The Keys end of January - how to split up the time?
Nov 19th, 2016, 08:52 AM
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The Keys end of January - how to split up the time?
Last weekend in January (2017) and we have six nights. Landing in FLL by 10:00 the first day. I was thinking first night (a Thursday) somewhere mid Keys, nights 2,3,4 Key West, night 5 somewhere mid Keys and night 6 South Beach.
Two middle aged women, sans husbands, just want warmth and to get away. Not into snorkeling or diving or lying around either a pool or a beach. I'm a photographer.
Is 3 nights in Key West too much? We might do Dry Tortugas half day trip. We'll want decent food and a few drinks but are not into real heavy drinking scene. Unfortunately there will be two cruise ships in port each day and it's over a weekend. It says the cruise ships depart between 5 and 6 pm ( and sunset is at 6:11) so will it have calmed down by sunset and evening? I really hate places overrun by cruise shippers that's why I'm wondering if we want to minimize our time in Key West and spend more time elsewhere.
So about elsewhere - where are good places mid Keys and suggestions for things to do?
Also considering on the last day (the day we spend the night in South Beach) stopping in the Everglades for a few hours. Is that doable?
Any tips or suggestions greatly appreciated.
Two middle aged women, sans husbands, just want warmth and to get away. Not into snorkeling or diving or lying around either a pool or a beach. I'm a photographer.
Is 3 nights in Key West too much? We might do Dry Tortugas half day trip. We'll want decent food and a few drinks but are not into real heavy drinking scene. Unfortunately there will be two cruise ships in port each day and it's over a weekend. It says the cruise ships depart between 5 and 6 pm ( and sunset is at 6:11) so will it have calmed down by sunset and evening? I really hate places overrun by cruise shippers that's why I'm wondering if we want to minimize our time in Key West and spend more time elsewhere.
So about elsewhere - where are good places mid Keys and suggestions for things to do?
Also considering on the last day (the day we spend the night in South Beach) stopping in the Everglades for a few hours. Is that doable?
Any tips or suggestions greatly appreciated.
Nov 19th, 2016, 09:21 AM
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If it's 10 am on the first day, head straight down to Key west... stop on the way for lunch in Islamorada with the intent of checking in with time to make the Sunset celebration at the foot of Duval... grab a late dinner
Then spend the next two days and nights in KW...ride the Conch train,wander the shops,watch the people, do the tortugas, then head up to South Beach for three nights... plenty of shopping,dining and activity there... side trip to the everglades...
Those other nights spent stopping half way are a waste...
Then spend the next two days and nights in KW...ride the Conch train,wander the shops,watch the people, do the tortugas, then head up to South Beach for three nights... plenty of shopping,dining and activity there... side trip to the everglades...
Those other nights spent stopping half way are a waste...
Nov 19th, 2016, 01:27 PM
#3
It really isn't that bad with the ships. Most tend to flock to Duval so stay clear of there. We love to ride our bikes early morning and you can rent from Eaton bikes. Visit the cemetery, very historical. The ships are out of the port by sunset. A sunset sail is nice on a clear night.
Nov 19th, 2016, 06:13 PM
#4
On weekends in KW the cruise ship passengers are definitely not the only people you are going to see on Duval Street, and I'm taking about after the ships leave.
KW is a popular destination, especially on weekends. Don't not go because of that.
BTW, what made you pick the Keys in the first place? There are other locations you could drive to and have plenty of photography opportunities, depending on what kind of scenes you want to photograph.
KW is a popular destination, especially on weekends. Don't not go because of that.
BTW, what made you pick the Keys in the first place? There are other locations you could drive to and have plenty of photography opportunities, depending on what kind of scenes you want to photograph.
Nov 20th, 2016, 05:06 AM
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garyt22 So why are you suggesting the 2 'extra' nights in South Beach rather than mid Keys? Shopping and dinning are not our major objectives, being outside in the sun is. Wondering what it is that makes makes you say stopping half way is a waste. I'm not disagreeing with you, I don't know that's why I'm asking but more specific reasoning would be helpful.
Macross - glad to hear the cruise shippers aren't that bad. I've been in too many places (mostly old towns in Europe) where they truly ruin the experience.
Dukey1 - I realize it's going to be crowded, and as you say, that alone is not a reason not to go. But is it a reason to spend less time there and more mid Keys?
What made me pick the Keys in the first place is that's it's the closest thing to a Caribbean island that you can drive to. (I got $89 non stop fligts to/from FLL from my home - nothing else came close). The drive looks amazing (although I know part of it is strip mall traffic, but I'm hoping most of it is like the pictures). The being on an island and surrounded by water rather than just being on the coast. The history and architecture of Key West. I certainly don't mind spending a few hours browsing tasteless T-shirt shops and eating ice cream and having a few drinks. I just don't want that to be the main focus.
For over 15 years we spent a week in March every year in Venice and did all the surrounding west coast areas, plus about 6 trips to Orlando. My son got married in Ft Lauderdale a few years ago so spent a week there. My traveling companion (SIL) just bought a place near Ft Myers (being renovated, can't use it this year). So we are looking for something different.
Pretty comfortable with 3 nights Key West and 1 South Beach, looking for ideas for the other 2 nights.
Macross - glad to hear the cruise shippers aren't that bad. I've been in too many places (mostly old towns in Europe) where they truly ruin the experience.
Dukey1 - I realize it's going to be crowded, and as you say, that alone is not a reason not to go. But is it a reason to spend less time there and more mid Keys?
What made me pick the Keys in the first place is that's it's the closest thing to a Caribbean island that you can drive to. (I got $89 non stop fligts to/from FLL from my home - nothing else came close). The drive looks amazing (although I know part of it is strip mall traffic, but I'm hoping most of it is like the pictures). The being on an island and surrounded by water rather than just being on the coast. The history and architecture of Key West. I certainly don't mind spending a few hours browsing tasteless T-shirt shops and eating ice cream and having a few drinks. I just don't want that to be the main focus.
For over 15 years we spent a week in March every year in Venice and did all the surrounding west coast areas, plus about 6 trips to Orlando. My son got married in Ft Lauderdale a few years ago so spent a week there. My traveling companion (SIL) just bought a place near Ft Myers (being renovated, can't use it this year). So we are looking for something different.
Pretty comfortable with 3 nights Key West and 1 South Beach, looking for ideas for the other 2 nights.
Nov 20th, 2016, 06:58 AM
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Based on your statement about not being interested in "lying around a pool or beach" and enjoying the warmth, I assumed that the activity of South Beach with its architecture, walkability, bistros, shops,and weather would be much more stimulating and photo friendly...
Stopping part way down the keys just to spend a night offers limited stimulation unless you are interested in fishing, diving, or water sports... if nature photography is your interest, the everglades offer a much better opportunity...
That said, it's your vacation,...enjoy!
Stopping part way down the keys just to spend a night offers limited stimulation unless you are interested in fishing, diving, or water sports... if nature photography is your interest, the everglades offer a much better opportunity...
That said, it's your vacation,...enjoy!
Nov 20th, 2016, 10:39 AM
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I happen to like spending a week in Key West and I am not a bar/drinking person. There is a lot to do, including 3 professional theaters, boat rides/sails, visiting the Dry Tortugas, museums, bike and scooter rentals, visiting the cemetery, etc.
Nov 20th, 2016, 04:54 PM
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SusieQQ - that's good to know. I've been doing more research and some of the architectural tours (self guided), the cemetery, etc all look very interesting.
When you went to the Dry Tortugas did you go by boat or plane?
I'm thinking now that we would stop around Marathon the first night (both Bahia Honda and the Dolphin Research Center look interesting, as does Pigeon Key), then 3 nights in Key West, then one in Key Largo on the way back (mostly so that we would be well positioned to stop at Everglades NP on the way to Miami). Does that sound reasonable. Anyone been to the Dolphin Research Center?
When you went to the Dry Tortugas did you go by boat or plane?
I'm thinking now that we would stop around Marathon the first night (both Bahia Honda and the Dolphin Research Center look interesting, as does Pigeon Key), then 3 nights in Key West, then one in Key Largo on the way back (mostly so that we would be well positioned to stop at Everglades NP on the way to Miami). Does that sound reasonable. Anyone been to the Dolphin Research Center?
Nov 21st, 2016, 08:00 AM
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We were in Key West for the first time last year. We really enjoyed the Hemingway House tour and the Truman winter White House tour (also the fact that you can't turn around without hearing live music somewhere!)
Nov 21st, 2016, 04:45 PM
#11
SusieQQ, did you go on the walk offered by the local bird club? I enjoyed it.
isabel, add the Audubon House to the list. I also liked going up to the top of the lighthouse. Some think the butterfly museum is cheesey but you'll be able to get some stunning photos there.
isabel, add the Audubon House to the list. I also liked going up to the top of the lighthouse. Some think the butterfly museum is cheesey but you'll be able to get some stunning photos there.
Nov 22nd, 2016, 05:38 AM
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We have taken the ferry to the Dry Tortugas twice and will do it again next trip to Key West. We went for a week this last time (early October) and our time was to short. We really enjoyed a sunset cruise on a sailboat too. Lots of great photo opportunities-sunrise and sunset.
We have also stayed over in Key Largo. Did a glass bottom boat tour of the mangroves there.
Cruise ships-while we were there this year, several cruise ships were in port because of Matthew. Plenty of room to absorb lots of tourists.
Good food-will not be a problem to find. Recommend Sarabeths (we had dinner and then returned for brunch) and Dueces Off the Hook Grill. Reservations recommended for all.
We have also stayed over in Key Largo. Did a glass bottom boat tour of the mangroves there.
Cruise ships-while we were there this year, several cruise ships were in port because of Matthew. Plenty of room to absorb lots of tourists.
Good food-will not be a problem to find. Recommend Sarabeths (we had dinner and then returned for brunch) and Dueces Off the Hook Grill. Reservations recommended for all.
Nov 22nd, 2016, 08:40 PM
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I visited the Anhinga Trail in Everglades NP in March several years ago.
It was fabulous, like walking into the bird section of the Garden of Eden. Continued on to the Keys, based at Parmer's Resort, http://parmersresort.com, on Little Torch Key. Very Old Florida. National Key Deer Refuge next door on Big Pine Key, also bike rentals and kayak tours in the area. Second the recommendations of the Hemingway House and the cemetery in Key West, didn't get to the Truman Winter White House. Fascinating area with its mix of historical, cultural, and natural sights. In South Beach, we stayed a night at the Cadet Hotel, well located about a block or two off the beach as I recall.
It was fabulous, like walking into the bird section of the Garden of Eden. Continued on to the Keys, based at Parmer's Resort, http://parmersresort.com, on Little Torch Key. Very Old Florida. National Key Deer Refuge next door on Big Pine Key, also bike rentals and kayak tours in the area. Second the recommendations of the Hemingway House and the cemetery in Key West, didn't get to the Truman Winter White House. Fascinating area with its mix of historical, cultural, and natural sights. In South Beach, we stayed a night at the Cadet Hotel, well located about a block or two off the beach as I recall.
Dec 21st, 2016, 01:31 PM
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I live in Key West and am a big fan of the place. Here are some ideas for you to consider:
The area around Mallory Square and the 6 or 8 blocks from there up Duval Street are loaded with noisy boisterous bars ( = Bourbon Street on steroids). After 8 pm, regardless of the day, week, or month, even with the cruise ships having departed, it's frenetic. From your description of your interests, this is not the neighborhood for you. Suggest you *not* stay in a hotel in this area.
Having said that, Key West has a very big, protected Old Town, full of 19th and early 20th century structures. Lots of beautiful streets and dozens of lanes zigzagging all over the historic district. Great old trees: banyan, poinciana, jacaranda, gumbo limbo.
Here's one of my favorite walks: from the corner of Southard St (pronounced Suth-errrd) and Duval St (Duval, btw, is the main street, running from the Gulf of Mexico to the Atlantic/Straits of Florida), walk northeast along Southard. You will pass some magnificent, preserved mansions and many small "conch" houses. Stop at the corner of Southard and Grinnell Streets and go into Five Brothers Cafe for a pan con queso and cafe con leche (mom, dad, and the five children escaped from Cuba in the early 1960s; Pepe, one of the brothers, runs this cafe).
I am saying "northeast" and "northwest" because the city street grid is angled 45 degrees; there is no north-south-east-west.
Turn up (northwest) Grinnell Street to the next street (Fleming), and turn left (southwest). Now you're walking back toward Duval. More beautiful homes big and small, and the public library and its palm garden. When you reach Duval, turn right (northwest) and go one block to the corner of Eaton Street and Duval and visit St. Paul's church. St. Paul's is a lovely Bahamian style church with stained glass windows donated by old Key West families. Often there is a classical music concert Sunday afternoons.
This is just one of many walks around Old Town.
Other good things:
>>>The cemetery: the sexton at the entry gate has a free map. Find the tombstone which says "I told you I was sick." Also the world-famous graves of three Yorkies and one Key deer (all one family site). And the monument to the sailors of the U.S.S. Maine (it was based in Key West before sailing to Havana).
>>>The Hemingway House, the Lighthouse, the Audubon House, the Oldest House, the pre-Civil War fort at Fort Zachary Taylor State Park (also a good place for sunset-watching), the Butterfly Conservatory, the Studios of Key West with its art exhibits and concerts.
>>>Breakfast at Blue Heaven, amongst the chickens. Order shrimp and grits or the lobster hollandaise. Hemingway used to attend boxing matches here when it was a community center. Before that it was a bordello. Go upstairs to see the "visiting rooms" with the peepholes.
>>>Dinner at Southernmost Beach Cafe, 1405 Duval, the Atlantic end of Duval, overlooking South Beach, where Tennessee Williams swam daily. Get the ahi tuna - avocado app and the fresh grouper if it's on the special list and look out at the sea. Bliss.
>>>The Dry Tortugas: you have mentioned your interest in this. It is a magnificent trip. Be aware that it consumes the entire day. The ship leaves at 8:00 am and returns about 5:00 pm, and each way takes 90 minutes. You will have several hours to explore and have lunch on the ship or under the palm trees. Huge Fort Jefferson is one of the largest masonry structures in the world, perched on a tiny island in the middle of turquoise waters. Swimming, snorkeling, photography.
Enjoy your trip!
The area around Mallory Square and the 6 or 8 blocks from there up Duval Street are loaded with noisy boisterous bars ( = Bourbon Street on steroids). After 8 pm, regardless of the day, week, or month, even with the cruise ships having departed, it's frenetic. From your description of your interests, this is not the neighborhood for you. Suggest you *not* stay in a hotel in this area.
Having said that, Key West has a very big, protected Old Town, full of 19th and early 20th century structures. Lots of beautiful streets and dozens of lanes zigzagging all over the historic district. Great old trees: banyan, poinciana, jacaranda, gumbo limbo.
Here's one of my favorite walks: from the corner of Southard St (pronounced Suth-errrd) and Duval St (Duval, btw, is the main street, running from the Gulf of Mexico to the Atlantic/Straits of Florida), walk northeast along Southard. You will pass some magnificent, preserved mansions and many small "conch" houses. Stop at the corner of Southard and Grinnell Streets and go into Five Brothers Cafe for a pan con queso and cafe con leche (mom, dad, and the five children escaped from Cuba in the early 1960s; Pepe, one of the brothers, runs this cafe).
I am saying "northeast" and "northwest" because the city street grid is angled 45 degrees; there is no north-south-east-west.
Turn up (northwest) Grinnell Street to the next street (Fleming), and turn left (southwest). Now you're walking back toward Duval. More beautiful homes big and small, and the public library and its palm garden. When you reach Duval, turn right (northwest) and go one block to the corner of Eaton Street and Duval and visit St. Paul's church. St. Paul's is a lovely Bahamian style church with stained glass windows donated by old Key West families. Often there is a classical music concert Sunday afternoons.
This is just one of many walks around Old Town.
Other good things:
>>>The cemetery: the sexton at the entry gate has a free map. Find the tombstone which says "I told you I was sick." Also the world-famous graves of three Yorkies and one Key deer (all one family site). And the monument to the sailors of the U.S.S. Maine (it was based in Key West before sailing to Havana).
>>>The Hemingway House, the Lighthouse, the Audubon House, the Oldest House, the pre-Civil War fort at Fort Zachary Taylor State Park (also a good place for sunset-watching), the Butterfly Conservatory, the Studios of Key West with its art exhibits and concerts.
>>>Breakfast at Blue Heaven, amongst the chickens. Order shrimp and grits or the lobster hollandaise. Hemingway used to attend boxing matches here when it was a community center. Before that it was a bordello. Go upstairs to see the "visiting rooms" with the peepholes.
>>>Dinner at Southernmost Beach Cafe, 1405 Duval, the Atlantic end of Duval, overlooking South Beach, where Tennessee Williams swam daily. Get the ahi tuna - avocado app and the fresh grouper if it's on the special list and look out at the sea. Bliss.
>>>The Dry Tortugas: you have mentioned your interest in this. It is a magnificent trip. Be aware that it consumes the entire day. The ship leaves at 8:00 am and returns about 5:00 pm, and each way takes 90 minutes. You will have several hours to explore and have lunch on the ship or under the palm trees. Huge Fort Jefferson is one of the largest masonry structures in the world, perched on a tiny island in the middle of turquoise waters. Swimming, snorkeling, photography.
Enjoy your trip!
Dec 24th, 2016, 04:13 PM
#16
Hi Isabel!
It's been a few years, but my daughter and I took a trip to the keys in December and I wrote a trip report that might have some ideas for you:
http://www.fodors.com/community/unit...rip-report.cfm
It's been a few years, but my daughter and I took a trip to the keys in December and I wrote a trip report that might have some ideas for you:
http://www.fodors.com/community/unit...rip-report.cfm
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