From Key to Shining Key
From lazing on beautiful beaches and soaking in history at Hemingway's home to devouring the customary slice of Key Lime pie, iconic Sunshine State activities are only a mile marker away.
Hemingway Home and Museum
In 2009, the US Federal Highway Administration named the Overseas Highway that connects the Keys an "All-American Road," which, for the very few of you not familiar with thoroughfare classifications, is the highest designation for a scenic highway based on historic, visual and cultural significance. A leisurely drive down the idyllic 113-mile stretch between Key West to main land Florida proves why such seemingly silly official awards make perfect sense.
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Backtrack just slightly and tour the Hemingway Home and Museum, across the street from a beautiful lighthouse built in 1847 that offers stunning views from the top. See where Papa worked on To Have and Have Not, the island's very first swimming pool and the roving descendants of the author's beloved, six-toed cats. 907 Whitehead St, Key West; 305-294-1575; www.hemingwayhome.com
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Start your engines with a strong, sweet Cuban café con leche and pressed Cuban sandwich from Five Brothers, an old-school corner store and café. While you wait, people-watch the microcosm of Key West regulars — street artists, paint-splattered contractors and nurses in scrubs — or browse the shelves for Latin staples like sweet guava paste. 930 Southard St, Key West; 305-296-5205; www.5brothersgrocery.tripod.com
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Just across Cow Key Channel, turn left for the Key West Botanical Garden, the only tropical garden in the continental US. With more than 6,000 plants and trees, 35 species of butterfly and 270 different bird species, you may be stopping to smell the flowers for a while. 5210 College Rd, Key West; 305-296-1504; www.keywestbotanicalgarden.org
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Grab a picnic table next to the heaps of traps outside The Wharf Bar & Grill. Watch fishing boats putter past on Florida Bay while you enjoy smoked fish dip, conch chowder and a grilled, cilantro-butter covered catch of the day. You know you haven't gone wrong when the salty fishermen who caught the fish are ordering the same dish at the table next to you. Fresh fruit puree margaritas, like guava and kiwi, give the meal the finishing touch. 25163 Overseas Hwy, Summerland Key; 305-745-3322; www.wharfbarandgrill.com
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Pull into Bahia Honda State Park — considered among the world's most beautiful beaches — for a swim. While soaking in warm, turquoise-tinted but Evian-clear water, take a look at an original segment of the bridge from Henry Flagler's railroad — the real estate tycoon had tried to create the "American Riviera" by building hotels and bridges to connect them. Then, either retreat to the hardwood hammocks and watch rare birds like the white crown pigeon flutter by, or rent snorkels and kayaks at the concession stand. 36850 Overseas Hwy, Big Pine Key; 305-872-2353; www.bahiahondapark.com
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Get excited, you've reached the Seven Mile Bridge (actually only 6.79 miles, but who's counting?). It was a true engineering masterpiece when it was built in the early 1900s, as it was the longest segmented bridge in existence. On the left, roughly midway, Pigeon Key once housed the builders and their families. Today, it's a historic site with a fascinating railroad museum. 1 Knights Key Blvd; 305-743-5999; www.pigeonkey.net
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Covering 63 acres, Crane Point preserves nature (hardwoods, mangroves) and history (archeological sites, an 1890s Bahamian cottage and a museum with native American artifacts like a 600-year-old canoe). A short walk to The Point yields a spectacular, unbroken view of Florida Bay. (5550 Overseas Hwy; 305-743-3900; www.cranepoint.net
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Four thousand years of attempting to explore underwater are on display at the History of Diving Museum — from Edmund Halley's archaic 1691 diving bell to the helium helmets worn by commercial divers today, as well as stories of famous treasure hunters past and present. It's the next best thing to growing gills and breathing underwater. 82990 Overseas Hwy; 305-664-9737; www.divingmuseum.org
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Do like the locals and escape the heat at Hobo's Café, loved for its burgers, fish sandwiches and ice-cold drinks. It's a dim, sports memorabilia kind of place, but friendly staff and excellent jerked chicken salad keep it a certifiably island-style joint. 101691 Overseas Hwy, Key Largo; 305-451-5888; www.hoboscafe.net
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Don't leave the Keys without a slice of (or a whole) homemade Key lime pie from The Fish House. Parting is, as they say, such sweet sorrow. 102401 Overseas Hwy, Key Largo; 305-451-4665; www.fishhouse.com
Reader Comments
- So cool. Places I have never stopped! (Posted on 05 Jan 2012)
