Summer7

My husband and I are planning a 5 day trip to Florida.That includes flying to Fort Lauderdale and departing from that same airport..Would it be feasible to drive to Key Largo the day we arive,drive to Key West the next day and head back the third and going to the Everglades? Thinking of staying in Key Largo first night , Marathon the second, and do not know where to stay third and fourth . Any suggestions on where to stay and what to do in the Everglades?
Appreciate your input.

PaulRabe

While I personally have little trouble making a drive through a busy highway system on the same day I arrive at an airport, may people need a "cooling down" day after a flight. To go from Fort Lauderdale, through Miami, then down the Keys via Highway 1 to Key Largo may be a bit more driving than many people can handle after the stress of a flight. It leads to three questions:
1) How tired out do you expect to be when you arrive? A non-stop flight from Atlanta is a LOT different than a flight from Seattle with three changes of planes.
2) How many hours daylight will there be when you arrive? Highway 1 through the Keys is almost the epitome of a road you do NOT want to drive on after dark.
3) How well do you handle driving in an unfamiliar city that is notorious for crazy drivers, on the same day that you've arrive after a flight? If you've never done this, Miami is NOT a place to learn it isn't something you handle well.

Could some people do it? Yes.
Could I do with half a day of sunlight? Yes.
Could YOU do it? That's the ONLY question you should be asking.

As for what to do at the Everglades:
http://www.nps.gov/ever/planyourvisit/anhinga-trail.htm
http://www.nps.gov/ever/planyourvisi...activities.htm
http://www.everglades.national-park.com/sights.htm
http://www.ohranger.com/everglades/flora-fauna

Orlando_Vic

Excellent point about South Florida drivers, especially in Broward & Miami-Dade counties. I compare some of them to Kamikazes.

_____________________________________________
Vic's travels: http://my.flightmemory.com/vogilvie

MiamiBeachMomma

The drive from FLL to Key Largo is not a problem at all. The challenging part of the drive is getting to Key West! It should take less than 2 hours if it is not rush hour traffic. Do not take the 95South to US1 route - it may be the least amount of miles, but it is the slowest! Take 95 to the Turnpike extension and then go to US1 South.
If you want to go to Key West, then I would drive down on the second day and stay a few nights in Key West.

SusanCS

Lots of people headed to Key West fly into Ft. Lauderdale rather than Miami because the airport and parking are easier to navigate. Ft. Lauderdale is about 30 miles from Miami and Miami is about 4 hours from Key West. If I were you, I'd drive straight on down.

SusieQQ

For such a short period of time, I agree with SusanCS, drive straight to Key West and not bother stopping in any other town. You could then see some of the Everglades on your return trip. Do you want to explore the Everglades National Park?

http://www.nps.gov/ever/index.htm


Or just have an airboat ride?
Here is a site near Ft. Lauderdale:

http://evergladestours.com/