' petsâ you-know-what. It is not cleaned by the city, but (hopefully) by responsible pet owners.
- Broken Glass Beach - First of all, probably the worst name for any beach. If the name doesn't scare you off, it (like most of the beaches we visited on Key West) was very rocky.
- Higgs Beach - This is where we ended up laying our towel down. It looked the nicest sandy-beach wise, but the layer of sand above the rocky foundation wasnât enough for Cait's tender feet. Rocks in the shallow areas were hard to see in the cloudy water.
- Smathers Beach - the largest public beach on Key West on the south edge of the island. This one had a bit of strong odor to it, so we did not stay long.