have never been but do know they're always mentioning the hemingway home....

Here is a link that might be useful: http://www.panoramio.com/photo/2204666

I was on a cruise with my grandson last year.

By all means go parasailing. Awesome and beautiful experience!

Try to time your drive so you hit Islamorada during lunch or dinner. Stop at Lorilei's for the best seafood and Key Lime Pie.

ML

Take the trolly tour, you won't regret it because it hits all the points of interest. Then go to Hemingway's home and The Little White House. We didn't eat at Sloppy Joes, but it looked interesting. We ate at Jimmy Buffet's Margaritaville. The burgers and margarita's are wonderful.

I've never visited the Keys. The only people I ever knew who talked about it were my former hairdresser and his friends. I formed an impression that may be inaccurate. ???

Beside the information here, you can write for information. Some of the magazines have coupons you can fill out. Check your library or Barnes and Nobles magazine area. Go on line and type in what you are looking for also. Tell them the ages (approx) of your kids and ask for tours (day or 1/2 day) specials and what you and the kids are interesting. If you have a hotel already picked out, you can ask there also.

Just about any place you eat the food is good....the specialty there is feeding tourists..Some of the best food is served in the little strip mall places. a place .we always stop for cafe con leche and cuban bread for breakfast or a fabulous grab and go burger ...check the link below...the best in town...

stay away from the fine dining places and you can eat well and taste the Key West flavors and save a mint...

Here is a link that might be useful: delish...you won't be the only one there

This post was edited by ruthieg__tx on Fri, Apr 26, 13 at 15:21

Hemmingway House, there is also a beautiful butterfly & botanic garden there, I would hit Jimmy Buffett's place and definitely stop along the smaller islands for seafood. summer time is hurricane season and off season for tourists, so be ultra aware of what is going on weather wise. The keys evacuate at the drop of a hat, once you hear about storms get out of there yesterday because once a storm is too close you are stuck for several days and paying for the hotels that whole time.

it is absolutely gorgeous down there with a very laid back vibe! I can not drive there even from Orlando, it's just TOOOO far and the most boring drive, we fly in or have come in on a cruise as a port stop. post pics when you get back! ~ liz

We had the best Conch Fritters at Snappers in Key Largo.
Had drinks at Hogs Breath in Key West and all our friends got to see us on the livecam. We had a blast. Sloppy Joe's bartender tried to way over charge us for our beer. The price list was hanging on the wall right behind him. We didn't stay.

Don't miss Blue Heaven...a little pricey, but the best for both breakfast and dinner. We asked local people who worked in little shops and got great recs for local places.

The thing I was most impressed with in Key West is it's breathtaking beauty. I second taking the trolley tour, it was fascinating. To me, one of the highlights was crossing the Seven-Mile Bridge. For several miles you cannot see land, just water. We even saw dolphins jumping in tandem.

Everyone has some really good ideas and I can hardly wait to see the keys.
Ironically I was at my hairstylist today, getting haircolor and the lady she was working on while I was processing, went to the keys two or three times a year! She was a wealth of information too.
She told me to forget about makeup during the summer. To humid. Also to bring Avon skin so soft for the leg bitting bugs..something like 'noseeums'. She recommended some of the places you have here too. Plus her take on some of the attractions. Some on Duval and some around Key West. I felt fortunate to be able to talk to her today!

I love it there, has been way too long since I was there. My sister was there recently and loved it, she said she had a hard time staying away from the key lime place.
I spent most of my time on the beaches, so beautiful. I ate as much conch as I could because I get it so rarely.
definitely have plenty of types of bug repellent, they can be seriously bad. Plus have sea sickness meds and bracelets on hand. Plenty of aloe Vera too. And with out doubt water shoes! The coral on some of the beaches will shred feet, and a small squirt bottle of vinegar in case of stings from jellyfish, also very good for sunburn.
Check out these possibilities well worth the effort.
http://www.yankeefreedom.com/ Dry Tortugas
http://www.fortzacharytaylor.com/home.html
that site has good webcams
Flamingo crossing on Duval for the best ice cream seriously
A different bar/restaurant from Duval street
http://www.schoonerwharf.com/
Since I love conch fritters I try them every where, I was told one of the best places is BO's fish wagon on Caroline, I wish I could go back and try it out.
Blue Heaven that was mentioned already has very good key lime pie with yummy meringue.
You can not have a bad time in the Keys! Wonderful destination. And definitely if you can do visit Islamorada, incredibly beautiful.
Be sure that you all have plenty of maps, this site has printable pdf maps of everything.

http://www.fla-keys.com/maps/
send me some conch! lol ENJOY

haha Ravencajan! I will try the conch fritters for sure. When I was about 7ish we lived in Puerto Rico. I remember seeing the Conch in the salt water buckets, kinda slimy chicken looking. I was a kid afterall, everything raw looked unappetizing. So the Key Lime pie and chonch fritters will be on the bucket list this summer!

Slowly trying to get maps and the itinerary together. Thanks for your help doing that. Toni

I can honestly say that we have never had a bad meal in Key West. We are going again next month and I can't wait!

If you have a car load of teens you may not want to eat in the "pricey" places because they can get very pricey but you can also make that the vacation special highlight LOL .but also because as I mentioned earlier past a certain point conch is conch, is conch, and they all make it...you can't go wrong...The hotels are probably;y the priciest ..I just wanted to post and remind you of another of the Keys specialties...Stone Crab Claws...They too can be very very pricey...and it is the end of the season and as I understand it, the last few years the season's catches havent been great and this year's end of season especially because of a large octopus population and they feed on Crab...but any way they are absolutely worth every penny if you can find them....When we were there last there was a huge down pour and the worst flood in a 13 year history with like 3 feet of water....(a few years back now)...and we walked in the rain like 2 miles to get there ...I was ready to kill my DH....I can't even remember the name of the place where we ate but I will ask my DH when he gets up..OK Here is where we had crab claws...they had every kind of seafood and it was very good and not too pricey and casual...our kind of place..Oh and right in the area where the boats dock....

Here is a link that might be useful: Alonzo's

This post was edited by ruthieg__tx on Sat, Apr 27, 13 at 11:50

At least 3 of us will try the sea food, no raw oysters though. For sure the crab, shrimp and fish. I believe the hotel where we are staying, will cook the fish we catch, IF we catch any. Since we've never caught SEA food before, that will be fun! Guess that means we have to get on a boat and borrow some hooks etc. Better write that one down. There are days I wish I wasn't the trip adviser. Details, details! At least there is the KT to get some personal advice from. :)

I have an equal addiction to stone crab claws! omg I have not had any in so long. They are fantastic. Ft. Lauderdale was usually where I would chow down on those and steamed clams. yummy stuff.

Conch fritters! Yum! (Just don't plan to have your cholesterol checked for weeks afterwards!)

So true...After a vacation once and several all you can eat...mind you mine is always high anyway...I clocked in at ...

ta da...........340...

See if you can spot some Key Deer on Big Pine Key. They are miniature deer, very endangered.

The most memorable thing about Key West for me was being eaten alive by no-see-ums watching the sunset.

euww, thats No-good! reminds me of chiggers here.

Yes and the mosquitoes are huge and hungry did you read about those new giant mosquitoes? No kidding on having lots of bug repellent with you. They have these Off things that you hook on to your belt loop or something and they hang there, has a little fan in it which runs on batteries and you put an insert in them that keeps bugs away. I use those in my back yard when the mosquitoes are bad. I like it because nothing is going on my skin, I have sensitive skin and some of the products make me itch.
OFF!® Clip-On

Giant Mosquitoes Likely To Infest Florida This Summer
added link
PS I hate Noseeums for those I suggest Deep Woods off and Buzz away extreme and Off Botanicals which is very safe. The skin so soft does work for noseeums better than mosquitoes. BUT did you know that taking Vitamin B complex will repel most all of them!! So everyone start taking a good B complex!

This post was edited by ravencajun on Sun, Apr 28, 13 at 12:49

If you use Skin So Soft, be sure to wear clothes you don't want. Every time I've used it, I could not get that smell out of my clothes.

Out of all the historical houses I've visited, the Hemmingway Home is probably my least favorite. Dirty, crawling with 6 toed cats, etc. I do like walking the side streets and seeing the little Conch cottages and other historical homes. But Hemmingway, give me a break!

On the way down you should see if you can spot some Key Deer on Big Pine Island. They are the smallest deer in the continental US.
http://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g34085-d255272-Reviews-National_Key_Deer_Refuge-Big_Pine_Key_Florida_Keys_Florida.html

Also, stop at Sombrero Beach in Marathon. One of the nicer beaches in the Keys, which really aren't known for their beaches. http://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g34347-d519769-Reviews-Sombrero_Beach-Marathon_Florida_Keys_Florida.html

I was reading today, that there is an underwater hotel. In order to go there I'd have to have my divers cert or get one there. I have claustrophobia and no desire to scuba there or sleep there either.

You need to buy the best sandals ever! If anyone was going to Key West we sent a shopping list.

Here is a link that might be useful: Kinos

Watch the weather reports. Do Not go out on the keys if a there is a major low pressure storm brewing over the ocean and its track is anywhere near the keys.

A few years back in addition to spending time on Key West we also spent some time at Bahia Honda State Park which is a couple of keys away. We rented sea kayaks and paddled to a tiny nearby island (it was something like 50' by 50'). Apparently there are also a few good snorkeling spots near the state park.

We actually camped on Big Pine Island, and we would hear a noise outside the tent and poke our heads out, and see a couple of the Key Deer roaming through the campsite. They are a sub-species of White-Tailed Deer that are about the size of a doberman pinscher.

Would like a trip to Bahia Honda State Park . Love to Canoe, maybe a kayak will be next as long as the weather is decent.

Dh and I were in a clear bottom canoe on the Cozumel shore this February, looking intently at the coral reef below. After some time we looked up to find ourselves way out beyond the buoys. The Lifeguards sitting on their kayaks near the shore were probably taking bets on how far out we would (unknowingly) float. DH and I, the land bound tourists, were mesmerized by the reef and the colorful fish.
Can't wait to swim with them again. Fish are pretty funny I found out. We tried snooba with the groupers on the same shore as they enjoyed bumping into us. (or they might have been sizing us up for dinner) A new adventure sounds good to me.

I love the Keys, I have been going down there since we worked as bartender hoppers one spring back in 76', well at least 20 years ago I did. I hadn't been down through there for about 15 years and took a road trip from our place in Charlotte Harbor about 5 years and was very disappointed. Back in the early 90's as soon as you went below Key Largo it was like getting off the airplane on the islands. No chain restaurants, really not commercialized at all. It was actually hard to believe we were in North America. Since then McDonald's and everything that goes with it. Sad to see. I wish everyone that visits for the first time could have experienced the Conch Republic how it was meant to be enjoyed. The place Jimmy sang about doesn't resemble the place you are going to visit. Don't get me wrong it is still beautiful just different now.

If you don't enjoy seafood save yourselves the trip. You must get off the beaten path. Key West is the tourist trap. Be prepared to pay for it as well. Look at prices online. A small room for $300.00 a night downtown is normal. We stay in Little Deer Key for an efficiency and one bed, pool, for $275.00 a night 5 years ago, it is actually a fishing camp, a 5 minute walk to a canal and one can catch fish all day or cast from the boat dock. But you must beware of gators and poisonous snakes, this is there home, we are visitors.

As for fishing you don't just get in a boat and go fishing, this is serious water for serious boaters, there are seadoo and small boat rentals but I would recommend small boating on the Gulf side vs. The Atlantic unless on a small bay. Licenses are required for fishing and regulations are strictly enforced. You must know what is in season as well as the sizes you may keep or not. Equipment and bait is available on charters which is your best bet and can be had for half day outings. You don't just throw off your shoes and socks and wade into the water to fish like we do up north here. Stepping on a Stingray can have serious and sometimes fatal results. The best deep sea fishing is in Islamorada, it is the best in the entire world including Cabo in Mexico.

Some of the best beaches are in KW. You must go to the KW aquarium where you can pick up a baby nurse shark, if you would enjoy that type of thing.

I was going to recommend a oyster place that has been there for 80 years but I read no oysters. They have 2 things on the menu oysters and cold beer. This is the place that Hemingway would have spent more time in than the house they say was his. Everyone says their hotel is where he ate, slept, drank, wrote so they can charge you for it.

On the way down don't be afraid to get off to the small keys. I have been to so many over the years that you can't see them all in one month, so I'll keep it to one can't miss place. Little Deer Key and Deer key. There is a restaurant hole in the wall kind of place we love. It was a stop over spot for fishing boats to load up on ice at the turn of the century. A favorite place of Dwight D. Eisenhower I believe. Ask for the place with the dollar bill wallpaper. The best burger I have had in the states.

On Little Key there is a State Park that has walkways into the mangroves where you can observe big gators in the wild, keep a close eye on them if they are anywhere near an egret. And have your camera ready, the teens will think it's a blast.

The best beach is Bahia Honda State park.

As for Key West being a destination for gays, yes it is. That shouldn't deter any mature person. I love Provincetown as well, very educational when your 18 years old to say the least.

As for going down to the Keys in the summer, you had better enjoy wet heat. Yes forget makeup and bring a hat. I have been to Cuba for work in July, and Finland in December. I wouldn't go to either place during those extreme climates unless paid to do so, and paid well I must add.

My goodness I just wrote a travel blog, time to give it a rest.

Enjoy, I just wish everyone could have enjoyed the way it was meant to be without the Walgreens and Wallmart, and in January.

This post was edited by SouthernCanuck on Sat, May 4, 13 at 4:08

thanks SouthernCanuck, I'll keep all of that in mind. Even your name is long! Nothing wrong enjoying your good memories. I lived in Puerto Rico in the late 60s and in upper Florida after that. Time has changed them. Hard to find much that modern times hasn't touched in some way. (at least in the states)
I still seek out natures beauty anywhere I go!