key west to west coast of florida

Old Dec 26th, 2011, 01:52 PM
  #1  
Original Poster
 
Join Date: Sep 2005
Posts: 193
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
key west to west coast of florida

Hello
My wife and I are starting to plan a trip to Florida in March for 2 weeks. So far we have a flight into Ft. Lauderdale and returning from Tampa. We will be renting a car in Ft. Lauderdale and dropping it off in Tampa. Our plans are to stay one night in Lauderdale and drive to Key West and stay 3 nights. Eventually we want to drive up the Gulf Coast and meet up with friends in Sarasota and then spend a couple of nights in the St. Petersburg- Tampa area before heading home. Any thoughts about where to stay after driving from the Keys on our first night with possible stops after at Marco Island, Sanibel, and eventually to Sarasota. What would be the best stop driving from Key West, give or take 175-250 miles of driving. Thanks for any suggestions.
nicolos1 is offline  
Old Dec 27th, 2011, 01:14 AM
  #2  
 
Join Date: Dec 2005
Posts: 10,169
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
You might as well go all the way to Marco unless you are fairly adventurous and would be interested in Everglades City and Chokoluskee for a night. Stopping earlier only gives you boring suburbs of Miami, in my humble opinion.

Everglades City is a real edge-of-civilization kind of place like some of the towns you find near reservations in the west. It has fabulous fishing and Everglades touring and a great little historical museum. All sorts of famous people came to fish and hunt in the old days.

Later, it was the drug smuggling capital of Florida, but there is only one way in and one way out by car. The Feds arrived, blocked the road, and arrested much of the male population of the town. Some of them took the fall so others could stay out and take care of their families. It's a nice quiet little place now. Chokoluskee really is the end of the world, and the general store has its own fascinating and violent history.

An interesting overnight.
Ackislander is offline  
Old Dec 27th, 2011, 04:28 AM
  #3  
Original Poster
 
Join Date: Sep 2005
Posts: 193
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Ackislander,
Thank you for the information.
nicolos1 is offline  
Old Dec 27th, 2011, 04:57 AM
  #4  
 
Join Date: Oct 2006
Posts: 36,842
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
When driving from Key West to Marco Island or Naples, don't be fooled by Mapquest or others who suggest going up and across the state on I-75 (Alligator Alley). Take US 1 north from the Keys and then US 41 (also called Tamiami Trail) across the state. About half way across between Miami and Naples, be sure to stop at the Clyde Butcher gallery -- he's the "Ansel Adams" of the 21st Century with magnificent huge black and white photos of the Everglades and other national wonders. A great free 15 minute break. Just beyond that on the right side is a Big Cypress Welcome Center site with lots of alligator viewing, and you can do a very quick stop and picture at the country's smallest post office at Ochopee -- looks like an outhouse with a flag in front. There is also a beautiful little walk on a boardwalk into the swamp at the Storter Boardwalk -- about 10 minutes West from the Clyde Butcher Gallery.
NeoPatrick is offline  
Old Dec 27th, 2011, 05:57 AM
  #5  
 
Join Date: Mar 2004
Posts: 5,544
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Consider Naples as stop one... if you are on vacation, there are shops, galleries, restaurants, excellent resorts, great beaches... stop two could be Sanibel/Captiva and then on to Sarasota/ Tampa....
garyt22 is offline  
Old Dec 27th, 2011, 06:19 AM
  #6  
Original Poster
 
Join Date: Sep 2005
Posts: 193
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Thanks NeoPatrick and garyt22 for the useful information. I will certainly use your advice.
nicolos1 is offline  
Old Dec 27th, 2011, 08:12 AM
  #7  
cd
 
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 8,981
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
I agree with NeoPatrick about taking Tamiami Trail, US 41, to Naples. The road will have aligators suning on both sides of the two-way highway. We love taking US 41 because of the wildlife views.
cd is offline  
Old Dec 27th, 2011, 11:13 AM
  #8  
Original Poster
 
Join Date: Sep 2005
Posts: 193
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Thank you cd. We will certainly take route US 41.
nicolos1 is offline  
Related Topics
Thread
Original Poster
Forum
Replies
Last Post
rzelinsk
United States
7
Dec 17th, 2014 08:29 AM
voyager61
United States
4
Jul 23rd, 2010 12:55 PM
Nancy111
United States
27
Jan 3rd, 2005 05:47 AM
Wm
United States
7
Nov 11th, 2004 07:55 AM
linda
United States
5
Sep 15th, 2002 08:53 AM

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is On
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are On


Thread Tools
Search this Thread

Contact Us - Manage Preferences - Archive - Advertising - Cookie Policy - Privacy Statement - Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information -