Visiting and checking out the Everglades to the Keys for your vacation is a real treat. Maybe I can bring a little insight about things to do and places to visit by guiding you through our trip.
I will go through where we stayed near the Everglades to the Keys. You can follow our footsteps or choose your own path. Also I will talk about the length of our trip but shorten or lengthen yours on the time period that you have.
First off you need to plan out how long you are able to vacation. Whether you are driving to the Everglades and The Keys or flying there. And the main points of interest that you and your family want to do/see.
The next big question is where to stay throughout your trip.
We had only two nights for this part of our vacation and wanted to see all that we could in this time period. We flew in and out of Miami International airport which is the closest to get to Miami beach, the Everglades and the Keys.
Our vacation was actually a total of 5 nights but we flew in and stayed at Miami beach for 3 nights. Then we headed to the Everglades and the Keys. Check out my information on that fun part of the trip that included kayaking to a little island and feeding raccoons.
TIP: If flying in try and get an early flight so you can make use of that day. You can then go get needed items at a store then to your rental.
MONEY SAVING TIPS: Pick up your car from rental agency (we book through a car agency at the airport) and go to the grocery store and get needed food/drink/snack items.
- It’s helpful and money saving when you can buy groceries to have for snacks, breakfast and lunch. Dinner of course go out to eat and explore the food in the area if you want.
- We usually try to stay at a condo or place with a kitchen or hotel with at least a little refrigerator.
- I always pack 2 collapsible insulated bags that we can use on our trip to keep things cold.
If you started your trip in Miami I suggest on your last morning you check out early and begin your drive to The Everglades National Park. Actually we went straight to the Coopertown airboat for our first Everglades expedition.
Miami Beach to the Everglades takes about an hour give or take depending on where you are staying and where your destination is in the Everglades.
The Everglades near Miami and the Keys
You will need to figure staying a night near the Everglades after your big exploration day. Where to stay near Everglades national Park? Homestead and Florida City are your best options not far from the South entrance, Royal Palm or Homestead area, and the North entrance of the Shark Valley area.
- There are many hotels around Florida City and Homestead that would be great for your stay varying in prices. They are in a good location for either entrances, air boat tours and easy access to then get to the Keys.
- We stayed at the Fairway Inn. It wasn’t a luxurious place but it was a very clean well kept up place that met our price trying to budget money. They do have a swimming pool there and they offer a breakfast. It was great for us because we just needed a place to sleep since we planned to get up early the next morning to head to the Keys.
The Everglades National Park has 3 entrances. Two of those are the closest to Miami and the Keys.
- There is a South entrance of the Everglades National park which is the Royal Palm or Homestead area that then gives access to get to the Flamingo area. North entrance of the Everglades near Miami is the Shark Valley area. The South entrance and the North entrance areas are about 1 hour 15 min apart in driving.
- If you have extra time and want to explore more I’d suggest checking out both of those areas closest to Miami.
- We wanted to do an airboat ride and check out the South area of the Everglades so we didn’t have time to see the Shark Valley area.
Coopertown Airboats at the Everglades
Don’t miss out on the opportunity to take an airboat ride through the Everglades. The most fun we had in the everglades was the airboat ride.
When is the best time for an airboat tour? I would suggest getting to the airboat tour first thing in the morning. I think that is the best time for your adventure. Being there early will give you time to have a fun boat ride without the huge crowds. This will also allow for you to have that fun adventure and then off with a lot of time left in your day to go explore more of the Everglades.
- We really enjoyed our airboat ride with Coopertown Airboats. I highly recommend them.
- Check and see if they have discounted tickets on Groupon, they did when we were going and saved some money.
- There are other airboat tours but we decided to go with the original one that was the first to do tours in the area. Also the other ones seemed way to commercialized than what we wanted. After reading reviews of both we got a feel that Coopertown didn’t just rush you through like cattle and gave you more of a fun thrilling ride on the airboat.
- At Coopertown airboats they do a little show talking about the alligators and snakes and such you might find out in the everglades and did a kind of show and tell. After their talk they gave you an opportunity to hold a small alligator if wanted. They also had several big alligators that had a home there that you could view.
- We then took our turn on a airboat for an amazing ride. Some of the most fun we had was when our driver would turn corners fast and we would drift. He had us drifting and spinning all under his control as we glided across the swampy water. The ride was fun in and of itself even if we didn’t see alligators. We did get to see lots of alligators in and out of the water plus additional info on trees and history around there.
- Check out their gift shop and restaurant. If you are one to try frog legs or gator tail have at it.
Exploring the Everglades on foot
We chose to visit the South Entrance of the Everglades. After the airboat tour we had plenty of time to check out several trails in this area. The Royal Palm area offers many different trails that you can explore. There is also access to get to the Flamingo area from this entrance.
- To get into the Everglades you must pay per vehicle. Check out their website to see up to date prices. We had an America the Beautiful national park pass so we were able to use that. If planning to visit other National parks within the year I’d suggest buying one as it really can save you money.
- We did have fun on the Anhinga trail in the Everglades. We saw many alligators on this path in and out of the water. This is a good path with a nice board walk throughout the swampy area. It’s about a .8 mile trail easily accessible with boardwalks. The trail near that one is the Gumbo Limbo trail through a wooded area. It was nice walking through that shaded area as it was extremely hot and humid while we visited.
- It was actually too hot for us so we decided to skip a lot of the trails. And then drove to the flamingo area to try and see the crocodiles and manatees I’ve heard you might can see there. Honestly during the summer I wouldn’t recommend taking that long drive to the Flamingo area. It seemed like we just wasted a lot of time out there for nothing. A lot really depends on the time of year and the weather and we didn’t see any manatees or crocodiles and we were all hot and grumpy at this point.
- The Everglades was a little disappointing, not sure what I was imagining, maybe more of a tropical area I thought. It is definitely very flat, grassy, and swampy. I’m sure I’ll get those arguing with me but that was just my impression. Maybe too if I had visited when It wasn’t so hot we would have enjoyed it more and tried more hiking trails.
As we did the morning before, plan to get up early and check out and begin your next adventure. This is the day to head to and explore the Keys. It’s good to start out early so you can miss some of the traffic getting to Key West. And allowing more time to explore the Keys to Key West.
How long to get to Key West from Florida City? On a good day with light traffic it would take you about 2 hours 45 minutes to 3 hours to drive from Florida City to Key West. Or about 3 1/2 hours from Miami to Key West. The time it will take you really depends on the traffic and if there happens to be an accident.
The Keys to Key West
Plan to stay a night in the keys. We could have stayed in Key West but honestly it’s more expensive. And we were going to fly out that next early evening so we wanted to stay down the way a little further. We wanted to make sure we wouldn’t get to the airport late after a little more exploring.
Our stay was at Captain Pip’s Marina & Hideaway in Marathon.
- We truly enjoyed staying here and wished that we could stay another night.
- They offered kayak and paddle board rentals for free while staying there as well as bikes.
- Besides places to stay, this is also a little marina so they had small boats to rent from them for a fee. Boat tours, sunset cruises, and snorkeling trips are available to purchase from them as well.
- At this location they say you can see manatees too. But as I have said before it really depends on the time of year and weather as if that might be possible.
- The room we stayed in was actually very spacious and had plenty of room to move around. It had a nice size dinner table with a small kitchen and a living room.
- They had a cute sand hang out area to enjoy and a pool. There are restaurants and shopping not far from where we stayed.
Traveling through the keys is a fun adventure.
Should you drive or fly to the Keys? I think everyone would enjoy the drive through the Keys. There are many sites to see and things to do throughout the Keys. You would miss out on all of that if just flying in.
Can you see the Keys and Key West in 1 day? Yes you could very well do that. If doing that you would really need to manage your time and figure out what you want to see before hand. Your day would have to start really early and end late. It can be done but I would suggest at least having 2 days to really see more and not be as rushed. You could very well spend several days out there and still not experience everything.
There are many places to stop and shop and find Key lime pie throughout the Keys.
A really fun place to stop in for a little while is Robbie’s in Islamorada. There is a lot you can do here. Among being a pit stop if needed they have a restaurant and shopping. But the biggest highlight is feeding the giant tarpon and pelicans. Actually you are just trying to feed the giant tarpon but the pelicans swoop in to steal the food too. Lots of fun whether you are feeding the little fish to the giant tarpon or just watching. You can also see nurse sharks there and maybe manatees if your lucky. In another area there around near the bathrooms we were able to see a crocodile.
Views of the ocean was spectacular as we drove up and down the keys. The ocean was such a beautiful sight to see. There are so many great beaches up and down the way. We stopped and enjoyed the Bahia Honda state park beach. Located off hwy 1 in Big Pine Key not far from Key West. It was $8 per vehicle to enter. We brought our goggles and snorkels and had fun enjoying that beach area. Shell hunting was fun here as well.
We also made a fast stop at Sombrero beach located in Marathon. It was a very small beach in a residential area.
TIP: Pack and bring your goggles, snorkels, beach towels, and any other items that you could enjoy on the beach. If you are trying to budget money carry items for a lunch.
The Seven mile bridge was nice to take a stroll on, but probably more fun in cooler weather. We did see some really big Iguanas here. Along with some really pretty colorful fish in the water down below around the park area.
We took a little stop at the Tiki bar at PostCard Inn Beach Resort and Marina in Islamorada to grab a cocktail and explore the area. They had some really yummy drinks and the food looked good. When people fishing come in at the marina they will clean and gut the fish at the docks. We were able to see many nurse sharks and their babies along with some big tarpon eating all the scraps they threw back in the water. That resort is really cute to explore and check out and I’m sure would be fun to stay there. Keep an eye out for Iguanas, we were able to see a really big one.
Key West was fun to enjoy. We had a great time just walking around shopping and checking out the piers and the Southern most point of Continental USA. There is a great food truck not far from the southern most point with wonderful Cuban food. What a sight to see all the chickens and roosters roaming the area freely. lots of fun shops and bars around. You most definitely can find some great spots for a wonderful view and a yummy cocktail.
Tip when leaving the Keys heading to the airport
When heading out to get back to the airport make sure that you allow for at least a few extra hours. It wouldn’t be fun if you missed your flight. My tip would be to book a late flight out so you can enjoy most of that day. Hwy 1 is only 1 or 2 lanes in some areas and the speed limit is slow. When it is busy with traffic or if a car accident happens it will add a tremendous amount of time to your drive.
Don’t forget about all the stops you might make on the way back as their is so much you can see and do in all the Keys.
Don’t forget to book your airboat ride and have fun exploring from the Everglades to the Keys.