My Trip to
Key West Florida

We drove to Key West from Miami on a very hot August day. The drive down Route 1 was great. The scenery and views of the ocean along the way made me never want to go home to the midwest again.

It's not far in miles, but it took hours to get there. But unless you fly into Key West, there is no other way to get there. The trip is worth the four or five hours of slow driving tho, there's so much to see along the way.

We stopped for lunch at a little resturant along the road (I forget the name) and I had a piece of key lime pie. You can not drive the Florida Keys without having a piece of key lime pie! When we finally crossed the last bridge into Key West, I was a bit disapointed at first. Tons of traffic, and it looked just like every other small city.

But the more we drove around, it became more and more charming, more like what I thought the island should be. If you are going to Key West, be aware that there is a huge amount of traffic and people, and it "is" a very small island. You can rent bicycles, mopeds, and there are several odd looking little vehicles, some pedal powered, some with a motor, and some even with a driver so you can just sit back and enjoy the scenery. It makes a lot of sense to leave your car at the hotel and rent something to get around in. I can't say it enough... the traffic really sucks!

The big hotels on the island are very pricey, even in the off season. If you google for Key West you can find some small hotels and bed and breakfast inns that are not beach front and are very reasonably priced. We stayed right off of Duval Street, in walking distance of Mallory Square at a very nice little hotel for less than half of what the big hotels cost. So look around when you are planning your trip.

We had a great couple of days in Key West, there's wonderful little restaurants, historic houses, tons of shops, and the sunsets at Mallory Square. The Hemingway House, Truman's Little White House, the Audubon House, the southernmost tip and the Southernmost House, Mallory Square, and of course the Key West waterfront are all entertaining and educational places to visit in Key West.