This year, we decided to use our Mardi Gras break for a slightly more relaxing experience than an RV trip across the Southwest. Unfortunately, it doesn’t seem like an RV trip is in our cards for 2023, but we will make the best of what is available to us.
After spending the week prior watching parades and Mardi Gras day in the quarter, we jumped on a plane late Tuesday evening and flew to Fort Lauderdale. We picked up our rental car, a sweet minivan that reminded me of my formative driving years, and stayed at a nearby Hilton Garden.
This ended up being a mistake for two reasons. First, this hotel was garbage. I travel a lot for work, and always stay at one of the Hilton brands, and this was by far the worst at which I have stayed. The room was small, with double beds instead of queens, the parking lot was gated, but the gates didn’t work, and the unintelligent set of nincompoops working the front desk refused us a pack ‘n play. Thankfully, it was just one night of sleeping with my wife and Clara in a double bed, but it was a rough night.
Second, we should have driven further south when we arrived. Heading from FLL to the Keys includes passing through both Fort Lauderdale and Miami, and we failed to take into account the morning traffic. If we were doing the same trip again in the future, I would certainly drive an hour or so further south instead of staying so close to the airport.
Now with that behind us, we headed south to make our first stop at Key Largo. We had originally intended to snorkel with a local company, but got a message the night before that due to high seas, they could not take us out. Instead, we booked a glass bottom boat tour aboard the Key Largo Princess.
This was about a two hour out and back tour to a nearby reef, and was actually a lot of fun. I would say the activity is geared more towards younger kids, but the whole family enjoyed it, and we were able to see a lot of interesting things beneath the boat. That said, if you are a diver, this type of excursion is no substitute for actually being under the water.
We ate lunch that day at the Key Largo Fisheries Backyard Cafe. This is a great local fish market with a restaurant attached to the back of it, so all the food is incredibly fresh. It is a bit pricey, as is everything in the Keys, but sitting by the water, eating something that was caught less than 24 hours prior was quite pleasant.
From there, we drove deeper into the Keys to the Islander Resort on Islamorada. Islamorada is the second of the major Keys, and is relatively centrally located, so where we decided to stay. The Islander Resort was great. The room was clean with a great screened-in porch, and the amenities were wonderful. The resort has a great pool and bar, and private beach access, and contracts with a local company to offer all sorts of excursion. One thing to remember about any beachfront resort is that due to the salt and humidity, nothing stays in mint condition for long, but when it comes to our stay, I have no complaints
We spent that afternoon hanging out in the pool, and hopped two blocks over to the Islamorada Brewery for dinner. This was by far my favorite meal of the trip. The brewery itself offers about 15 different beers for all tastes, and the permanent food truck has a great menu. We spent about two hours hanging out, eating, drinking, playing the bar games and listening to a talented local musician who, evidently, specializes in Bob Seger covers.
The next morning, we had to get up quite early to make the almost two hour drive from Islamorada to Key West in order to catch the boat to the Dry Tortugas. Mostly due to its proximity, Dry Tortugas is one of the country’s least visited National Parks, but also one of the most awe-inspiring.
This island sits right along the jet stream, so was frequented by sailors during the time of colonial expansion. It was so named due to the large number of turtles found, as well as a lack of fresh water. In the mid-1800s, the US began construction of Fort Jefferson as part of a vast coastal defense network. The fort was never completed, however, due to advances in sea warfare technology that made it obsolete.
While it is difficult to get to, it is worth the trek. Aside from seaplane, the only way to get to the island park is by taking the Yankee Freedom Ferry out of Key West. This 2+ hour ferry ride provided us with a bagel and a lot of information about Dry Tortugas along the way. The views throughout the journey are pretty majestic, but it is not for the faint of stomach.
For me, the best part of the whole trip was the arrival at Fort Jefferson. The pictures online don’t do it justice. This stone fortress stuck on top of this tropic paradise is pretty breathtaking. The contrast between the red bricks, the green grass and the jewel-tones of the water is something to behold.
Once we reached the Park, we listened to a ranger-led history, and then set off on our own to explore. There are no hand-rails or banisters to keep one from falling over the edge, so care is needed with little ones, but the view from the top level of the Fort is worth it.
After eating the provided Jersey Mike’s sandwiches from the ferry, we grabbed the provided snorkeling gear and set off to the South Beach. The Dry Tortugas offer several unique snorkeling opportunities, with a myriad of fishes and multiple areas where corals have developed.
Alyson and Clara stayed on the beach while Eileen, JR and I optimistically attempted to snorkel around the Fort from the South Beach to the North Beach. This is an extremely labor-intensive task, and we made it, but it was no small feet, and not for those who don’t consider themselves strong swimmers.
As we primarily stayed along the outer moat wall of the Fort, we were never in any real peril, but at one point, Alyson came along the wall and threw a PFD to JR, which made it a lot less nerve racking. If you have the ability, I strongly recommend this snorkel, and recommend taking special care around the breach in the wall, as this area is really impressive.
Beyond snorkeling and touring Fort Jefferson, there isn’t a ton to do at Dry Tortugas. If you are a camper, you can spend the night, and the starscape appears incredible, but for the average NP-goer, this is a one-day experience. We reloaded the ferry and made the 2+ hour trek back to Key West. Thankfully, starting at 1:30 pm, the ferry bar opens, so the trip back was rather pleasant.
We landed back in Key West and searched around for a place to eat. Some strangers at an airport bar in Indianapolis suggested we try Blue Heaven, and since we had not other options, we figured why not?
When we arrived, we were told it would be a 45 minute wait (actually over an hour), so after putting our name on the list, we walked to down to the Southernmost Point of the continental US for the obligatory picture.
We made our way back to Blue Heaven for dinner, and much of the family really enjoyed it. Personally, I thought the menu was too limited and significantly overpriced, but in the Keys, you don’t have many choices. If we were to ever visit Key West again, I would look for another option.
The next morning, Friday, we grabbed breakfast at Midway Cafe. This is one of the musts on Islamorada. When you go, don’t be daunted by the long line; it moves quite briskly, and they offer a menu full of great options.
After breakfast, we went down to Robbie’s, which is sort of a one-stop shop for everything Keys related. It has souvenirs, a restaurant and bar, you can rent kayaks, jet skis, snorkel, pretty much whatever you are looking for. At this exact moment, we didn’t really know what we were looking for, so we payed a few dollars for a bucket of fish and went to feed the tarpons.
Feed the tarpons? What the hell are you talking about? you may ask. Well, allow me to enlighten you. Somehow, Robbie’s has managed to attract a large school of tarpons that feed at the docks. You can dangle a fish over several dozen of them, and they will jump and take the fish directly from your hand. You have to be sure, however, not to feed the pelicans or manatees, as they will become dependent. Why this doesn’t apply to the tarpons is still unclear to me. If you’re looking for a few minutes of excitement, this is a way to go. It is fun and a little heart-pounding all at the same time.
After this bit of excitement, we decided that renting kayaks was the way to go. We headed back to the Islander and let the kids eat and play in the pools, while I booked a guided eco tour with Key Kayak. This group offers several guided kayak tour options throughout the Keys, including one out of Marathon. We had yet done anything off of this Key, so decided it was the way to go.
We rented two kayaks and stuck Clara in between Eileen and I. The trip was great, and going through the mangrove tunnels was one of my favorite parts of our vacation. That said, I always forget how physically demanding is kayaking until I am about two minutes in. It is a lot of fun, but it sure is a lot of work.
That night, we grabbed dinner at a place on the water in Islamorada called Lazy Days. It is a really cool location, and the food is solid, albeit overpriced of course, but it does have the feeling of an old-person’s restaurant. I’m not sure if it was the old school menu books or all the mounted fish on the wall, but something made Alyson and I both think of place that gets busy at around 4:30 pm. Nonetheless, we enjoyed it, and I would gladly eat there again, especially during sunset.
The next morning, on our way back to Fort Lauderdale, we stopped at a Cuban restaurant called Padrino’s. We were looking for a place with authentic south Florida food, and while the Cubano sandwich I got was fine, it was nothing special. I actually think I have gotten a better Cuban in New Orleans, but we had to eat somewhere.
This was a great, albeit short trip, and Dry Tortugas was awesome. I can’t say that I have any desire to visit the Keys again. If someone else wanted to go, I would, but I do not think
we will ever plan a trip to the southernmost point in the continental US again. Next up, we are still trying to decide if we are going somewhere for Easter. Probably, but if not, our next big adventure will be to Hawaii in June. Talk to y’all then…
