michaelpianko

Thanks for other people's replies on other threads. I am thinking of taking a late December solo trip to Key West and Miami. Here is my supposed itinerary. I know I might be overplanning but I am trying to figure out: how much time I need in each location. Do I need a rental car in either or both locations? Or would it be too much time, money, and difficulty finding parking spots? I have a max of 9 nights based on when my work will be closed between Christmas and New Years. It looks like more is open on Christmas and the day before, in Key West versus Miami/South Beach. But I could be persuaded to do the trip in the reverse order.

Saturday 12/23: Flights to Key West. Find a good grocery store today or 12/24. 1st night

Sunday 12/24: Ernest Hemingway Home (9-5), possibly: Key West Lighthouse (10-5), Southernmost Point marker, Duval Street to Mallory Square. 2nd night

Monday 12/25: Audubon House & Tropical Gardens (9:30-4:15), Mel Fisher Maritime Museum (10-4), Truman Little White House (9:30-4:30) 3rd night

Tuesday 12/26: USCGC Ingham Maritime Museum (10-4), Fort Zachary Taylor Historic State Park (8-5). 4th night

Wednesday 12/27: Bus, plane, or rental car to Miami area, probably South Beach. 5th night.

Thursday 12/28: Jewish museum (10-4), Wilzig museum (10-6, last entry 5pm); possibly Perez museum (11-9 Thursdays). 6th night

Friday 12/29: Vizcaya Museum (9:30-4:30, advance ticket required). If time, a boat tour. 7th night

Saturday 12/30: Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden (10-5). Possibly a boat tour if not done yet. 8th night

Sunday 12/31: possibly Everglades national park (50 mi drive to Ernest F. Coe visitor center, then Anhinga trail is 4 miles further, 0.8 mi long. Mahogany Hammock Trail is 72 mi from South Beach). 9th night

Monday 1/1: flights back to Michigan

I already went to Florida once so far, in December 2021, for 8 nights. I saw parts of Fort Myers-Sarasota-Tampa-Saint Petersburg-Winter Park. On that trip I arrived in Fort Myers and left from Orlando. I rented a car, which cost about just under $900 for a Kia Soul, for 8 days. I didn't have difficulty finding parking spots. Which might not be relevant because I am planning to go to different locations this time.

Dukey1

IMO for the parts of Key West you are interested in you will not need a car as they are basically walkable

Dukey1

And if you want to you can fly between EYW and MIA in as little as 50 minutes up to you I have done the drive many times but ask others about how interesting it is

michaelpianko

Dukey1: Was driving from Key West to Miami or Miami to Key west, a pleasant experience?

I want to avoid wasting money by having a rental car on any day(s) I don't use it.

Do you think that based at least on the places I listed, would I have a much better experience if I rent a car or would I just have too much trouble and spend too much time finding parking spots?

Would I have a better experience if I spent New Years eve in Miami or in Key West? (Or should I fly back to Michigan on December 31st?)

$3,000 for a 9-day trip seems like a lot but it is acceptable to me because that is about what it cost me on my previous 8 day trip to Florida and on my trip to the Los Angeles area. That's my maximum budget. ... When I went to Florida in December 2021, I didn't eat any restaurant food. If I want to avoid restaurant food on Key West, it looks like there is a store called Fausto's or if they don't sell enough, outside walking distance about 4 miles from the old town there is Publix and Winn Dixie. I can't imagine why there should be two Publix's.

michaelpianko

One more question: Last time I went to Florida, I went to Audubon Corkscrew Swamp, Six Mile Island Slough in Fort Myers, and Weedon Preserve in Saint Petersburg. Do you think I saw enough Everglade-like swamp or swamp-like biome to justify skipping driving to trail(s) in Everglades National park?

Dukey1

A few comments: Fausto's haas been in KW for what seems like forever and it used to bill itself as < Not just a food store, but a 'social center'" As I remember it the place is not all that big, certainly not like rolling through a Publix but it sold the essentials for eating.

All of my trips to and from KW except for one involved either driving up and down from South Florida or driving down in a rental car and flying out. Even when I had a car I parked it at my hotel and walked everywhere. As to NYEve...there will probably be a LOT of others in town; expect to see a bunch of vehicles doing the "drag main" routine up and down Duval Street; lots of noise; lots of drinking, etc., etc. It will not be a quiet time. As to the "swamp" thing, In suspect you've already seen plenty already; spend your time in town and make the most of it; try to see and do everything!

cgenster

You really don’t need a car in Key West. Everything on your list to do is walkable. Fort Zachary Taylor would be the farthest but it is walkable or you could rent a bike for the day.
Fausto’s is a nice independent store. We’ve bought groceries there a few times. There’s a seafood market on Eaton street that usually has a good selection if you want fish, shrimp, spiny lobster and other fresh seafood.
One time we flew into Key West and rented a car for just one day. We picked up groceries, got settled in our place, drove to Stock Island to get a hogfish sandwich and returned the car the next morning. I think we only paid $35. for the one day rental.
Key West is very busy between Christmas and New Years and the prices reflect that. I wouldn’t wait too long to reserve a place.
We have driven from Homestead to Key West many times. You can’t be in a hurry as Hwy 1 is a two lane for most of the drive. We enjoy the drive down there, plenty of water views. There is a Key’s Shuttle that will take you to Miami. I’ve never used it but my kids have and they liked it.
I don’t have any advice on Miami. We’ve stayed there a couple of times and took a walk on South Beach but that’s about it.
Enjoy your trip!

michaelpianko

"As to the "swamp" thing, In suspect you've already seen plenty already; spend your time in town and make the most of it; try to see and do everything!"

That feels like a wise observation. Part of my brain thought I might be missing out on something if I skipped the official Everglades National Park, but I know I already saw Everglades biome and in 2 or 3 parks in December 2021.

I made some reservations, 4 nights in Key West, 5 nights in Miami Beach. If I was going to trails in the Everglades maybe I would spend a night in or near Homestead. I have spaces in shared rooms in Hostels. Yeah I am making a sacrifice on privacy for the sake of saving money. It will work because this is a solo trip. And my costs are up to $2,566 so far. I probably won't have to go over my supposed $3 thousand budget.

Thanks for your input

Madam397

We were in Miami for a wedding at the end of April and added a few days in the Keys, driving to Key West. It is a slow ride leaving Miami as there is stop and go traffic getting through Homestead, lots of retail and residential buildings. It is a two lane road for the most part and the mileage to Key West is about 165 miles. While some of it is scenic, there are also parts that are not especially scenic as of course people live there so there are shopping plazas, boatyards, churches, schools and so on. We did have a great breakfast at Harriette's in Key Largo with about a 30 minute wait to be seated. It is on the far end of Key Largo as you are heading south. There is a Publix supermarket right alongside the road in Islamorada so that might take care of whatever you need to stop and shop for. Key West is very walkable and the lighthouse is directly across from the Hemingway House. It was hot and humid when we were there in April. We didn't bother to walk to the southernmost point as technically it isn't the southernmost point but close by as the real southernmost point is located on a military base and not accessible to the public. I thought the Truman Little White House was by far the most interesting with the best tour guide we experienced in Key West.

michaelpianko

My current plan is, after my 4th night in Key West, to pick up a rental car, drive to a parking garage in Miami Beach, park the car, check in to my hotel, and drive the rental car to the above places in Miami. (As of now I am skipping the Everglades National Park because I already saw Everglades-like biome last time I was in Florida. Hopefully I am not making a mistake). Is this a rational plan for transportation or would I be better off driving from Key West straight to the car rental place in Miami, dropping off the car, and taking Uber and/or public transportation for my 4 days in the Miami area?

Dukey1

I gather you think the actual drive from KW to Miami is either worth it or a lot cheaper than flying NS

Madam397

Remember that you will need to check whether the places you plan to visit on Christmas Day will in fact be open, the same with early closure most likely on Christmas Eve.

We stayed in downtown Miami for the April wedding weekend and it was nice to have our rental car as it was hot and humid and so we spent Saturday morning driving around, checking out the WynneWood Walls and some of the architecture. You can also Uber over and simply walk around, no right or wrong answer.