Florida Keys Itinerary
 

I am going to Key West for the first time in April. My husband and I are arriving at Ft. Lauderdale and driving to Key West. We are staying 5 nights but now think that may be too long. Can anyone suggest an itineray for those days? So far we only booked the Simonton Court hotel in the Keys but that can change with any suggestions. We are going for our 2nd year anniversary so I want to plan something different. I appreciate any suggestions.

Oh, I'm sure that is too long. (grin) My wife and I spent 20 days in the Florida Keys last year and decided before we returned home that that wasn't enough so this year we are returning for another 14. While we only were in Key West 2 days last year, we already knew that there was much more to do there so we plan on 4 or 5 days this year just to see what we missed last year.

Spend part or all of one day exploring Key West, be it on the Trolley, Conch Train, bicycles, car, or on foot. Try out some of the restaurants, see the cemetary, the lighthouse, Mel Fisher museum, Hemingway House, Ft. Zachary Taylor, Truman's Little White House, ...Oh wait, you've run out of days and you haven't taken a snorkeling or glass bottom boat to the reef yet, nor have you kayaked the back country. You haven't had time to take a day trip to Bahia Honda State Park, nor to eat at the No Name Pub. Gee, you've missed so much, you'll need to plan another trip.

We go to Key West two or three times a year and spend at least two weeks each trip.

You will NOT run out of things to do!

Most of our trips to Key West have only been for four nights. The most recent was five nights, and we definitely preferred the extra night.

Or stay four nights, and spend the last night closer to Ft. Lauderdale for your flight home.

I second JeanH's suggestion of coming back to FLL for the night before you leave. Check for a hotel that has a shuttle and maybe you can drop off your rental car a day early and just use their services to get to the airport. Enjoy your anniversary!

Blue Heaven and Seven Fish are great restaurants there.

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Having just returned from the Keys, I recommend moving a night to mid-keys. Perhaps the Hampton Inn & Suites? Then, you can explore that area, too, on your way back to the airport.
We were travelling with our school-aged kids, but all 5 of us recommend a stop in the Everglades to walk the Anhinga Trail at Royal Palms. You could do that on your way up the keys (or down) from the airport. It was about an hour from FLL to the Everglades.
We, too, used FLL airport.

Plan a night in Islamorada on the way too or from KW. Casa Morada and the Moorings are lovely and would be perfect for an anniversary. Dinner at Morada Bay or Pierre's.

You mention "going to Key West for the first time"; but have you ever been to any of the other Keys? How about Fort Lauderdale, have you been before? If you have never been to Ft. Laud I would say in order to broaden the experience stay one night there, the rest in Key West. If you have been to Miami/Ft Lauderdale before but never the Keys I would agree with some of the other posters that you should spend one night in the upper/middle Keys; Islmorada would be perfect.