Last updated: May 28, 2023

My mom and I decided to leave the January chill in our rear view mirror and roadtrip through Florida, starting with the Florida Keys and making our way back to Alabama with a plan to hit everything of interest we could along the way (which included Monkey Jungle!). My number one reason for going to the Keys was to visit Dry Tortugus National Park but this blog will focus specifically on the Keys and everything we did outside of the National Park. I had never been to the Keys, so this was a huge treat for me!

What are the Florida Keys?

Ok, so I really couldn’t have described what the Florida Keys were to you before I went. But now… The Florida Keys are a string of tropical islands stretching about 120 miles off the southern tip of the U.S. state of Florida, between the Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of Mexico. They’re known as a destination for fishing, boating, snorkeling and scuba diving. The islands start about 15 miles south of Miami and extend out in a southwest direction and then west toward the Gulf of Mexico.

There’s about 83,000 residents living across the Florida Keys and over 5 million visitors each year.

Why are they called Keys and not Islands?

This was my biggest question. I discovered that all keys are islands, but not all islands are keys. A key is a special kind of island that is made from built-up coral deposits. This feature makes them different from other islands. National Geographic refers to keys as a “small, low lying, coral island”.

There are 800 keys that stretch over 180 miles connected by 42 bridges. The longest bridge is Seven Mile Bridge (technically 6.79 miles) and the shortest is Harris Gap bridge at only 37 feet long.

Here is an excellent visual of what the Florida keys actually are and their order as you drive them.

Here’s a perfect aerial shot that gives you a beautiful idea of what it’s like driving over these keys. I have plans to go back and take an airplane ride over the Keys so I can get some aerial shots and see them for myself. Driving across them was already incredible. I am itching to see them from the sky now!

We stayed at a house in Sugarloaf Key and was on our way to check in when we crossed Ohio Key and I encountered my first Florida Key Sunset. I snapped this photo from the passenger seat.

We got into the house after dark so we scurried to bed so we could get an early start the next day to try and squeeze in as much as possible.

Seven Mile Bridge

At almost seven miles, this bridge gets you to the lower keys and is quite the experience. There was an older bridge that was shut down in 2017 for repairs. It opened shortly after we left and is now available for pedestrians to walk and bike. The one we travelled is still open for vehicular modes of transportation. So essentially, there are two bridges running perpendicular of one another.

Sea Turtle Center (Marathon, FL)

I have a huge heart for animal welfare and enjoy supporting turtle hospitals. My first one was with my mom in November 2021 while visiting Jekyll Island in Georgia.

I honestly liked this one a lot better as they had an entire informative session before the tour of the facility. Admission was well worth the cost of this 90 minute program!

The Turtle Hospital of Marathon opened its doors in 1986 with four main goals: 1) Rehab injured sea turtles and release them back to their natural habitat. 2) Educate the public by visiting local schools and attending outreach programs. 3) Conduct and assist with research aiding sea turtles (in collaboration with state universities). 4) Work toward environmental legislation to make beaches and water safe for sea turtles. I truly love th

I really admire the folks that are dedicated to saving sea turtles and believe the work they do here truly makes a difference and supports prolonging the sea turtle species.

Barracuda Grill

Head to Barracuda Grill afterwards for some lunch. It’s just a few minutes down the road and offer some yummy fish tacos.

Dolphin Research Center (Grassy Key)

A research and rescue dolphinarium is a series of saltwater lagoons that provide safety and sustenance for an abundance of marine life. The focus is on dolphins but inhabitants also include some rescued birds and sea lions. This is a great, educational stop. What I wish I would have known before I went is there there is a daily schedule starting in the morning that goes to the afternoon. You can go to each event and make a whole day of it.

Key West

Key West is the shining star of the Florida Keys. We spent two days exploring, however, I recommend three as there were a handful of things I ran out of time to see. For the two days I was there, I went into full tourist mode and hit up most all the must see places.

The Key West Nature and Butterfly Conservatory

The Key West Butterfly and Nature Conservatory traces its roots back to the childhood of Sam Trophia, who first fell in love with butterflies at the age of nine. By age 15, he was raising Monarchs of his own at his home in upstate New York. Then, Trophia worked on a collaborative research project about Monarchs’ migration patterns from the eastern portion of North America to Mexico.

Trophia opened The Butterfly Gallery, a stunning destination where gorgeous butterflies are displayed in all their glory, in 1992. In 2003, he and his partner George Fernandez expanded the space with the Key West Butterfly & Nature Conservatory opening. This butterfly museum in Key West has now been one of the area’s most popular attractions for nearly 20 years!

This was my first time visiting a butterfly conservatory and I was impressed! I was in there for much longer than I anticipated because I was completely enthralled with practicing shooting my Canon with all of the gorgeous models. These creatures were more than happy to show off their beautiful wings and pose perfectly on coordinating flowers. If I didn’t know any better, I’d think they had practiced. Check out the photos I got!

Not only do they have butterflies, but they have two flamingos! This was my first time seeing a flamingo up close. So beautiful. Random fact for you (and possibly the best random fact I’ve ever discovered); A group of flamingos is called a flamboyant.

Hey honey, I saw a whole flamboyant of flamingos today! Honestly, how perfect is that? At this point I’m tempted to tell you the other crazy animal group names I discovered, but I’ll let you look up a what a group of geese, ravens, crows, owls and ferrets are called so you can also have random, unnecessary facts floating around in your mind to think about while lying in bed trying to go to sleep. Wait… Is that just me? 🤷🏻‍♀️😆

They also had some birds and turtles wondering around.

Afterwards, they will give you a butterfly pin which I proudly wore on my shoulder for the rest of the day. You can also get a photo and pretend you have wings of your own.

I

US Highway 1 – Mile Marker Zero

US Highway 1 starts at Fort Kent, Maine and stretches more than 2,000 miles, all the way to Key West, Florida. This is the official end of the United States, commonly referred to as “The end of the Road”.

There’s a gift shop right across the street that offers some pretty cool souvenirs. I didn’t buy anything because I’m working on becoming more minimalist, but they do offer some cool items for friends and family (or yourself!). There’s also some more gift shops across the street.

Close to the end of the road mile marker is the The Kapok Tree, which can grow to 130 feet) or more. Per the sign, it was the sacred tree of the Mayan people who believed that souls of the dead climbed into the mythical kapok whose branches reached into heaven. This thought is likely from the speed in which the tree grows (10 feet in a year!).

Mallory Square

There is a “Sunset Celebration” every single evening at Mallard Square. It starts two hours before sunset and you can find street performers, vendors and of course, the famous sunset sink into the Gulf of Mexico.

Audubon House

The Audubon House was built in 1830. In 1832, the famed naturalist, John James Audubon, visited Key West to study and sketch the birds of the Florida Keys. On March 18,1960, the house was dedicated as a public museum to be named Audubon House Commemorating the artist’s visit to Key West. Furnished with antiques of the period, the museum proudly exhibits numerous original Audubon engravings. This restoration sparked the preservation and restoration movement in Key West. I was impressed by the details in Audubon’s sketches of the Key West birds and if I were one of those rich women who lived in a mansion, I would buy an original and place it in my foyer as a discussion piece before leading all of my fancy guests into the garden for tea. Since my wall space is currently reserved for the things I can afford from Hobby Lobby, I admired and appreciated the drawings extra hard during my visit.

The Southernmost Point in the Continental U.S.

Not only is this the southernmost point of the continental U.S., it is also lowest latitude land of contiguous North American states at 18 feet above sea level. The large painted buoy was established as a tourist attraction in 1983 by the city at the corner of South Street and Whitehead Street. It is one of the most visited and photographed attractions in the United States.

The southernmost point was originally marked with a small sign, before the City of Key West erected the now famous concrete buoy in 1983. The concrete buoy has overall withstood several hurricanes and is a gathering place for photographs and tourists. The paint job was damaged by Hurricane Irma in September 2017, but it was refurbished later that year by the original artist.

Sometimes, an individual is chosen for recognition because they exemplify a tradition. Bishop Albert Kee, along with three generations of his family stood on this corner selling fresh conch, fish and conch shells for more than half a century.
As tourism increased in the 1950’s, conch shell blowing became popular. Bishop Kee was renowned for blowing his conch shell and waving a hearty welcome to visitors from all around the world. He was named a “Key West Ambassador” and is recognized for having greeted an estimated 11 million visitors.

Also close by is the southernmost house.

Fort Zachary Taylor Historic State Park

This is not your ordinary state park. This one has a beach and a incredibly cool directional sign listing how many miles it is to certain places in the world. It’s located in front of the laid back Cayo Hueso Cafe where we stopped to cool off.

The Cuban Coffee Queen Mural

This postcard-style mural proudly advertises one of Key West’s claim to fame – its position as the southernmost city in the mainland United States. The mural is located on the side of the Cuban Coffee Queen stand approximately one-half mile northwest of the Key West Historic District.

Earnest Hemmingway’s Home

American writer, Ernest Hemingway lived in Key West from 1931- 1940 during his marriage to his second wife, Pauline. The house was built in 1851 by Asa Tift, a marine architect and salvage wrecker, and became Ernest Hemingway’s home in 1931.After his death, the house was converted to a private museum in 1964 and a historical landmark in 1968. Due to its association with Hemingway, the property is the most popular tourist attraction in Key West. It is also famous for its large population of so-called Hemingway cats, many of which have six or more toes. They are said to be decedents of Hemmingways original six toed cat, Snow White. There are approximately 60 cats roaming around and they’ll keep you company during the tour. They even have a cat cemetery.

Ernest used the back garden as his personal boxing ring where he sparred and trained with local boxers. While he was working as a war correspondent during the Spanish Civil War, he fell in love with wife number three, fellow war journalist, Martha Gellhorn. Back in Key West, second wife Pauline Pfeiffer heard about the affair and replaced the author’s beloved boxing ring with the pool out of spite. The swimming pool was the first in ground pool in Key West and was exorbitantly expensive; even by todays standards. It cost over $20,000 in 1938. To put things in perspective, their house (that was gifted to them by Pauline’s rich uncle) was $8,000. Today, it would be like spending $350,000 for a pool. When Hemingway returned and found out about the costs, he supposedly flung a penny at Pauline, saying “Pauline, you’ve spent all but my last penny, so you might as well have that!” The 1932 penny is still cemented in the patio concrete to this day.

The tour was extremely interesting to learn about Hemingways life. Several pieces that belonged to the Hemmingway’s are still in the house. You can visit his writing studio and learn much about his adventurous life.

I honestly appreciated the sense of style and decor choices. For instance, the carved walnut headboard gracing the bed holds what was once the gate leading to a 17th-century monastery gate. Hemingway loved it and purchased it while on tour through Spain and made it his headboard! The latch was kept in tact and latches to the headboard. I was super impressed by this.

While he was an extremely successful writer, he struggled with alcoholism and fidelity. He ended up taking his own life in 1961. Seven of Hemingway’s close family relations also died by suicide, including his father, sister, brother and much later his granddaughter, the supermodel Margaux Hemingway. In 1961, mental health remained poorly understood. We now know that Hemingway suffered from severe depression, paranoid delusions and bipolar disease exacerbated by a history of alcoholism, severe head injuries and a genetic disorder of iron metabolism known as hemochromatosis, which can also cause intense fatigue and memory loss. Today, his granddaughter, actress Mariel Hemingway, has been an advocate for recognizing depression and bipolar disease early, getting treatment for these problems, and suicide prevention programs.

For those suffering with depression and suicide ideation, or if someone you know is struggling, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255 or find them online at https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org.

Deval Street and More

Deval is the main street in Key West and had many restaurants and attractions along the way. Any exploration in Key West will result in you crossing Deval street at one point or another. You’ll see roosters, brightly colored homes, directional signs and more!

Take a Sunset Cruise

Key West has a marina where you can stop in and book a sunset cruise. They offered a dinner that was quite good and even though it was cloudy, this was still a fun time, and a sunset is perfect regardless the circumstances.

There were still several things I wanted to explore and will definitely be back to enjoy this sunny and unique destination again. If you haven’t visited the Keys, I hope I was able to share something with you that makes you want to go!