his journey is about my third trip to the Florida Keys. Technically my second was when I visited Dry Tortugas. We drove down to Key West and stayed the night there before getting on the ferry to this must-visit island paradise in the Gulf of Mexico. Read more about my camping adventure at Dry Tortugas on the Trips page.
So back to my third trip down to the Keys. I like to make the most of my adventure and road trips. On the drive, we stopped at Blue Heron Bridge, which is a little north of West Palm Beach. This scuba dive is a bucket list item in Florida! Who would have thought that under an overpass bridge you could see such an array of marine life, from stingrays to giant angelfish! You can read more details about this dive via its own post on my Scuba Dive page.
After the dive, we headed to Miami! We met my friends, who were flying into Miami to join us on our Keys adventure. I had been to Miami before, but only for a day and only to do a scuba dive. I was excited to get a little time to explore the lively city.
We stayed at the Miami Marriott Biscayne Bay hotel. It was pretty central to what we wanted to do. And we got a great view of the water and the beautiful and walkable Venetian Causeway Bridge.
The first night we went out to South Beach! How can you not go here if you are in Miami? We found this cute Spanish food restaurant called Tapelia Spanish Cuisine. This paella is delicious, and the presentation was something else. We enjoyed the lovely breeze since we sat outside under a picturesque canopy of lights and greenery while sipping sangria.
At this time, many of the dance clubs in the area were still closed, so we had to pause that.
But we did happen upon this awesome bar called Sweet Liberty Drinks & Supply Company. It wasn't a club, but they did have some fun and danceable music playing. And all their cocktails are unique and handcrafted. They were pricey, mine was $16, but totally worth it.
The next day, we explored Little Havanna! We took an uber to get to that side of town. Once you are down there, there is a vintage trolley that makes stops along the famous avenue, Calle Ocho.
You can't go to Little Havanna and not get Cuban coffee. I found this tucked-away shop called La Colada Gourmet. The coffee was so good, and the place was so authentic. I got the Pink Havana. It was so enjoyable to sit by the window watching the passersby sipping my coffee. While sitting drinking my coffee, a food tour group came through. I believe my instincts led me to the right place.
On Calle Ocho is Domino Park. Playing dominos is a popular Cuban pastime. You can see members of the club playing dominos in the park.
I passed a barbershop on the way to the coffee shop with boxes in the window. I backtracked after my coffee to investigate. The boxes had beautiful designs on them, representing the culture of Little Havana. Inside the boxes were domino sets. The barber makes them in his spare time. I love purchasing little trinkets from my adventures. Later, when I see or use them, I am transported to the place and memory.
On a hot day in June, nothing sounds better than a fresh mojito! We grabbed onto from stand attached to a restaurant called Esquina De La Farma. They serve their mojitos with dry ice, giving the beverage a cool smoking effect. And don't worry, you can grab your mojito to go!
For lunch, we went to Versailles Restaurant Cuban Cuisine. It is a must-eat place for tourists, but it is also raved about by locals. Since it is very popular there can be a wait. They have a covered patio area where you can wait and order beverages. The food was so good and flavorful, and the price was so reasonable!
I discovered quickly that Miami and her many burrows are quite spread out. So keep that in mind if you want to visit multiple areas in a day.
Our next stop was Coconut Grove. We took an uber to a metro/above-ground subway. It dropped us off at a lovely street with shops and restaurants. You are right near the water where there are lots of parks and marinas. For a light dinner, we ate at Glass & Vine. It is right by Peacock Park and the water. They had live music and a beautiful ambiance. They have a large patio area shaded by giant oak trees decorated with wicker lanterns.
The next day we started our drive down through the Keys. The drive over the bridges is quite scenic, surrounded by glittering cerulean waters. A reminder it is one road in and out. So it can bottleneck up with traffic, so it is good to have snacks and beverages to enjoy. We didn't run into any problems on our journey.
I so enjoyed the tour at the Marathon Turtle Hospital. I couldn't wait to experience it again with my friends who had never been. For the tour, you do need to make a reservation. They have tours starting every 30 minutes. On the tour, you will learn about all the types of sea turtles, conservation efforts, care the hospital provides, and you will have the chance to feed the permanent turtle residents.
After our turtle time fun, we had lunch at my favorite place in Marathon Key, Keys Fisheries. The restaurant is known for the lobster Reuben, but they have a plethora of fresh seafood items to choose from. If you want a cocktail, the bar is around the corner from the food ordering counter. Instead of a number, your order corresponds to the name of your favorite band or whatever topic they ask you. Pick a picnic table and enjoy the salty breeze. There is a marina next door if you want to take a gander at some of the boats.
We had some time to kill before checking into our Vrbo rental in Duck Key. The keys aren't known for their beaches, but Sombrero Beach in Marathon Key is one of the best. Along the beach, there are nice huts with restrooms and changing areas. We found a palm tree to park our beach chairs under and enjoyed the sand and sun!
We rented a Vrbo condo in Duck Key. It is located right between the big keys of Marathon and Islamorada. Duck Key is purely residential with condos, a marina, and a restaurant. Our condo had views of the water from multiple rooms. The large back porch was my favorite. For dinner that night we decided to cook and enjoy our meal out on the porch, basking in the breeze coming off the water.
To really experience the keys, going out on a boat is a must. We rented a boat, and one of us had a boat license, at the Duck Key Marina through Fish n' Fun. We rented a 20-foot angler with a bimini top and a retractable top for shade. It was about 250 dollars to rent that boat for the day when split between a few people isn't bad.
We drove out to Coffin's Patch, a popular reef and snorkeling area, but the swells were quite large, and some in the group started feeling uneasy. So we unhooked from the buoy anchor and headed for a sand bar that we had heard about nearby. It was a smart choice to do so.
There was no one around! It was like we had our own private island.
For those who had felt the sea legs were not the strongest, we dropped them back off at the marina. The rest of us headed back out to Coffin's Patch. We had a better setup this time. As soon as we got anchored, we jumped into the water. If you can get into the water quickly, it will lessen the likeliness of you feeling uneasy from the boat rocking.
I'm so glad we went back because the reef was so vibrant and crawling with marine life.
I even saw a large green eel!
We drove into Marathon Key for dinner that night, which is only about 20 minutes away. We went to Island Fish Company, which is very well rated and very popular. There was a little bit of a wait, so we grabbed beverages at their tiki bar and explored the grounds. They have a spectacular view of the sunset, another reason we waited for a table outside. And if you walk on the boardwalk by the marina, you will see a pod of lobsters hanging out right below.
They have seating indoors, but we chose to sit outside. The waiter was very knowledgeable about the many different kinds of fish caught and served. We all tried something we had never had before. The portions are quite large, so we took our leftovers back to enjoy the next day.
We kept our adventures low-key the next day. My friends really wanted to try paddleboarding since they have never done it before. We found a company called Key Kayak, that has storage units throughout the keys filled with paddleboards and kayaks. You order and they will drop it off at the location you request. Then you contact them when and where you finished, and they will come to pick them up. It was about $200 for four paddleboard rentals, and we had them for most of the day.
We dropped in our boards across the road from our place and did a nice paddle around Duck Key. The canals are lovely.
Closer to the ocean side is a training area for one of the dolphin shows. We got to see some working on their skills.
With plenty of daylight and sunshine available, we decided to head over to Bahia Honda State Park. This state park is well known and a big part of the Key's history. There is a side towards the gulf where the beach is, and you have access to the ocean side. One of the main sights to see is the bridge. The bridge was part of Henry Flagler's East Coast Railway extension. Building the bridge on the island required massive pillars and lots of support. In early 1900, the railroad dropped off passengers at this gem in the sparkling gulf waters. Unfortunately, a hurricane left this broken bridge in its wake in the 50s. You can still climb the portion of the bridge that remains and take in the stunning views.
We headed down to the beach next. It is a decent size beach for it being in the Keys. An area for swimming has been roped off. They mentioned snorkeling in this area, but the water was quite murky due to people kicking up sand while swimming and the wind. I did spot a few fish over by the rock jetty. For better snorkeling, you can book a boat tour at the concession stand, where they will take you to a marine sanctuary. We decided to enjoy our time on the large floaties we brought and sit in the sand watching the sunset on another glorious day.
Finally, we arrived on the final day of the trip. We were to drive back to Miami and drop my friends off at the airport, but we delayed our journey to stop at Green Turtle Inn in Islamorada for brunch. It has become a tradition, whenever my one girlfriend and I see each other, we have brunch.
Green Turtle Inn is right on Highway 1. Parking is limited, but there are some small parking lots, and some people got creative and created their own. I suggest doing what we did and dropping off someone in your party to get you checked in while the rest find parking. We only waited about 30 minutes. In the bar next to the restaurant, you could order a Bloody Mary or mimosa to enjoy while you wait. We had only drank about half our beverages before getting seated at our table. We passed by this kitchen window filled with giant sticky buns that looked perfectly delicious. We asked the waiter if we could order some, but unfortunately, those buns had already been spoken for. Each one had an order ticket already on it. So if you want to try this delectable treat, ordering ahead is key. I know I will be doing that next time.
The ambiance was a very upscale dive bar. The walls were made of dark lacquered wood and covered with photos, pictures by local artists, and memorabilia.
I did have one more spot I wanted to hit up starting the drive back up. I had been following this artist named Jessica Ann. Her studio is in Islamorada and happened to be up the street from the Green Turtle. She does online orders through her website and Instagram, but it is not the same as actually stepping into a studio space and seeing an artist's work. She has a variety of options in which she showcases her artistic aesthetic of life in the Florida Keys. She has available to purchase: t-shirts, vases, pillows, canvases, cutting boards, and more! I bought one of her wood cutting boards that can be used for artistic display or actual food serving. You can follow her at JessicaAnnArt.
The Keys may be a collection of tiny islands. But each one has something different to offer, and each adventure will create new memories!
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