Hi All,

My husband, son (7 yo) and I will be staying in Weston FL (outside Ft. Lauderdale) at a timeshare the week of Easter. We are going to drive for the day (Easter Sunday) to Key West. Question 1 - How crazy is this? Question 2 - How long will this take? We are going to leave 6 a.m and don't plan to come back until very late (going to the Sunset Celebration).

Probably talking 4.5 to 5 hours one way. I'd suggest going down on Saturday and staying overnight, catching the sunset at Mallory Pier. We were down there a few years ago on Easter, and there was a beautiful ecumenical sunrise service on the beach. Lets you have a leisurely drive back on Sunday.

I think you are nuts. Thats a lot of driving to do in one day. Keep in mind that if there is any kind of accident you could spend a lot more then 9 - 10 hours on the road. It is a two lane highway throughout most of the keys and the littlest fender bender can tie traffic up for hours.

I'd strongly advise you not to try this. The trip in great conditions will take a minimum of 4 1/2 hours. It's two lanes most of the way, and passing is prohibited for long stretches.

As the above post suggests, even a little fender bender can bring traffic to a halt. There's a post somewhere on this board from someone who was trying to get from Key West to either Miami or Ft. Lauderdale to catch a plane and was delayed for 6 hours because of a wreck along the way. Key West is my favorite place but I wouldn't go for just one day.

Also - the drive is a bit boring - so 9+ hours on the road for a few hours in Key West seems like too much. Why not catch a flight, if it is really important for you to visit Key West? Or, make your trip over several days. Also, on Sunday night there quite likely will be very heavy traffic with people heading home from the weekend - which will make the drive both longer and more prone to delays. One of the most frustrating things about the drive can be being stuck behind a camper van going 35mph for miles and miles because there is no passing.

1) - You are crazy.
2) - Allow 5 hours from FLL to EYW


I would say it will take even longer on Easter. If you're going, go on Monday and avoid the weekend traffic...stay overnight

It is a beautiful drive and everyone should do it once. It puts you in a "keys state of mind" - very laid back. Don't do it when you are only going to spend a few hours there.

One of my girlfriends and her boyfriend decided to do this drive the day before a cruise. It rained like hell, add a couple of hours on to the drive, there was a wreck about 20 miles before Key West, add another couple of hours onto the drive, some idiot rear ended them looking at the wreck, add another couple of hours, and it ended up taking them 11 hours to get to Key West from Ft. Lauderdale. By the time they got back to the hotel (that they never slept at) they had a couple of hours to clean up before hitting Biscayne Bay and getting on the ship.

I agree that the drive to Key West in a day is too much. But if you want to experience the Keys, there are day trips in reach. Some ideas - snorkel in Pennekamp (about a 2 hour drive, there is a boat that leaves about 10:00 am); rent kayaks or canoes and explore; see the birds at the wild bird sanctuary, shop at World Wide Sportsman, feed the tarpon at Robbies, and end with sunset and dinner at Morada Bay (MM 86 or so). You are also less than 2 hours to Naples. Beautiful beaches- fun to boogie board there.