The Florida Keys Florida |
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|---|---|---|---|
Rating |
Good |
Age |
5 and up |
Lockers |
Not Available |
Restrooms |
Yes |
Food |
Everywhere | Closest Coffee |
Any town |
Recommendation |
The keys seem alot like a strip mall at first, but the farther you get out the more there is to see and do. |
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Review: by Dad
I wanted to add this review as a kind of warning to those people looking to make a quick trip to the keys to see what they are like. Our kids found our first excursion to the keys to be boring, but the second time we headed in a little deeper and took more time to explore and it totally changed their idea of these islands.
Don't expect the keys to look like what you see in the travel sites right away. US 1, the only road that goes down to Key West, is really kind of boring. Sam described it as a strip mall full of gas stations, bars, and t-shirt shops. It was a good time to concentrate on an audio book in the car.
There are few public beaches in the upper keys (the ones closest to Homestead, Fl). The farther out you go, the more public beaches are available. By the time we got to Marathon we were seeing the ocean views we expected and finding the good beaches.
Kingfishers were all over the place and were fun to watch for, we also saw a lot of egrets and pelicans. My personal favorite was seeing a frigatebird. As a family it was also fun to see all of the names of the keys and channels. Some of our favorites were Whale Channel, Rattlesnake Key, Bahia Honda, and No Name Key. It was fun to speculate as to how these places got their names.
We also found Jules' Undersea Lodge. It was closed to visitors for the day by the time we found it, but we would still love to stay here one night when the kids are a little older. After all, how many opportunities do you have to stay in an underwater research station?
We all wish that we had more time to explore the keys. There is a lot there and we just barely scratched the surface. We plan to make a trip to the area just to visit the keys in the future.
Remember, the farther you go the better the experience. It is like the keys reward you for your extra effort.
Extra Review: Mom
Numerous adults told us, however, that Key West is really not an enjoyable place for children. Boca Chica may be as far as you want to travel with your family.