I haven't been to the Keys since I was 8 and Townsend is always talking about his memories there through the years. So I decided we were going to pick a weekend and drive down so he could show me all the cool spots. And as usual, I showed him a few too :)
We woke up at 3am to start driving so that we could get there before lunch. It was an early morning but so worth it to watch the sun rise over the everglades and get ahead of the morning traffic. We stopped at Robbies in Islamorada and Leon had WAY too much fun looking at all the Tarpon off the dock.
After breakfast we finished the drive into Key West and arrived at our hotel. We stayed at The Marker Key West and it was incredible! This hotel was gorgeous, the pool was so beautiful, I felt like we were in another country at a resort. The drinks were perfect, the food service was delicious, and Leon had the time of his life playing in the pool. We almost didn't even see Key West because we just wanted to hang by the pool at the hotel which is very out of character for me!!
Our first full day day, we rented bikes and had breakfast at Pepe's which is the oldest restaurant in Key West. During our trip we went there twice and each time it was perfection. This is a classic restaurant and a must visit during your trip.
We rode our bikes all around the old town, down to the southern most point and then to Ernest Hemingway's house. Hemingway lived in Key West in the 1930's and his house is now a museum that people can visit and tour. The highlight of the house for me was actually the pool house which included Hemingway's writing studio on the second floor. That really gives you a glimpse of where he spent his time, and what was important to him. There was a Key Deer hanging on the wall and lines of books on his bookcase. It felt like I took a step back in time to his world.
We had lunch at Bo's Fish Wagon which has the BEST conch fritters. They also have roosters running around everywhere which is typical for all of Key West.
That evening we went to Mallory Square to watch the sunset. This was really special because Leon has a book that talks about Mallory Square so he got to see all the street performers in real life!
The next day we took the Yankee Freedom ferry to the Dry Tortugas and it was UNBELIEVABLE! This remote island was once a coastal fortress called Fort Jefferson but was never completed. The Dry Tortugas get their name from the explorer Ponce de Leon who discovered the series of Islands. He named them Tortugas because of the hundreds of sea turtles that inhabited the islands and "Dry" was later added to indicate to sailors that there was no fresh water on the islands.
Now it is a National Park that tourists can get to by either ferry or seaplane. The ferry service costs about $170 per person and includes snorkeling equipment, breakfast and lunch, and the park service fee of $10. One the trip back there is also a cash bar with drinks and other snacks which is very nice :) Hint! Book ahead of time! This is the only ferry that goes to the Tortugas and it books up very quickly! You can cancel for a full refund up until 3pm the day before. The plane costs $550 per person for a full day which I don't recommend going for anything less than a full day. That price also does not include anything. You can also camp on the island for $15/night and if we didn't have our little one, we would have TOTALLY done this.
One other interesting feature of the Tortugas is the salt water crocodile that calls this place home. Apparently, the crocodile found its way to the remote islands after being blow out of the everglades from a hurricane. And we were lucky enough to see him! But the snorkelers behind him were unlucky enough to almost run right into him! Those two snorkelers came out of the water a few minutes later and were telling tales of a big barracuda they saw while swimming, but little did they know they almost came head to head with a 9 foot salt water croc! They didn't even see him because they had their heads down looking for sea life beneath them. So another tip, if you snorkel, be aware of your surroundings!
I will let the rest of the photos speak for themselves, the clear blue water, white sand beaches, and beautiful architecture of Fort Jefferson make this easy day trip from Key West an absolute must!
