A Day in the Florida Keys

Key West, Florida: It’s spring break time in Florida and time for a trip. Due to work schedules and doctor appointments, we did not take a traditional trip. However we opted for a day trip and we chose a day trip to Miami and stops at Zoo Miami, Miami History and the Wings over Miami. However when we were about to get off the Florida Turnpike for the zoo, there was a destination sign for Key West. We looked at each other and said you know we have always wanted to do the drive to Key West and the Overseas Highway so we changed the plans and headed south. 

We visited Key West a few years ago on a cruise, but in 25 years of living in Florida, I have never made the drive. I have seen it so many times in magazines and road trip articles but just never got around to taking the drive. Today was going to be the day!

The Overseas Highway or US-1 connects the mainland of Florida with the Florida Keys ending at Mile Marker 0 in Key West. The 113-mile journey passes through towns like Key Largo, Marathon, Islamorada and islands like Duck Key, Cudjoe Key, Long Key and many more before ultimately ending in Key West, the Southernmost Point of the Continental US. 

We had intended on stopping at each of the islands along the way, but Spring Break traffic saw the day quickly getting away from us so we just toured by the main road while continuing to Key West. In fact, it was almost 2 pm by the time we arrived, nine hours into our journey. 

Our first stop in Key West was the Key West Butterfly and Nature Conservatory. The large conservatory allows you to walk among exotic butterflies and tropical birds in a free flight aviary. You get up close with species of butterflies from around the globe and you can even see them in various stages of development from cocoon to adult butterfly. We have visited a few butterfly conservatories and this one was by far the best we have been to so far. 

After seeing the butterflies, we took a small stroll around this area of Key West. We stopped by the Southernmost Point, a marker that indicates the public area at the southernmost part of the continental US. From this symbolic buoy you are a mere 90 miles from Cuba and are closer to Cuba than the mainland US. We then walked to a nearby beach and encountered some of the famous Key West roosters roaming the streets. 

Our next stop was Fort Zachary Taylor. But just like our original diversion, plans changed when we pulled into the Truman Annex and saw the US Coast Guard cutter in port for tours. Having not researched this trip in advance, I was not sure if this was a permanent thing or a special event so we stopped by for a tour. Turns out it is permanently docked at the Truman Annex for tours but either way we were happy we stopped. 

The US Coast Guard Cutter Ingham was the most decorated ship in Coast Guard history. It served for over 50 years in active service and continues to serve as the USCGC Ingham Maritime Museum. As you tour the ship you will learn about life on the ship and its history in the onboard museum. When I think of the Coast Guard, my first impression is the lifesaving missions, but it was interesting to see just how much more they do. 

When we got off the ship and back on land, we headed over to Fort Taylor. Florida’s southernmost state park, Fort Taylor is a Civil War era fort built to help fortify the country from attacks. This impressive fort never saw action and today stands as part of a state park. We took a self-guided tour through the fort which provided both scenic and historic views. 

Our next stop on the journey was to visit the Mel Fisher Maritime Museum however we ran out of time and there were closing within 20 minutes, so we decided to skip the visit and return home. At this point we had already been on the road for ten hours and still had at least a six-hour drive back home. 

On the way home, we stopped at the Fish Tales Market and Eatery in Marathon. The local seafood restaurant was highly rated and did not disappoint. We started with a cup of clam chowder. Then for the entree, I had the shrimp basket and my wife had the grouper fingers. All of the food was delicious. 

After dinner, we continued home but not before making one last stop before leaving the Keys. Who can go to the Keys without having a piece of Key Lime Pie. We stopped by Mrs Mac’s in Key Largo for a slice of Key Lime Pie and Chocolate Cake to-go and enjoyed it on the drive home. 

 As you can see from the trip, we managed to do a bunch in this unplanned trip. There was still so much more we wanted to see and do but just didn’t have the time. But don’t worry, we booked a trip back to the Keys in November. Then we will spend a couple days in the area and visit more places. 

Click on the photos above to view more photos from the trip in the Key West Day Trip photo gallery and be sure to check back later for more from the places we visited.