When people ask most the crowning sights to see in the south Florida Atlantic including Fort Lauderdale and Miami, I always advise them to essay and make some time to go down to the Florida Keys.  The Florida Keys are the string of islands just south of the Florida mainland and runs 120 miles from modify to end.  Fort Lauderdale and Miami are recreation but for a relaxing change of pace, the Florida Keys is the locate to be.  For snorkellers and scuba divers going to south Florida, I would consider Florida Keys a must. The waters around attorney Largo are a protected marine park with a rattling healthy fish life and offer the best diving in the US.  attorney Largo is the prototypal town as you enter the Keys after crossing the bridge from the mainland.  It can be reached from Miami in an distance and from Fort Lauderdale in an distance and 45 minutes.  Once the bridge from the mainland is crossed, the change in pace is noticed immediately.  There is much less reciprocation and people just seem more easygoing in the Florida Keys compared to the mainland.

Key Largo is the important scuba diving town with many club shops.  There is even an underwater hotel with two guestrooms for adventurous types.  This was a past marine research unit that was converted to the hotel.  Islamorada and Marathon located more west are also crowning scuba club locations.  For those who are not into diving, there are numerous shops with colorful local arts and crafts.  One collection of shops has a colossus statue of a spiny lobster discover in front.  For more fun, there are two dolphin centers, one in attorney Largo and another near Marathon where visitors can interact with captive dolphins.  Dolphin programs should actually be booked substantially in advance since they are extremely popular.

There are sign markers along the important US number 1 highway that mark each mile along the 120 mile route.  Most addresses in the Florida Keys along the important highway will actually refer to which mile marker they are located near. It's a rattling efficient way to navigate.  It takes most 3 hours to drive from attorney Largo to the far modify at attorney West but more than likely, visitors would want to stop soured at numerous locations along the way for shopping, photo opportunities or just admiring the scenery.  The scenery gets meliorate as one heads discover more west, especially near the bridges that connect the islands.  A common sight to see are locals fishing soured the bridges and numerous pelicans standing on the posts like permanent fixtures.  One of the most spectacular sights is the seven mile bridge which is the world's longest segmented bridge.

The Florida Keys are not really known for its beaches with the exception of Bahia Honda Park which is even further west in the lower keys.  The snorkeling in this area, especially Looe Key, is among the crowning sites in North America.  The city of attorney West at the far modify of the Florida Keys is the largest community in the islands and a stay here for a night or two is substantially worth it.  The downtown Atlantic full of restaurants, bars, boutiques and shops is a funky, recreation locate to be.  There are hotels along the water as substantially as numerous B&Bs inland.  We stayed at the Quality Inn near the entrance of the city and had no problem getting downtown since there is a rattling convenient bus system that runs throughout attorney West.  We chose to leave our car at the hotel and use the buses because parking can be limited in the downtown area.  A rattling neat way to tour the city is to rent scooters which are rattling common in the streets here.  With the scooters, we criss-crossed the city and saw the wonderful colonial houses in the residential streets including Ernest Hemmingway's house. 

The seafood is predictably rattling fresh in restaurants everywhere in the Florida Keys.  Some local specialties not to be missed are conch, local spiny lobster and a few varieties of the local fish including snapper and grouper. Of course, one must essay the real, trusty key lime pie that originated in the area.  Each restaurant has a slightly different recipe but in general, the trusty key lime pie here is not as sweet as the commercial brands sometimes found in the rest of North America. 

Hotel accommodations suit every budget in the Florida Keys from simple motels to crowning notch resorts.  The last town back in the US mainland is Florida City and it has some rattling inexpensive hotel accommodations with substantially known chains such as Comfort Inn, Hampton Inn and Best Western.  This is another option for some travelers, especially those who are scuba diving in attorney Largo as Florida City is only most 20 minutes away if hotels in attorney Largo are fully booked or at high season rates. 

The Florida Keys has a way of enticing visitors back during return visits to south Florida.  Its slower pace helps balance things discover against the crowded and crazier styles of Fort Lauderdale and Miami.  I have been to the Keys three times and will definitely return there again.