Hi,

My husband and I are heading to Florida on Saturday for the first time.

Here is our itinerary:
Fly into FLL Saturday & drive to Key West

2 days at the Hilton in Key West. We are going to take the sea plane to the Dry Tortugas and also visit Bahia Honda. In Key West we plan to see Hemingway's house and have some drinks at various places on Duval St.

Drive to Miami (South Beach) and spend 3 days at the Royal Palm Crowne Plaza. One day we will go to the Everglades. One day we will wander the South Beach area.

Any advice in general or things to do/see?

Thanks,
Patrice

Sounds like you are booked up already. Key West is a great town. If you have time, I really enjoyed the sunste cruise that leaves from the dock by your hotel. Also a great br there for sunsents. South Beach is great for people watching, it has an awsome dining scene (check past posts)and a night life that goes until sunrise.

I can't recall any good everglades trips that are close to Miami. Not much to see out there.

And it is hot and rainy now, so be ready for the moskitos and the humidity. There is nothing to see in the Everglades, lots of dirty water, some birds and maybe alligators. Yes am from Miami and live in Miami.....
Better visit Coral Gables, nice meditterenean architecture, great restaurants.

I would stay an extra day in Key West and skip the Everglades.

As pretty as Bahia Honda is, it doesn't take too much time to see it. Maybe 20 minutes. I guess if you want to lay on the beach then you might allow more time.

Also, I'd do the 1/2 day trip (as opposed to the full day trip) to the Dry Tortugas. That'll save you some time. And try to get the first plane out. Then you'll have the island pretty much to yourselves when you get there. (The boats show up around 11:00 am or so.)

I think there are alot of excellent reasons for visiting the Everglades, not the least that it is a unique ecosystem, a National Park, and teeming with life. However, take some very strong bug spray right now. We've had rain today which is going to stir up the mosquitoes. Enter the park through Florida City (better than the Tamiami Trail entrance) and go to the Visitor's Center where you can find info on the trails, guides, etc.
If beach is what you are looking for, I think you can easily fill up the two remaining days on South Beach, sunning, people watching, and wandering around.

I stayed in South Beach just over a year ago and did pretty much the same things ie. Key West etc. It depends what you are in to but the Everglades were one of the best things we did on our trip - it is so quiet that the silence is almost deafening (!) and we saw some truely amazing sights - alligators in their true habitat for one. Totally loved it there. I definitely wouldn't miss it. The place we went to wasn't far from Fort Lauderdale and well worth the trip.

If anything i'd give Key West a miss next time because it was a bit tacky for my tastes (sorry I know loads of people will disagree) and i'm not that in to Hemingway

What do I know - i'm just a Scot

Go swim with the dolphins on a Venus Charters dolphin tour. Venus Charters customizes snorkeling and fishing trips to include swimming with real dolphins in the 'real' ocean! Check out Venus Charters at http://www.venuscharters.com No one I've referred to them has ever had anything but the highest praise!

You can walk down one side of Duval street, and up the next in 45 minutes. Key West restaurants are not to be missed. Seven Fish is incredible.

There is the Audubon House and the Lighthouse to visit in Key West. Do them both in a day, or along with the Hemmingway house. Bicycle rental isn't a bad idea as the streets shouldn't be so crowded -- they have beach cruisers. A few places might be closed in August but not many.

If you snorkel, then consider a trip to Looe Key. You won't be sorry. It's really low-key and easy (leaves from Pine Key, stop and get some info on your drive down to Key West, beautiful pontoon boat trip) If you don't snorkel, you'll be hanging around the Fort in the Dry Tortugas with little to do. A picnic lunch might not be a bad idea. Be sure to take some binoculars and a birding book.

In Miami, I enjoyed a mid-day trip to the Fairchild Gardens. Lazy me, just trolling on their trolley -- might be good way to get a breeze if it's hot. I saw HUGE iguanas in the bamboot field. Crazy. Eat some cuban food at the Versailles on Calle Ocho. For sure.

August is Miami restaurant month. Various restaurants have special menus (and friendly prices) - here's the website. You may be able to plan a special dinner.
www.miamirestaurantmonth.com

You might be sleeping in Key West but it doesn't appear that you have allowed any time to do anything there ! Pick one or the other & do your choice justice. You will spend a huge amount of your time driving, particularly on Saturday out to EYW. Either stay in Key West or just stick to South Beach. I would vote fo Key West. Prior to swimming w/any dolphins as the ad on here suggests, please read prior posts on here concerning this topic.

Yes eating at seven fish is a must.