Florida Keys

[Courtney Wood]

After we go to WDW in December, we are heading down to the keys. Right now I'm thinking we will go to Key West for 2 nights then 1 night at Islamorada. I've been looking at hotels in Key West and I'm having trouble picking one.

It seems like Islamorada is a good place to visit but I would be open to the other keys, any advice? Also, any advice for this road trip would be great. It will be me, my husband, and our daughter who will be 15 months at the time.

 

[Woodview]

A bit of Advice ...... It is a long drive down to Key West about 5 to 6 hours .
The road has a LOW Speed Limit ..... 45 to 50 mph . From Miami & The Cops are there.
Not much to see ...... other people Rave about it ... but not all that wonderful

I would advise to think about The Atlantic Coast .... Daytona & Northwards

 

[nacho113]

A bit of Advice ...... It is a long drive down to Key West about 5 to 6 hours .
The road has a LOW Speed Limit ..... 45 to 50 mph . From Miami & The Cops are there.
Not much to see ...... other people Rave about it ... but not all that wonderful

I would advise to think about The Atlantic Coast .... Daytona & Northwards

I second the "very long drive".
Our first trip to Key West from our hotel in North Miami Beach, we checked google maps, seeing a drive of 170 miles and an estimated drive time of just over 3 hours we started our adventure about 8:30 am. 3 hours later we were finally were out of Miami and it was lunch time so we stopped in Homestead.
At almost 1pm we were on the road again with our GPS telling us that we had 127 miles to go and still almost 3 hours.
Traffic was still ridiculously heavy until we got off the mainland.
Traffic started to thin out from Key Largo on and we started to actually come close to the posted speed limit of 55mph.
Every small town brought the speed down to 25mph.
The Estimated Arrival Time on the GPS kept getting later and later (due to our slow pace)
Arrived in Islamorada at 3pm, bathroom breaks all around and back on the road.
GPS now showing 80 miles to go and 1 hour 45 min.
Speed limit down to 45mph then 40mph then 30mph
Finally arrived Marriott Courtyard Waterfront a little after 6pm, checked in and went for supper.

From our initial research, figured we would arrive Key West at lunch time but it took pretty much to whole day to get there...plan accordingly!

Long story short...it's a long slow drive.
We thought the scenery was nice from Marathon to Key West.
Key West is very quaint, wish we had booked a few extra days.
Great local bars and restaurants.
Gotta get the obligatory selfie next to the "Southernmost Point" marker
7 mile bridge is quite impressive on a sunny day.

 

[nacho113]

After we go to WDW in December, we are heading down to the keys. Right now I'm thinking we will go to Key West for 2 nights then 1 night at Islamorada. I've been looking at hotels in Key West and I'm having trouble picking one.

It seems like Islamorada is a good place to visit but I would be open to the other keys, any advice? Also, any advice for this road trip would be great. It will be me, my husband, and our daughter who will be 15 months at the time.

We've done The Keys twice when we were staying in the Miami area, loved it but it's a long slow drive from Miami (add on 4 more hours from WDW to Miami will make it a very very long drive from the WDW area)

I second Woodview's recommendation on trying the beaches closer to Orlando.
For a great lively beach visit, our favorite is Daytona Beach and it's only about a 90 minute drive from WDW.
For a quieter experience, Cocoa Beach is nice (and a lot less touristy), about an hour drive from WDW
On the gulf coast, the water is calmer and there are several very nice beaches. We like Clearwater Beach, St Petes Beach, Treasure Island etc. 1.5-2 hour drive from WDW

 

[adisneyaunt]

The Keys are beautiful, but from Orlando... not worth the effort, gas or time for ur type trip. It's a long drive and it's basically bars, restaurants, tourist things ( Hemingway house... don't b allergic to cat/hair) , museum, butterfly place, lots of the same kitschy stuff.. bars, restaurant: O...I said that lol
Beaches were nice but not a beach " destination" for kiddos.. rather adult like except nicer hotels and then ur paying $$$, so I'd consider a true FamilyBeach destination closer.
We did enjoy key west, adults doing adult stuff..tho other keys are also water oriented... lots of scuba snorkel etc but equally long drives...

 

[Courtney Wood]

Thanks guys! I'll look into the Atlantic side. I've never looked into going to that area. We are already driving from Texas and hitting Pensacola and Crystal River before WDW.

 

[Jill29]

Just came home from the Keys 2 weeks ago. It was ok--nothing spectacular. I second those suggesting other destinations closer to Orlando. Definitely don't go for the beaches. They were rocky and not swimmable.

 

[Courtney Wood]

I wasn't planning on going for the beaches really. We are hitting up Pensacola for that.

 

[HopperFan]

I wasn't planning on going for the beaches really. We are hitting up Pensacola for that.

What is it that you are really interested in doing/seeing? That might help with pointing you to hotels or areas of interest.

 

[DisneyMommy77]

We did a long day trip to Key West from Miami in February with 3 young kids. Yes, the drive is long but we really enjoyed it.

Would it be possible to drive from Orlando to Miami area and stay the night and then drive to Key West the next day? Orlando to Key West does seem like a lot, especially with a 15 month old.

My suggestion would plan on making lots of stops on the way down. We looked up fun restaurants and places to stop ahead of time and tried to check them out. Don't forget Key Lime Pie. We tried the Blonde Giraffe on the way back from Key West and the kids liked it. It has a nice outdoor area to eat your pie and run around.

We were only in Key West for about 5 hrs but the kids liked it a lot. We hope to go back for a longer amount of time next time.

P.S. We much prefer gulf coast beaches, especially St. Pete Beach, more than Daytona or Cocoa Beach!

Have fun!

 

[emilyrachael]

We went to Islamorada when my son was 15 months for a wedding. We had a really hard time finding stuff to do there with him. Unless you're into boating or drinking, there's not a lot else to do. Plus, depending on when you're going, the bugs are TERRIBLE. There were 'no-see-ums' and mosquitoes everywhere. It is much more swamp than beach there...

 

[tndisney5]

We LOVE the Keys. Yes, the drive from ORL to KW is a good 6 hours, but if you know that ahead of time, not a problem. I would recommend the La Concha Hotel - right off duval with a roof top pool. We have been several times sans kids, but took them when they were older...No infants or toddlers. There is a lot to see and do...Hemmingway House, Lighthouse, Ft. Jefferson, butterfly and nature conservatory.... Not to mention great dining. We are partial to visiting there so nothing negative to say here.

As for a day in Islamorada, can't say...never stayed there. We have done a nice resort in Marathon that felt like a private island. You could also drive up a little farther and do Ft. Lauderdale for the night.

 

[jsmla]

We really enjoy Key West and make the drive from Miami/Ft Lauderdale almost every year. We've also driven from WDW.

I highly recommend a SunPass transponder. This will allow you to use the toll lanes (kinda like HOV lanes but for a fee) through Miami.

If coming from Orlando, a stop off in Miami is nice. We like South Beach, we have a nice dinner and take a walk around the area for people watching and enjoying the Art Deco buildings. The next day we have an early start to the Keys and are usually in Key West by lunch time.

If you make the whole drive at once Alabama Jacks in Key Largo is fun for lunch.

 

[Courtney Wood]

What is it that you are really interested in doing/seeing? That might help with pointing you to hotels or areas of interest.

Of course the touristy things like Hemmingway's house, lighthouse, the southern most point, butterflies, food, shops. The more research I do, it looks like Marathon might be better. The dolphin research center and the turtle rescue centers look interesting.

Would it be possible to drive from Orlando to Miami area and stay the night and then drive to Key West the next day? Orlando to Key West does seem like a lot, especially with a 15 month old.

Well, our intention isn't really to leave from WDW. After our last day in the parks, I plan to get an hour or two down the road then the next day head out to the Keys.

We LOVE the Keys. Yes, the drive from ORL to KW is a good 6 hours, but if you know that ahead of time, not a problem. I would recommend the La Concha Hotel - right off duval with a roof top pool. We have been several times sans kids, but took them when they were older...No infants or toddlers. There is a lot to see and do...Hemmingway House, Lighthouse, Ft. Jefferson, butterfly and nature conservatory.... Not to mention great dining. We are partial to visiting there so nothing negative to say here.

As for a day in Islamorada, can't say...never stayed there. We have done a nice resort in Marathon that felt like a private island. You could also drive up a little farther and do Ft. Lauderdale for the night.

Thanks for the recommendation! I'll look into that one! I think after I've done a little more research, I'm trading Ismorada for Marathon. What resort did you stay at there?

Thanks for all the tips everyone!

 

[Courtney Wood]

I would recommend the La Concha Hotel

This is actually where I have a reservation. I didn't remember what it was called!

 

[Lvsdisney]

We were just in Key Largo for a week, but my 2 favorite experiences were in Islamorada! First was Robbie's. It's a fishing pier where you can feed tarpon for a few bucks. They also have a restaurant and cute shops for souvenirs. We spent about an hour there, and that was mostly with the fish. They are UGLY but they are cool to feed and to watch the pelicans try to steal the fish away.

The other place we went was Theater of the Sea. They have the typical dolphin show, but also a sea lion show. The best part about that was their "beach" for snorkeling. It was a quiet area with changing areas and outdoor showers (for rinsing). The fish in the water were parrot fish. The kids had a blast swimming with them (well, DD 4 just waded in the water) and they had fish food for sale (a quarter I think) to throw in and watch them eat. DS7 got to pet one. Along with the shows and the beach, they had a kind of zoo, exhibits of many animals they rescued, including an amputated sea turtle. They are a little pricey, but I think it was worth it. Family owned and operated.

ETA: In Key west, there is a playground at Whitehead and Caroline (in the Harry S Truman area) and also around the corner of the southern most point (Nelson English Park) if your DD needs a play break! My kids had fun at both places.

 

[tndisney5]

What resort did you stay at there?

Thanks for all the tips everyone!

Tranquility Bay...literally you pull off the highway and think is this going to be nice....oh it is...

 

[LadyD]

We just got back from a trip to WDW and the Keys. We actually flew down from Orlando to Key West and then drove back up the Keys after a few nights in Key West.

We had a lot of fun on Key West seeing the Hemingway house (the kitties were super friendly too!), the lighthouse, the botanical gardens, and the Key West wildlife center. I made it my mission in the Keys to sample as many different key lime pies as possible in 3 days. I think I made it through 7 different ones on our trip??

After Key West we drove to Key Largo for a night and stayed at the Hilton there (it was nice with decent amenities and a not too terrible beach). On the way to Key Largo we stopped at Big Pine Key and the National Key Deer Refuge. Sadly, we didn't see any key deer. After that we stopped at No Name Pub and gawked at all the dollars stapled to the walls.

We stayed in Key Largo for the night before driving to Fort Lauderdale the next day for our flight. In the morning, we spent a few hours at the John Pennekamp state park and kayaked through the mangroves and walked around the park. On our way out of the Keys, we stopped at the Robert Is Here fruit stand and had some of their fresh fruit milkshakes/marveled at the Purple Martins roosting.

Short version: driving through the Keys can certainly be a lot of fun if you enjoy attractions other than the beach. There is great wildlife/habitats to see, some cool historical things, and tasty food (we're vegetarian and we ate very well for the three days).

 

[Funfire240]

Another thing to remember about the Keys - it is very laid back there! They are definitely on island time. I think it's a beautiful area and I love going there - we have a home in Marathon and really enjoy our time there.

In Marathon, they recently opened an outdoor aquarium which we feel is a wonderful experience and definitely worth a trip.

 

[Courtney Wood]

Another thing to remember about the Keys - it is very laid back there! They are definitely on island time. I think it's a beautiful area and I love going there - we have a home in Marathon and really enjoy our time there.

In Marathon, they recently opened an outdoor aquarium which we feel is a wonderful experience and definitely worth a trip.

I'm sure laid back will be nice after Disney!

I also found while we are there they are having a lighted holiday boat parade. That sounds like it will be fun to watch!