DawgTalkers.net Forums DawgTalk Tailgate Forum Question re: Florida Keys

My wife and I are planning on a trip to Florida in early March (likely the week of March 2) just to get out of the cold and into the sun for a little bit. She has a lot of frequent flier miles saved up, so her flight is going to be free, which is nice.

I've never been down to the Keys area, so I wanted to see what people had to suggest. What areas are the best to stay? I know about Key West and Key Largo, but really in name only. Are there other keys that are better/worse?

I should say that we're not really nightlife people. Our idea of a nice vacation is go somewhere, sit on the beach, read a book, and just relax. So, that's what's most important.

Thanks in advance.

Honestly PPE, I didn't put him up to this. I swear!

But seriously, I can point ya in the right directions. (and probably try to sell you a room) if you want. I've lived here for the last 10 years.

There are 5 areas in the Florida Keys. Key Largo, Islamorada, Marathon, the Lower Keys and Key West. No matter where you go, you will find a few things in common. The weather is great 345 days of the year. The fishing is going to be great, a majority of the activities are going to have something to do with the water (boating, Jet skis, diving, snorkeling, fishing etc). Things generally move slower down here.

Key Largo is the closest to Miami and easily accessible to the masses.

Islamorada is a quaint village with a great marketing department for the fishing. You can still catch the same types of fish anywhere down here, but they have a few more options at private charters.

Marathon is in the middle of the Keys. It is where I live and work, so I may be a bit biased, but I like it the best. It's a small town with all the activities that I want (and most of my guests too) but not a far trip if you wanted to go to Key West to enjoy the nightlife. We also have (in my honest opinion) the best beaches in the Keys. There aren't a lot of beaches down here, and they certainly aren't as big as they are on the mainland (think Ft. Lauderdale, Daytona). But the water is warm and the sand is comforting.

Marathon also has some very nice places to visit, such as the Dolphin Research Center , Crane Point Hammocks , Pigeon Key and the Seven Mile Bridge. We're located within 15 miles of 2 State parks (Bahia Honda and Curry Hammock), as well as Sombrero Beach (city maintained), Cocoplum Beach (resident maintained) and the new City park (for families with kids).

The Lower Keys are a rural area with not a lot to do or see, although there is a few Sanctuary areas and some very nice dive/snorkel places that I enjoy.

Key West is...well, it's not your daddy's Key West anymore. It's still very much an adult oriented area with lots of bars and things to do and see. Mel Fisher's Maritime Museum , Key West Butterfly Museum are a few attractions.


PM me if you want more info. My hotel's website is in my profile if that helps.

Isn't there ANYONE who knows anything about the Florida Keys?

Thanks, I'll look into all that.

South of Sarasota? Sounds like North Port, Naples or Port Charlotte.

Ok, this is going to sound stupid, but I remember it is a city where there is a city by the same name is California.


KING

It was Venice, I remember we went to some marine research center there and I told them about my encounter and it was like this big deal. I did get a lot of attention from some very cute marine bioligists interns though............. the female ones weren't half bad either


KING

345 Days of good weather??....sounds pretty good to me!!!!!

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cute marine bioligists interns though.............

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You sure it wasnt George Castanza? LOL

I went to the Keys with for my honeymoon about 8 years ago. We stayed in Islamorada at the Hampton Inn which was nice then. Not sure how it is now. Lots of privately owned places. Islamorada was very peaceful from what I remember.

We also made a stop at Bahia Honda State Park which was nice. From what I remember of Marathon, there were more stores, but aesthetically it didn't seem as beautiful as other parts of the keys.

We stayed at the Sheraton at Key West. Pretty nice hotel. Smathers beach was right across the street. There is plenty to do in Key West even if you're not into the night life. Lots of shops and tourist traps....errr...attractions. I recommend renting a scooter or bike if you do stay in key west. It's easier that way and more fun.

If you're looking for quiet beaches though, the Keys probably aren't an ideal destination. Smathers Beach is the only real beach that I know of in the Keys. Beaches just aren't a natural part of the environment down there for the most part.

Welp, I hope y'all have fun. Iffins ya have any more Q's on other parts of Florida just ask.

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Iffins ya have any more Q's on other parts of Florida just ask.

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I hear there are bug's there?

Yes, cockroaches are fun. I haven't seen any in awhile though. Did you know a cockroach can fly? I didn't either up until a about a year ago.

This time a year, though, the mosquitos aren't bad.

My girl and I just went down and stayed At Keys_Bow_Wows' place in Marathon in Feb.. Must say that I liked Marathon a lot. Close enough to Key West for a day trip, yet pretty laid back and easy. What we wanted to do was just get away. The Coco Plum (where Keys makes his hard earned money ...I'd kill for his job and location !!) was the perfect place for that. We're Florida people and don't need a whole lot to excite us so we found a tide pool just south of Marathon where the old RR bridge is ( is that North or South of 7 mile bridge, Keys? doan remember).

The tide pool was so cool we spent almost a whole day there. We found coral and shells that they were selling for 80-100 bucks for in the tourist places.Found *Seabisquits* (nope, not dead horses...kind of like a sand dollar on roids) and lots of other stuff.

Did Key West one day and bought the usual tourist T's. The best thing we found was the Conch Republic (the real one). If you aren't afraid to get off the beaten path, they have some of the best restaurants(diners) in the Keys and the food was great. If you do the Key West thang, you definately want to rent some wheels...lots to see and believe it or not, alot of ground to cover.

Talk to "Keys"...best tour guide for that area...helped us alot...

Side to "Keys"...I need another Island Fish tank top...any help??

Just kiddin' Bro. Hope you are doing well...............

Brownsrule09

Haha, it's south of the bridge bud. And yeah, lots of ground to cover.

If you need another Tank, just say the word. Of course you ~could~ come back and pick it up. j/k. lol, I'll send it up. I got a new place for you and your lady to check out for dinner. Real good food and a little off the road.

My family has a beautiful house in Marathon. Mile marker 53 ocean side. I love going down there. We rent the house out quite a bit. Anybody looking to find place down here to rent, I can send pictures of this amazing ocean side house with pool and 180 ft. of dock space. Sooooooooo relaxing.

Sounds good to me. But it'll be just me coming down this year.

For some crazy reason she decided to move back to O'do and there is NO way I'm moving that far from the beach. I'll get with ya and figger it out a little later in the year as far as a date to come down. But I will definately be there


I'm tellin' ya, peeps....talk to the man, Keys.....


Brownsrule09