Experience Florida Keys

The 800-plus islands and islets lying off southern Florida are at once a unique landmass and a mass of contradictions. Long years of geographic isolation not only allowed the tropical flora and fauna to flourish here, but enabled locals to nurture a unique, decidedly quirky culture. Unfortunately, the increased volume of visitors traveling the 100-mi-long Overseas Highway that links the Upper, Middle, and Lower Keys has threatened both. So the Keys now have a split personality. On one hand, they're a junglelike, reef-rimmed wilderness populated by free-spirited folks; on the other they're a relatively mainstream realm comprising traffic jams, shopping malls, and trailer parks. Avoiding the latter can be difficult. But you'll find that the charm of the former is ample reward -- particularly if you stick to spots like Bahia Honda State Park and John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park.