Florida Keys Vacation Information

Our family recently took our 3rd vacation to the Florida Keys. Unlike many who head straight for Key West and mostly see how much drinking and partying they can do we have found the middle and upper keys offer a wonderful area for a family to enjoy the coastal reefs and waterways.

This year we rented a canal house in the Islamorada (or Village of Islands) area, Tavernier to be exact. Not only did this provide a higher level of comfort than previous trips with our Travel Trailer but allowed us to dock the boat we rented at our back door. Being avid campers most of our lives I will admit little takes the place of relaxing around the campfire recounting the days events but it is hard to beat having your own tiki bar, pool and dock.

I have provided a link to some of the State Park Campground Reviews I posted to my Forum over the previous years trips at the end of this post.
 


One of our favorite swimming and snorkeling area’s is Alligator Reef (Lat 24 51.07 / Lon 30 37.21 or about 5 miles south of MM 80). As shown in the picture above it is easy to find, being marked by a 136′ tall lighthouse. Crystal clear water over white sand plus a large number and variety of fish make this a wonderful location to spend the day if the wind is light. Since it is over 4 miles from shore I recommend taking lunch with you but if winds are expected to be over 15MPH or so you may want to explore the canals or find one of the beaches in Florida Bay instead as it could be a bit bouncy and the water will not be nearly as clear. This would be the case with any of the Coral Reefs really, and we have visited several of them in the area including the more popular ones offshore from John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park.



Since nearly all of the marked reefs are also fish sanctuaries you will be amazed at the number of fish you will be able to swim with as you can see in the picture above. If fishing is more your style Islamorada is considered one the United States sport fishing hotspots and the sanctuaries are clearly marked on all marine maps and with yellow buoys in the water.



Not all of the fish at the reefs are small, shown above is a barracuda that was at least 5 feet long, at times we could see as many as 8 or more of these fish swimming around… Don’t worry though, they pay little attention to you and will swim away if you get too close. In all the time we have spent in the water we are yet to see a shark but I am told they behave in a similar manner and I have yet to hear of a shark attack in the Florida Keys.



Above is one of several stingrays we saw during our trip, also far from aggressive they will simply swim off if you get to close, just don’t step on or grab them or you might be sorry, use common sense and you will be fine. Alligator reef does offer mooring buoys but all of them except one are too far from the lighthouse so it is best to anchor in the sand on the shore side of the lighthouse, just be careful not to anchor in the coral, make sure it is in the sand.



Hens and Chickens is another good spot offering more intricate coral formations than Alligator. It is located about 2 miles offshore and marked by a 35′ tower visible as you make your way into the Atlantic from either Snake Creek or Whale Harbor Channel. Whale Harbor Channel is also the location of ‘Islamorada Beach’, a shallow sandbar popular with locals and a nice place to take a swim on weekdays if the winds are a little too strong farther out. It can get very crowded on the weekends when it turns into more of a ‘party spot’.



Here is another picture of some ‘brain coral’ taken at Hens and Chickens, this reef has a limited number of mooring buoys and due to heavy coral and shallow water in this area I would not attempt to anchor up here. The buoys mean you can enjoy this spot on days when it may be a bit too windy for Alligator but heavy seas will reduce visibility and you will want clear water to enjoy the area which boasts coral caves, holes and other formations.



Many of the area eateries are accessible by boat and can be enjoyed while spending time exploring the canals and shoreline on both the Atlantic and Florida Bay sides of the keys. In fact, on days when it is a bit windy the Bay side generally remains fairly calm, allowing you to enjoy the water and sights of the area even when the Atlantic is a bit to rough. Above we have an ‘Iguana Party’ on the deck of a local restaurant, while not native to the area these interesting creatures have no natural enemies and can be seen all over, especially in the upper keys.


 
Well, that is about it. If you have any questions about your own trip to the Florida Keys or some information of your own to add please post a comment. I have a fair amount of information you may find useful regarding accommodations and rental facilities / marina’s that I chose not to include in this post because Mother Nature is really the only one who deserves a ‘plug’…
 

   Previous Florida State Park Reviews I have posted can be found HERE