traveler2005

Thanks for all of your help. Since we decided to skip the Go Miami card and the tours, I've also been working on changing our hotel reservations so that we can include a night at Key West.

I'm glad that we can just "look over the fence" so to speak to see the Venetian Pool. I am thinking that if we go to the Fairchild Gardens, we'll be in the neighborhood so to speak.

I really want to at least hit a bit of the Everglades. We've never been to southern Florida and the Everglades and Key West are two reasons that we decided to go there this year.

I like the idea of moving the V. garden to after the ducks. I suppose we could live without Parrot Jungle. It's listed as a AAA gem, so I thought it might be worth stopping. On the other hand, it seems expensive. My husband and I went to Bush Gardens long ago and I am thinking it might be something like that was then.

I'll check on the Dr. George's tours. They sound like something that would really be worthwhile.

My sister loved the Fruit and Spice park - but she was there on a college field trip for landscape architecture. Her gardening background would color her perceptions. Is it an attraction or a nursery?

I think the Coral Castle sounds like something I'd enjoy.

I really appreciate everyone's help. Over the years, we've decided that we see a lot more if we can at least have a plan before we set out on a trip. It cuts out the last minute decision-making and allows things to be more logical. We can always changes when we get there, but this gives us a place to start.

I'll rework things and see what I come up with.

Thanks again!!

Oh - I checked the Richmond and they don't have any available rooms that will accommodate three when we will be there.

Debbie

traveler2005

Fodor question - Would it be better for me to start a new thread or continue on with this one? I see it is getting long.

Progress is being made. We dropped the Miami Card idea and are doing it on our own. We will stay one night in Key West and have made a reservation.

Here is my latest draft. I think the day to the Everglades may be too full and will probably drop something. Thursday seems to have extra room.

Debbie

SATURDAY
Fly in - Arrive 5 PM
Dinner: 94th AeroSquadron

SUNDAY - SOUTH BEACH AREA
South Beach walking tour 10:30 90 min
Beach
Bayside Blaster 4:30

MONDAY– EVERGLADES/KEY WEST:
Coral Castle
Fruit and Spice Farm
Everglades National Park entrance in Florida City (Anhinga Trail).
Robert is Here fruit stand for great fresh fruit milkshakes.
Key Largo. Get to Pennekamp State Park – glass bottom boats
Robbies at mile marker 77 to feed the wild tarpon.
Wide World Sportsman (it's a store but it's also an experience).
Wild Bird Sanctuary

TUESDAY: KEY WEST
Key West - will pick one of:
*Conch Train 22.50
Discovery Underwater Tour $35
Old Town Trolley $22
Back to mainland

WEDNESDAY:
Miami Duck 90 min. 10-5 on hr.
*Vizcava Museum & Gardens 9:30-4:30 $12 allow 2 hr
Beach on Key Biscayne
Drive Bayshore Drive through Coconut Grove
Baseball game (allow hr travel time) 7:05

THURSDAY
Fairchild Trop Bot Garden 9:30-4:30 Coral Gables
Venetian Pool (peak through) Coral Gables

FRIDAY
Fly home

traveler2005

I'm thinking of adding the Wolfsonian to Sunday afternoon.
Debbie

Dukey

If you like "quirky" things you simply MUST stop in at Fast Buck Freddie's "tropical department store" on Duval Street in Key West while you are in town. It is in a converted Woolworth's...nothing else like it.

Don't miss it.

SusanCS

In Key West, you don't want to do both the conch train and the trolley - they're basically the same tour only in different vehicles. I do think you'd enjoy one of them, though.

SusanCS

Oops, sorry...I didn't see that you'd pick only one.

pjsparlor

ttt

amcc

Your days are pretty full, and you will see alot when you are here. However, Thursday, with Fairchild and the Venetian pool is pretty relaxed. Keep it in mind if you find something else to see, you can probably fit it in there.

I don't like the 94th Aero Squadron. Maybe it is by your hotel, although Doral is on the other side of the airport, but pretty much it's only redeeming quality is that it is right next to the airport and you have a pretty good view of the planes taking off and landing. You can easily do better than that, whether you chose it by distance or budget (and it is not cheap).

In Doral, there are chains such as Carrabas, Olive Garden, Longhorn Steakhouse, Macaroni Grill, Outback. One restaurant that has gotten good reviews is Johnny Carinos. Also, a new outpost of Chispa, a local restaurant, with a fun vibe and really good food just opened in Doral as well.

GoTravel

Debbie, I'm exhausted reading your schedule.

Do you really want to do that much?

RedRock

I lived in South Florida for years and the travel time/traffic is going to be the downfall of what you have planned.

traveler2005

Someone suggested the 94th place - maybe on another thread - I'm not wed to it. Probably we'll just leave the airport and see what we can find.

No doubt you are all right about trying to pack too much in - especially when you factor in traffic and travel time.

I think Sunday is probably OK - especially if we skip the Wolfsonian.

Monday, I think is the killer. I tried to put everything that anyone had mentioned into it and it was a lot.

Maybe this would be better:

MONDAY– EVERGLADES/KEY WEST:
Coral Castle
Everglades National Park entrance in Florida City (Anhinga Trail).
Robert is Here fruit stand for great fresh fruit milkshakes.
Wide World Sportsman (it's a store but it's also an experience).

Are there tours at the Florida City edge of the Everglades that would take us on a glass bottom boat? We just want to get a bit of an idea of the area.

Debbie

GoTravel

I doubt there are glass bottom boat tours of the Everglades. I think it would be too shallow.

amcc

That plan is better and doable. The Anhinga Trail isn't far into the Everglades, and it is not long, so you can get a nice idea of the spirit of the Everglades in about 2 hours. Coral Castle won't take long either. By the time you get to Key Largo, you are already about an hour into your 3-hr ride to Key West, so you can evaluate whether you want to stop at Pennekamp. Then, Wide World is another 30 minutes, I think. Right next door is Morada Bay, a really laid back restaurant with tables and chairs on the sand. It's a perfect break at the midpoint of the ride.

Traffic is a pain, but I think your groupings are pretty logical. Get an early start leaving to the Keys because you will be against traffic in the morning.

keymom

Here are some thoughts on streamlining your trip.
I would swap the Duck and Bayside Blaster. The Miami Duck is on Miami Beach so do that the day you are on the beach. Bayside is off the beach on your way to or from Fairchild.
On Sunday, plan to get to Lincoln Road in Miami Beach - pedestrian mall area. Great people watching.
Monday - I agree that you should skip fruit & spice and the wild bird sanctuary. If your family is comfortable in the water, I would do the snorkel rather than the glass bottom boat. Both of these trips are on the ocean out to the reef. The Everglades have airboats, not glass bottom boats but you'll see lots more on the Anhinga Trail. click on my name as I have posted detailed directions on this.
If you aren't going to swim at the Venetian Pool, I would skip it. It's not close to Fairchilds. Check out Matheson Hammock, a park with a marina. It's very near Fairchilds. You might also want to head back towards Key Biscayne and try windsurfing. www.windsurfingmiami.com

traveler2005

Thanks keymom. I enjoyed reading your posts and copied many of them to add to my notes. There was a treasure trove in information in those threads. I thought I'd done a search on Key West, but either I didn't or didn't go back far enough to read some of the ones that you'd added to.

I read several posts about using Card Sound Road instead of Rt. 1 and am a little confused. Where is it that I would be switching roads or would it affect us coming from Florida City to the Keys and then back to Miami?

Interestingly (to me at least) Rt. 1 comes through my hometown. If we had a LOT of time, we could get on it and take it all the way to Key West.

I'm really glad that you mentioned doing a search on your name.

Debbie

keymom

Glad to be of help! I think planning trips is great fun and I can't plan mine, I might as well help someone else.
Here's the deal on Card Sound Road. From Miami, you'll get on the turnpike to get to the Keys. If you are suggesting in your post that you would take US1 over the turnpike - change your mind! It's a slow boring trip. You'll have plenty of time on US1 on the way to Key West. You'll want to get a "mile marker 0" magnet for your fridge.
The turnpikes ends in Florida City with a traffic light (and you'll turn right there to get to the Everglades). Once the turnpike ends, the road is US1. It runs through Florida City (less than a mile?) and then you are whizzing through another part of the Everglades. If you stay on US1, it is called the 18 mile stretch. They are doing a major construction project to replace the entire road and add a higher, fixed bridge to replace the drawbridge. Traffic can slow down because of the construction so people are opting for Card Sound Road. Once you get though Florida City, you'll see a chance to turn left onto Card Sound. Once on it, follow to the end. You'll turn right once it dead ends and go another 5-10 minutes before you hook back up with US1. There is a restaurant called Alabama Jacks right before the toll booth. It qualifies on the quirky quotient if you have time to stop for a meal (but you may want to push through if you are going as far as Key West).
Another quick stop for you on the drive is the new Wayland whaling wall. He painted an entire building in the median at mm 99.2 http://www.wylandfoundation.org/index.cfm?mid=12&sid=40

traveler2005

I copied and pasted your directions into my Miami notes. I'd heard the 18 mile stretch mentioned before, but wasn't clear on it either.

The youtube of the Whaling Wall was neat.

Thanks for all of your help.

Debbie

bookhall

Here's another vote for Card Sound Road. Alabama Jack's is always worth a stop, if for nothing more than a drink....