Going to Key West

I used to live in the Keys. It's been 18 years since I left, so the restaurants may have changed, but the things to see certainly haven't. The kids will love Key Largo's Pennekamp State Park. Go for a ride on the glass bottom boats. Get down in the V-hull early so the kids are right next to the glass sides. The coral and tropical fish are amazing. Further down the islands, on Windley Key, stop at Theater of the Sea. There is a lot to see there, including dolphin shows. Long Key State Park is terrific for me. It's a good place for the kids to get out of the car and run around. If you are near Big Pine Key at twilight, go for a slow ride around the bay side of the island. That is when the Key deer start moving around. They are white tail deer that have evolved into a dog size because of the lack of nutrition.

Not sure of good Hotels in Key West, Pier House was nice long ago, restaurants change but the best car rental was Thrifty Car Rental. Best Deal was the Wild Car Deal. You reserve a mid size or better and usually get an upgrade. Have even gotter convertible!!! Good Luck and Enjoy

I would recommend a Bed and Breakfast in Key West. We stayed at the Heron House and it was fabulous. On the way to the Keys, stop at the 7-Mile Grill for the best fish I have ever had in my life. It is a diner/bar type of place but the food is excellend and is very clean. The other place we really liked was the Raw Bar in Key West. The restaurant is on the water and is casual...you can watch the sunset while you eat an early dinner. A bottle of wine is reasonable and the staff are friendly. Then walk down the pier and listen to all of the live music at the various outdoor bars. I was just there in January for my honeymoom. We didn't do any of the fancy restaurants because we just didn't feel like getting dressed up. Ask the locals where they go to eat for ideas. You will find better value for your dollar.

See: At Key West, The Butterfly garden was great. Lots of fun for little ones.
Also, there's beachfront restaurants that are great for lunch. Have the Conch (prounounced konk) roll.

I love the Keys, been going there for 8 years. We always stay in Marathon. It's half way between Miami and Key West. I would NOT recommend you bringing children to Key West. I hate it there and it's not very healthy. There are many more places to stay where you can vist Key West and still have a great time. Check out Hawks Cay Resort, they have a great dolphin encounter package and you'll still be able to drive to Key West in about 1 hr. Believe me, Key West is an experience only those in their 20's an single should experience.

P.S. We're leaving in May to go to Marathon again for the 9th year in a row and I wouldn't miss it for the world. As far as Key West is concerned, I've seen better sunsets and had a better time away from there.

P. R.

We loved Islamorada Fish Company on Islamorada Key. A group of us drove down the Keys on a quest to find the best Key Lime pie and this was my favorite. I also loved their softshell crab sandwich, my husband loved the mahi mahi.

Also, something your kids might enjoy, but I'm not sure exactly where it is...As we were driving we saw a sign that said "Feed the Tarpons", so we pulled over. We paid a nominal fee for a small bucket of bait fish and tossed them off of the pier. In an instant, we were surrounded by these giant tarpon (3-5 feet long).

UH, I'm so jealous! I LOVE KEY WEST!!! You are going to have a great time! I've done the drive from Ft. Lauderdale once, but have driven from Orlando twice. It's a nice drive and before you know if you'll be there!

I've always done KW on the cheap, especially with rooms. We always stay at the Southernmost Resort. They have three properties now, one is a regular hotel and the others are suite style. It's out of the way, at the end of Duval Street, from all of the craziness so it's kind of nice. They have 3+pools and one of their properties is right on the water with an awesome outdoor restaurant!

Pretty much anywhere you go in KW has great food. We always try to go to the Conch Republic Seafood Company. It has AWESOME fresh seafood and other foods as well. It has great atmosphere and it's hugs so you never have to wait to long for a table!

If you're in to the bar scene at night, you have to check out Sloppy Joes, Irish Kevin's, Fat Tuesdays, and The Green Parrot! They are fun and historic KW hangouts! If you're out late and are hungry, there are several New York sytle pizza places that are street front that you can stop at. Our favorite is Angelina's, which is across the street from Irish Kevin's.

If you're looking for water trips, check out the Sebago Tours. They are great. You can do half and whole day adventures and they have sunset cruise, which is so much fun! You can look them up online or when you get there, but it's best to book in advance!

That is all I have for now....can you tell I love the place!! Feel free to email directly if you want more ideas!

Have a great trip!

Stay in Ft Lauderdale! I hate to burst your bubble, but the keys are a long LONG drive from there & in my opinion were a wasted trip!! You get there & it is mostly a big strip of bars on Duval Street that are kind of run down with the smell of sewage everywhere combined with the smells of the ocean. We rented a house in one of the keys and drove to key west basically for one afternoon. I recommend saving the gas money!! Ft. Lauderdale is awesome - the beach is great. There are some fantastic restaurants - you can even venture down to Miami to the big beach there. (It has some strange folks there - but it is worth the trip!!)
If you do the keys, you will be spending a LOT of time driving... just to get to the same old things... only the beach area in key west is limited. Key West is very old - we saw the butterfly museum and one other old house that we toured - but alas, everything you must pay to tour! The huge Banyon trees were cool. Yes, I saw the deer too. (Kind of feel bad for the things) Isle of Marada Fish Co was great, but then again, so are a lot of restaurants in the Ft. Lauderdale area! The same beach shops are in Ft Lauderdale too! Most of the hotels on the ocean are nice. I recommend going to a website & bidding on one (check out its rating first). You can get GREAT deals that way. Good Luck! Hope you have a great vacation - i am jealous!