What is the best way to tour the Florida Keys?
South of Miami and off Highway 1, the Florida Keys are America’s own tropical islands. A laid-back attitude exists here, dress is always casual and life revolves around the water. The Keys are designated marine wildlife refuges, making them one of Florida’s most popular destinations for diving. The Keys stretch for more than 100 miles, beginning with Key Largo. This is the site of John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park, found at the town’s north end, about 40 miles from South Miami. John Pennekamp is known for its snorkeling and glass-bottomed boat tours, but you can also camp and enjoy fishing and other water sports here.
Highway 1 continues south, connecting the islands together on a scenic route known as the Overseas Highway. In Islamorada, 20 miles to the south, kids will enjoy a stop at Theater of the Sea, where they can watch the sea lion and shark shows and participate in the popular dolphin interaction programs.
Manny and Isa’s is the place to go for the best home-cooked Cuban food and key lime pie, which is a must if you’re visiting the Keys. If you’d rather dine waterside, try Papa Joe’s, which is south of town. Long Key Recreation Area, less than 20 miles south of Islamorada, has camping and picnicking on one of the Keys’ few good beaches.
Six miles north of Marathon, the Dolphin Research Center conducts educational and interactive programs. Crane Point Hammock, also in Marathon, is a natural history museum with trails, aquariums and a children’s museum. Also, check out the Pigeon Key Historic Site. Here, the welcome center occupies a vintage railroad at the very southern edge of town before the Seven Mile Bridge. From here, you take a tram (you can also walk or bicycle) to a historic site that re-creates an old Bahamian-style railroad-builders settlement from the turn of the last century.
Scenic Seven Mile Bridge is the showpiece of Overseas Highway. It takes you to Bahia Honda State Park, eight miles south of the Pigeon Key visitor center. Here you’ll find the Keys’ best beaches, rated among the top in the country. You can snorkel, kayak, swim and fish in the marina. Campgrounds, cabins and beautiful beaches provide a great opportunity to relax. Down the road four miles lies Big Pine Key. It is the second-largest Key and one of the most natural of the islands. It’s home to the National Key Deer Refuge, which protects the diminishing diminutive white-tailed deer. Fishing and lobstering are popular pastimes in this community.
A couple of miles south, at Torch Key, find some of the Keys’ best snorkeling and diving in an area known as Looe Key National Marine Sanctuary. Continue south about 15 miles to Key West, best known for its sunset celebrations, all-night carousing and festival scene. Its historic Old Town area is full of great dining, shopping, historic sites and museums. Among the most well known attractions are the Hemingway Home, the Key West Aquarium and the Little White House. Take the Conch Train around town to learn about the island’s fascinating history. Check out Fort Zachary Taylor State Historic Site for more history and a beach picnic.
-
Forbes Inspector answered a question:
-
Some of America’s most glamorous, yet secluded resort tows can be found in Southeast Florida. Forbes Four Star Fairmont Turnberry Isle Resort & Club, Little Palm Island Resort & Spa in Little Torch Key and Sunset Key Guest Cottages, a Westin Resort in Key West, all offer serenity and gorgeous views. Here are the best hotels for a quiet escape:
1. Fairmon Turnberry: When you need a break from the Miami mayhem, Forbes Travel Guide Four Star hotel Fairmont Turnberry Isle Resort & Club offers a reprieve. Secluded on 300 acres, the Fairmont gives out relaxation on its golf course, splurge-worthy spa and on the onsite lazy river.
2. Little Palm Island: Talk about the perfect escape: To get to Little Palm Island Resort & Spa, Little Torch Key, you have to either take a boat or seaplane. Your thatched-roof bungalow also promises to be an oasis, since there are no phones or TVs allowed. Plus, no one under 16 is permitted to stay at the hotel, so peace and quiet is practically guaranteed.
3. Sunset Key: Get away from it all at Sunset Key Guest Cottages, a Westin Resort in Key West, which sits on Sunset Key, a secluded 27-acre island. You won’t have to worry about loud neighbors, since you’ll get your own cottage. It comes with kitchen and dining areas, so you’ll never have to leave your hideaway.
-
-
Forbes Inspector answered a question:
-
In this relaxing region, you’ll find a nice respite from the constant city chaos in Miami. The Southeast is peppered with pretty neighborhoods like Coral Gables, but resort towns such as Boca Raton rule here. Florida Keys included, Southeast Florida has a lot to offer in the way of activities. Hit up Hollywood Beach, John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park, Miami’s Seaquarium and Stiltsville.
1. Hollywood: Unlike the spring-breaker-packed beaches in other regions of the state, Hollywood Beach isn’t flashy, and it’s a favorite sunning spot among locals. It also has a great Boardwalk lined with little restaurants and shops.
2. Coral Reef State Park: Bring your snorkel and scuba gear (rentals are available, too) to John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park, which has the largest living coral reef in the continental United States. Explore 25 miles of the marine sanctuary.
3. Seaquarium: Aside from being the longest-operating U.S. oceanarium, Miami’s Seaquarium is known as the backdrop for the ’60s TV show Flipper and the home of its dolphin star. Today it offers a Flipper Dolphin Show and porpoise-interaction programs.
4. Stiltsville: In the ’40s, a hard-partying crowd erected a bunch of water huts on stilts off the coast so that they could carouse freely. Of course, the police caught on and closed them down. It’s now a ghost town, but Stiltsville makes for an interesting boat tour.
-
-
Forbes Inspector answered a question:
-
South of Miami and off Highway 1, the Florida Keys are America’s own tropical islands. A laid-back attitude exists here, dress is always casual and life revolves around the water. The Keys are designated marine wildlife refuges, making them one of Florida’s most popular destinations for diving. The Keys stretch for more than 100 miles, beginning with Key Largo. This is the site of John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park, found at the town’s north end, about 40 miles from South Miami. John Pennekamp is known for its snorkeling and glass-bottomed boat tours, but you can also camp and enjoy fishing and other water sports here.
Highway 1 continues south, connecting the islands together on a scenic route known as the Overseas Highway. In Islamorada, 20 miles to the south, kids will enjoy a stop at Theater of the Sea, where they can watch the sea lion and shark shows and participate in the popular dolphin interaction programs.
Manny and Isa’s is the place to go for the best home-cooked Cuban food and key lime pie, which is a must if you’re visiting the Keys. If you’d rather dine waterside, try Papa Joe’s, which is south of town. Long Key Recreation Area, less than 20 miles south of Islamorada, has camping and picnicking on one of the Keys’ few good beaches.
Six miles north of Marathon, the Dolphin Research Center conducts educational and interactive programs. Crane Point Hammock, also in Marathon, is a natural history museum with trails, aquariums and a children’s museum. Also, check out the Pigeon Key Historic Site. Here, the welcome center occupies a vintage railroad at the very southern edge of town before the Seven Mile Bridge. From here, you take a tram (you can also walk or bicycle) to a historic site that re-creates an old Bahamian-style railroad-builders settlement from the turn of the last century.
Scenic Seven Mile Bridge is the showpiece of Overseas Highway. It takes you to Bahia Honda State Park, eight miles south of the Pigeon Key visitor center. Here you’ll find the Keys’ best beaches, rated among the top in the country. You can snorkel, kayak, swim and fish in the marina. Campgrounds, cabins and beautiful beaches provide a great opportunity to relax. Down the road four miles lies Big Pine Key. It is the second-largest Key and one of the most natural of the islands. It’s home to the National Key Deer Refuge, which protects the diminishing diminutive white-tailed deer. Fishing and lobstering are popular pastimes in this community.
A couple of miles south, at Torch Key, find some of the Keys’ best snorkeling and diving in an area known as Looe Key National Marine Sanctuary. Continue south about 15 miles to Key West, best known for its sunset celebrations, all-night carousing and festival scene. Its historic Old Town area is full of great dining, shopping, historic sites and museums. Among the most well known attractions are the Hemingway Home, the Key West Aquarium and the Little White House. Take the Conch Train around town to learn about the island’s fascinating history. Check out Fort Zachary Taylor State Historic Site for more history and a beach picnic.
-
-
Forbes Inspector answered a question:
-
In Southeast Florida, you get the intimate island feel in addition to the luxurious hotels and dining. Café Boulud, Chef Allen’s, L’escallier and the Restaurant will do much more than merely satisfy your taste buds during your stay. Here are the best restaurants in Southeast Florida:
1. Café Boulud: The authority on French cuisine, Daniel Boulud brings his masterful cooking to Palm Beach with his restaurant Café Boulud. Tucked inside the historic Brazilian Court Hotel, Café Boulud elevates traditional fare like steak frites to utter perfection.
2. Chef Allen’s: Famed chef Allen Susser was one of Miami’s first James Beard Award recipients and a member of the Mango Gang, a group that helped lead the new-world cuisine revolution. He continues to turn out winning sustainable seafood dishes at Chef Allen’s.
3. L’escalier: L’escalier in Palm Beach is an innovative French restaurant that uses fresh seasonal ingredients to make its dishes shine. But the real reason to come is the vast wine list that would make any oenophile drool.
4. The Restaurant: Inside the Four Seasons Resort in Palm Beach’s signature restaurant, you’ll find a contemporary and tropically inspired dining room aptly named the Restaurant, where every seat gets an ocean view, and where the menu melds the flavors of the South, the Caribbean and Central and South America.
-
-
Forbes Inspector answered a question:
-
Since Florida is a warm-weather destination, there’s really no bad time to visit.
Although there’s been little activity in recent years, hurricane season runs from June to November. If you decide to go during that time, just be prepared and pay attention to weather reports.
Another factor you may want to take into account is the throngs of spring breakers and tourists. Most spring breaks fall between March and April, and the busiest spots around that time tend to be Daytona Beach, Key West, Miami and Panama City Beach. The peak season for the northern half of the state tends to be the hot summer, while the southern part of Florida sees most of its tourists in the winter. If you travel to the Sunshine State during the fall, you’ll avoid the horrific heat and most tourists will have gone home by then.
-
-
Forbes Inspector answered a question:
-
Since Florida is a warm-weather destination, there’s really no bad time to visit.
Although there’s been little activity in recent years, hurricane season runs from June to November. If you decide to go during that time, just be prepared and pay attention to weather reports.
Another factor you may want to take into account is the throngs of spring breakers and tourists. Most spring breaks fall between March and April, and the busiest spots around that time tend to be Daytona Beach, Key West, Miami and Panama City Beach. The peak season for the northern half of the state tends to be the hot summer, while the southern part of Florida sees most of its tourists in the winter. If you travel to the Sunshine State during the fall, you’ll avoid the horrific heat and most tourists will have gone home by then.
-
-
Forbes Inspector answered a question:
-
Some of America’s most glamorous, yet secluded resort tows can be found in Southeast Florida. Forbes Four Star Fairmont Turnberry Isle Resort & Club, Little Palm Island Resort & Spa in Little Torch Key and Sunset Key Guest Cottages, a Westin Resort in Key West, all offer serenity and gorgeous views. Here are the best hotels for a quiet escape:
1. Fairmon Turnberry: When you need a break from the Miami mayhem, Forbes Travel Guide Four Star hotel Fairmont Turnberry Isle Resort & Club offers a reprieve. Secluded on 300 acres, the Fairmont gives out relaxation on its golf course, splurge-worthy spa and on the onsite lazy river.
2. Little Palm Island: Talk about the perfect escape: To get to Little Palm Island Resort & Spa, Little Torch Key, you have to either take a boat or seaplane. Your thatched-roof bungalow also promises to be an oasis, since there are no phones or TVs allowed. Plus, no one under 16 is permitted to stay at the hotel, so peace and quiet is practically guaranteed.
3. Sunset Key: Get away from it all at Sunset Key Guest Cottages, a Westin Resort in Key West, which sits on Sunset Key, a secluded 27-acre island. You won’t have to worry about loud neighbors, since you’ll get your own cottage. It comes with kitchen and dining areas, so you’ll never have to leave your hideaway.
-
-
Forbes Inspector answered a question:
-
In Southeast Florida, you get the intimate island feel in addition to the luxurious hotels and dining. Café Boulud, Chef Allen’s, L’escallier and the Restaurant will do much more than merely satisfy your taste buds during your stay. Here are the best restaurants in Southeast Florida:
1. Café Boulud: The authority on French cuisine, Daniel Boulud brings his masterful cooking to Palm Beach with his restaurant Café Boulud. Tucked inside the historic Brazilian Court Hotel, Café Boulud elevates traditional fare like steak frites to utter perfection.
2. Chef Allen’s: Famed chef Allen Susser was one of Miami’s first James Beard Award recipients and a member of the Mango Gang, a group that helped lead the new-world cuisine revolution. He continues to turn out winning sustainable seafood dishes at Chef Allen’s.
3. L’escalier: L’escalier in Palm Beach is an innovative French restaurant that uses fresh seasonal ingredients to make its dishes shine. But the real reason to come is the vast wine list that would make any oenophile drool.
4. The Restaurant: Inside the Four Seasons Resort in Palm Beach’s signature restaurant, you’ll find a contemporary and tropically inspired dining room aptly named the Restaurant, where every seat gets an ocean view, and where the menu melds the flavors of the South, the Caribbean and Central and South America.
-
-
Forbes Inspector answered a question:
-
Since Florida is a warm-weather destination, there’s really no bad time to visit.
Although there’s been little activity in recent years, hurricane season runs from June to November. If you decide to go during that time, just be prepared and pay attention to weather reports.
Another factor you may want to take into account is the throngs of spring breakers and tourists. Most spring breaks fall between March and April, and the busiest spots around that time tend to be Daytona Beach, Key West, Miami and Panama City Beach. The peak season for the northern half of the state tends to be the hot summer, while the southern part of Florida sees most of its tourists in the winter. If you travel to the Sunshine State during the fall, you’ll avoid the horrific heat and most tourists will have gone home by then.
-
-
Forbes Inspector answered a question:
-
In this relaxing region, you’ll find a nice respite from the constant city chaos in Miami. The Southeast is peppered with pretty neighborhoods like Coral Gables, but resort towns such as Boca Raton rule here. Florida Keys included, Southeast Florida has a lot to offer in the way of activities. Hit up Hollywood Beach, John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park, Miami’s Seaquarium and Stiltsville.
1. Hollywood: Unlike the spring-breaker-packed beaches in other regions of the state, Hollywood Beach isn’t flashy, and it’s a favorite sunning spot among locals. It also has a great Boardwalk lined with little restaurants and shops.
2. Coral Reef State Park: Bring your snorkel and scuba gear (rentals are available, too) to John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park, which has the largest living coral reef in the continental United States. Explore 25 miles of the marine sanctuary.
3. Seaquarium: Aside from being the longest-operating U.S. oceanarium, Miami’s Seaquarium is known as the backdrop for the ’60s TV show Flipper and the home of its dolphin star. Today it offers a Flipper Dolphin Show and porpoise-interaction programs.
4. Stiltsville: In the ’40s, a hard-partying crowd erected a bunch of water huts on stilts off the coast so that they could carouse freely. Of course, the police caught on and closed them down. It’s now a ghost town, but Stiltsville makes for an interesting boat tour.
-
-
Forbes Inspector answered a question:
-
South of Miami and off Highway 1, the Florida Keys are America’s own tropical islands. A laid-back attitude exists here, dress is always casual and life revolves around the water. The Keys are designated marine wildlife refuges, making them one of Florida’s most popular destinations for diving. The Keys stretch for more than 100 miles, beginning with Key Largo. This is the site of John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park, found at the town’s north end, about 40 miles from South Miami. John Pennekamp is known for its snorkeling and glass-bottomed boat tours, but you can also camp and enjoy fishing and other water sports here.
Highway 1 continues south, connecting the islands together on a scenic route known as the Overseas Highway. In Islamorada, 20 miles to the south, kids will enjoy a stop at Theater of the Sea, where they can watch the sea lion and shark shows and participate in the popular dolphin interaction programs.
Manny and Isa’s is the place to go for the best home-cooked Cuban food and key lime pie, which is a must if you’re visiting the Keys. If you’d rather dine waterside, try Papa Joe’s, which is south of town. Long Key Recreation Area, less than 20 miles south of Islamorada, has camping and picnicking on one of the Keys’ few good beaches.
Six miles north of Marathon, the Dolphin Research Center conducts educational and interactive programs. Crane Point Hammock, also in Marathon, is a natural history museum with trails, aquariums and a children’s museum. Also, check out the Pigeon Key Historic Site. Here, the welcome center occupies a vintage railroad at the very southern edge of town before the Seven Mile Bridge. From here, you take a tram (you can also walk or bicycle) to a historic site that re-creates an old Bahamian-style railroad-builders settlement from the turn of the last century.
Scenic Seven Mile Bridge is the showpiece of Overseas Highway. It takes you to Bahia Honda State Park, eight miles south of the Pigeon Key visitor center. Here you’ll find the Keys’ best beaches, rated among the top in the country. You can snorkel, kayak, swim and fish in the marina. Campgrounds, cabins and beautiful beaches provide a great opportunity to relax. Down the road four miles lies Big Pine Key. It is the second-largest Key and one of the most natural of the islands. It’s home to the National Key Deer Refuge, which protects the diminishing diminutive white-tailed deer. Fishing and lobstering are popular pastimes in this community.
A couple of miles south, at Torch Key, find some of the Keys’ best snorkeling and diving in an area known as Looe Key National Marine Sanctuary. Continue south about 15 miles to Key West, best known for its sunset celebrations, all-night carousing and festival scene. Its historic Old Town area is full of great dining, shopping, historic sites and museums. Among the most well known attractions are the Hemingway Home, the Key West Aquarium and the Little White House. Take the Conch Train around town to learn about the island’s fascinating history. Check out Fort Zachary Taylor State Historic Site for more history and a beach picnic.
-
-
Since Florida is a warm-weather destination, there’s really no bad time to visit.
Although there’s been little activity in recent years, hurricane season runs from June to November. If you decide to go during that time, just be prepared and pay attention to weather reports.
Another factor you may want to take into account is the throngs of spring breakers and tourists. Most spring breaks fall between March and April, and the busiest spots around that time tend to be Daytona Beach, Key West, Miami and Panama City Beach. The peak season for the northern half of the state tends to be the hot summer, while the southern part of Florida sees most of its tourists in the winter. If you travel to the Sunshine State during the fall, you’ll avoid the horrific heat and most tourists will have gone home by then. -
In this relaxing region, you’ll find a nice respite from the constant city chaos in Miami. The Southeast is peppered with pretty neighborhoods like Coral Gables, but resort towns such as Boca Raton rule here. Florida Keys included, Southeast Florida has a lot to offer in the way of activities. Hit up Hollywood Beach, John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park, Miami’s Seaquarium and Stiltsville.
1. Hollywood: Unlike the spring-breaker-packed beaches in other regions of the state, Hollywood Beach isn’t flashy, and it’s a favorite sunning spot among locals. It also has a great Boardwalk lined with little restaurants and shops.
2. Coral Reef State Park: Bring your snorkel and scuba gear (rentals are available, too) to John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park, which has the largest living coral reef in the continental United States. Explore 25 miles of the marine sanctuary.
3. Seaquarium: Aside from being the longest-operating U.S. oceanarium, Miami’s Seaquarium is known as the backdrop for the ’60s TV show Flipper and the home of its dolphin star. Today it offers a Flipper Dolphin Show and porpoise-interaction programs.
4. Stiltsville: In the ’40s, a hard-partying crowd erected a bunch of water huts on stilts off the coast so that they could carouse freely. Of course, the police caught on and closed them down. It’s now a ghost town, but Stiltsville makes for an interesting boat tour. -
Some of America’s most glamorous, yet secluded resort tows can be found in Southeast Florida. Forbes Four Star Fairmont Turnberry Isle Resort & Club, Little Palm Island Resort & Spa in Little Torch Key and Sunset Key Guest Cottages, a Westin Resort in Key West, all offer serenity and gorgeous views. Here are the best hotels for a quiet escape:
1. Fairmon Turnberry: When you need a break from the Miami mayhem, Forbes Travel Guide Four Star hotel Fairmont Turnberry Isle Resort & Club offers a reprieve. Secluded on 300 acres, the Fairmont gives out relaxation on its golf course, splurge-worthy spa and on the onsite lazy river.
2. Little Palm Island: Talk about the perfect escape: To get to Little Palm Island Resort & Spa, Little Torch Key, you have to either take a boat or seaplane. Your thatched-roof bungalow also promises to be an oasis, since there are no phones or TVs allowed. Plus, no one under 16 is permitted to stay at the hotel, so peace and quiet is practically guaranteed.
3. Sunset Key: Get away from it all at Sunset Key Guest Cottages, a Westin Resort in Key West, which sits on Sunset Key, a secluded 27-acre island. You won’t have to worry about loud neighbors, since you’ll get your own cottage. It comes with kitchen and dining areas, so you’ll never have to leave your hideaway. -
In Southeast Florida, you get the intimate island feel in addition to the luxurious hotels and dining. Café Boulud, Chef Allen’s, L’escallier and the Restaurant will do much more than merely satisfy your taste buds during your stay. Here are the best restaurants in Southeast Florida:
1. Café Boulud: The authority on French cuisine, Daniel Boulud brings his masterful cooking to Palm Beach with his restaurant Café Boulud. Tucked inside the historic Brazilian Court Hotel, Café Boulud elevates traditional fare like steak frites to utter perfection.
2. Chef Allen’s: Famed chef Allen Susser was one of Miami’s first James Beard Award recipients and a member of the Mango Gang, a group that helped lead the new-world cuisine revolution. He continues to turn out winning sustainable seafood dishes at Chef Allen’s.
3. L’escalier: L’escalier in Palm Beach is an innovative French restaurant that uses fresh seasonal ingredients to make its dishes shine. But the real reason to come is the vast wine list that would make any oenophile drool.
4. The Restaurant: Inside the Four Seasons Resort in Palm Beach’s signature restaurant, you’ll find a contemporary and tropically inspired dining room aptly named the Restaurant, where every seat gets an ocean view, and where the menu melds the flavors of the South, the Caribbean and Central and South America.