Welcome to the Florida Keys – Florida, USA

Welcome to the Florida Keys, a string of islands, which when connected by route US 1, provide passage to the southernmost point in the United States. These islands have some of the most unique scenery, attractions, and history in the United States, as well as ready access to the only living coral reef in North America.

This is my journey through the Florida Keys. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. As I sit at my desk, only a few hours since my return from the Keys, I am already anticipating my next trip down�

Heading south from the last town on the mainland, Florida City, I drive down route 1 in anticipation of what I might see while traveling through this tropical wilderness, which are the Keys. Within a few miles, I have the choice of staying on the main road the tourists follow down or, taking the far less traveled and more scenic, Card Sound Road. I choose the road less traveled, and I’m glad I did. There is a small toll bridge on Card Sound but the scenery and the experience are worth the price.

The first thing to reach the senses is the smell of the mangrove trees growing in the waters surrounding the Keys, which, if you’ve ever been to the Keys, is a most wonderful reminder that you are back. It makes me feel like I’ve just returned from a long trip, like I’m home again.

Even though I’m the one driving, I can’t help but look around and enjoy the sites that surround me. There are miles of trees, birds, some of which you’ll only see down here, like the cormorant, the pelican (fisherman of fishermen) and the egret, a beautiful white bird with long legs and neck which give it a view into the water below without ever having to take flight. And, if you’ve ever been near the ocean, there is that point, just past the trees, where you know, the land ends and the ocean begins.

Just as the toll bridge comes into view, there is a little rest stop, Alabama jacks; a must for the Jimmy Buffet fans. This is one of his stops on his first trip to the Keys years ago. Jack’s is a welcome stop for the road weary traveler; right on the water, where the climate is tropical and hot, and the drinks are cold. If you are lucky, you may see some of the local fisherman hauling in their catch and stopping by to cool off before heading home. Vast arrays of fish swim by, as I enjoy a seat overlooking the cool waters at the first and only stop on this wonderful little road.

A short drive to the end of Card Sound Road and I find myself back at US1, in Key Largo, where Humphrey Bogart filmed the movie of the same name.

Key Largo is the first of the islands to welcome you to the Keys; the most modernized by far, yet a sea of swaying palm trees abound. It is a Mecca for divers, fisherman and tourists alike. There are stores on both sides of the two-lane road where you can find everything from dive gear to shells to t-shirts. John Pennekamp Coral Reef Park is the place to go if you want to dive, snorkel or take a ride in a glass-bottom boat. Here you will find a protected marine sanctuary where you can see hundreds of multi-colored tropical fish and sea life, only minutes from shore.

Next time, I will take you to explore farther down into the Florida Keys, going to Islamorada, Marathon, over the seven-mile bridge, (where part of True Lies, the Arnold Schwarzenegger movie, was filmed) and finally down into Key West; Home to Ernest Hemmingway and Fantasy Fest (The Mardi gras of the tropics).

Read Part Two of Welcome to the Florida Keys.

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