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Road-trip in Florida : 14 days

Visit Key West in one day

Early in the morning, we hit the road from Islamorada where we were staying for the night, and go to Key West (1h40 drive from Islamorada)

we parked on Truman Avenue (one of the few free parking street in Key West), and walked all day in this famous city of Key West.

The things to see there are the Southernmost Point of the Continental U.S.A also called The Southernmost Point Buoy which is an anchored concrete buoy where tourists like to take selfie.

I particularly appreciated the visit of Ernest Hemingway’s house (http://www.hemingwayhome.com/), a charming old house, and an immersion in the life of the writer at that time.

very interesting visit of the Ernest Hemingway's house
very interesting visit of the Ernest Hemingway’s house

The beaches in Key West are not very impressive, but allow you to refresh yourself. The atmosphere of the city, and in particular the famous Duval Street, is much more interesting to explore.

According to me, one day is more than enough to visit Key West, especially since I was travelling with children, so I did not explore the “night life” of Duval Street.

on the way back, we took a swim break at Bahia Honda State Park, which offers different beaches with green water. we can also see and visit the beginning of an old bridge, left abandoned, which retraces the history of the construction of the mythical road to Key West

In the evening we spent our second night at the Sands of Islamorada hotel then head of Everglades

14-days family roadtrip in Florida

this article details one of our stages of a 14-day family roadtrip roadtrip in Florida

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Road-trip in Florida : 14 days

Islamorada, on the way to Key West

from Miami to reach Key West and stopover for the night in Islamorada (1h43 drive from Miami)

Islamorada, on the way to Key West
Islamorada, on the way to Key West

The road to reach Key West is long and monotonous. Very difficult to do in one go from Miami. Moreover, the price of the night is exorbitant in Key West. That’s why I recommend you to stop in Islamorada, one of the islands that are scattered along the road to Key West. Islamorada is according to many guide one of the best value for money to spend the night.

On the way to Islamorada, you can take a swim break at different places. I had noted Harry Harris Beach and Park (but I didn’t have time to stop there in the end).

And just before arriving in Islamorada, you can discover the Rain Barrel Village (https://rainbarrelvillage.com/ ), a really amazing arts and crafts store that will entertain your kids.

Islamorada also has the advantage of being close to Robbies (https://www.robbies.com/), which is a must-see on the way. You can feed the Tarpons (big, fast fish) with a bucket of fry (this will amuse your kids a lot). You can also have breakfast (or lunch, dinner) in the restaurant improbably decorated with thousands of dollar bills.

I stayed at the Sands of Islamorada Hotel (https://sandsofislamorada.com/). This is actually a roadside motel, which I found very expensive for what it offered. Especially since there was a lot of Sargassum algae on the sea along the hotel, so it was impossible to swim. But when I compared the prices of other hotels in the area, I realized that it was not that expensive.

14-days family roadtrip in Florida

this article details one of our stages of a 14-day family roadtrip roadtrip in Florida

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Road-trip in Florida : 14 days

Visit Miami : what to see, Where to stay

What are you going to read in this article :

Where to stay in Miami ?
I recommend residing either in Miami Beach, to be close to the beach and places of interest, or in Miami Downtown, which will allow you to easily visit the Wynwood and Little Havana, while remaining a 20-minute drive from the beach.

As the accommodations in Miami beach being are very expensive, I opted for an Airbnb in Downtown. For about $160/night, I had access to this gorgeous apartment in a skyscraper :

Airbnb in Miami Downtown

Should you rent a car in Miami ?
It is important to note that it is very difficult, and especially very expensive, to park your car in Miami (parking can easily cost you $50 a day in Miami or more)

If you have reserved accommodations on Miami Beach, and you don’t have free parking, I recommend you don’t rent a car and use taxi/uber instead, and rent bikes, for the duration of your stay. You can rent your car when it’s time to hit the road for other cities

What to see in Miami in 1 or 2 days ?

Spend the morning in Miami Beach to enjoy the beach and the more bearable morning temperatures

You can also choose to discover South Beach (SoBe) by bike, either by renting one yourself or with a specialized guide

You can also see Ocean Drive and Lincoln Road, Miami’s iconic art deco avenues, and do some shopping

Make sure you spend an afternoon in the Wynwood district. With a very different atmosphere from the rest of the city, it is the street art and trendy district of the city. We particularly enjoyed :

  • The Wynwodd Walls
  • The Urban Graffiti Art Museum Miami
  • The Boombox buildings : artists have repainted some abandoned buildings into giant ghetto blasters
  • Zak the Baker : You can eat pastries and balanced meals at “Zak the Baker”, the best pastry shop in Miami

The tourist guides also recommend to visit Little Havana, but I didn’t have time to go there.

In terms of beaches, you can also walk to Cape Florida, a peninsula at the end of South Miami. There is a lighthouse at the end of the walk and different beaches on the way : Bear Cut Sandbar (for snorkeling), Key Biscayne Beach (you can see raccoons sometimes) and South Pier Beach, supposedly the most beautiful in Miami

And for those who want to try shooting guns (difficult to practice freely if you come from Europe), you can also visit lockandloadmiami.com
a very competent team will teach you how to handle the different weapons available. However the place is very expensive, I recommend you rather visit Shooters World in Orlando or Tampas, more economical but without the personalized coaching. Even your children will be able to shoot firearms (under your supervision)

14 days roadtrip in Florida

this article was describing the 1st step of a 14 days roadtrip in Florida which you can find here