Florida Keys are the chain of islands located in Sothern Florida. A one of a kind, it’s surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of Mexico stretching out as far as the eye can see, paralleling the historic railroad bridges that brought the first travelers to the Keys by land. Before that, the only way to get to the Keys was by boat.
The Florida Keys Scenic Highway travels through some of the nation’s most spectacular scenery. Folks in the Florida Keys describe the stretch of US 1 from Key Largo to Key West as the “Road to Paradise.” The Florida Keys Scenic Highway allows you to drive to the Southernmost Islands in the Continental United States from Mile Marker 110 down through the Florida Keys to Mile Marker 0.
The islands attract tourists from around the world because of the beautiful sunny weather and relaxing atmosphere. For me, the most exciting part of the trip to the Florida Keys was driving through the mentioned above Scenic Highway with the endless bridges surrounded by turquoise water. My advice to the first time Florida Keys travelers – drive to the Keys from Miami, don’t take a flight. 🙂
There are many mangrove islands like the one below seen from the bridges while driving on the Scenic Highway.
During our trip to the Florida Keys we spent most of our time in Key West and Marathon. There are the links to my previous Florida Keys posts at the end of this post, but I just want to mention some other highlights of our trip. I think we made a good choice with the neat and quiet Parmer’s resort situated on Little Torch Key, which is a 30 minute drive from Key West and 15 minutes from Marathon. Little Torch Key was named after the torchwood tree and is just south of Big Pine Key. We enjoyed watching the incredible sunrise every morning there.
The waterfront property is beautiful with some nice dining options nearby. The resort is equipped with all necessary amenities to rest and relax from hammocks to the chairs with little outdoor tables near the water. We often sat there with refreshing beverages enjoying the view of the surroundings.
We watched cute birds resting on the poles sticking out of the water.
The bottom of the water surrounding the resort is completely covered with corals.
Here was our favorite place to relax near the mangrove trees. Mangrove trees are unique because of their ability to grow in salt water. Interesting, that their root system thrives while exposed to the air.
Here is the view on the opposite from the resort bank.
Our favorite dining options there were Boondocks Grille and Mangrove Mama’s restaurant. Food were great there, especially the seafood.
On the way back home we stopped in Key Largo’s The Fish House restaurant for lunch. We had the best homemade key lime pie I’ve ever tried. 🙂
The other Florida Keys posts:
3. Key West – Conch Tour Train
5. Key West – Shipwreck Museum