Helpful Articles

The Florida Keys is a isolated place. In fact Key West, the Florida Keys most distant island, is only 90 miles from Cuba. On the gulf side you can go offshore for miles, stop your vessel and stand in knee deep calm as glass water and not see shore anywhere around you. It's an absolutely surreal trek for an ocean lover and outdoors person. I've ran into many a sting ray and dolphin while there.

The Florida Keys can be considered the American Caribbean and features all the same things to do and lodging as other island destinations. There are several things to do for example award winning sport fishing, skin diving and snorkeling, trolling, kayaking, sailing, and species tours beyond belief. Each of our island destinations has some special experiences. My wife and I invite you to visit each area individually and discover our bright tropical heaven in the Florida Keys.

One of the main reasons for my families travels down to the Florida Keys is for Lobster Sport Season. The locals call it bug hunting. It only last for about 3 days and the place is packed. If your into hunting for lobster, this is quite an exciting affair. Don't forget your snorkel/mask, tickle stick and net! The kind of Lobster you'll find down there are the Spiny Lobster type, which have no pinchers and can get quite large. Spiny Lobster are larger than most Main Lobsters in cases. Remember, recreational harvesters are required to possess a valid Florida Saltwater Fishing License with a current crawfish stamp. Consult a local tackle shop for exemptions to licensing requirements. Licenses are available through local convenient stores, tax collectors, many tackle shops and marine supply stores.

What does it cost to travel to the Florida Keys? I'm finally getting to that. The Florida Keys is by far the best tropical vacation destination for any fisherman, skin diver, or just plain traveler. But watch your wallet! The Florida Keys can be quite costly. My family and I shopped around extensively for the best hotel rates and by far the best we found was a small place right off the highway called Big Pine Key Motel. They had the best rates and the biggest rooms of every "affordable" place to stay down there which were around $70 and up! And I do mean up. Some places were asking over $400. If you've got the pocketbook, I would highly recommend Little Palm Island. It's one of the top 10 destinations in the nation and the only way you can get to it is by boat. The Big Pine Key Motel is just a 20 minute drive from Key West and is surrounded by dive shops, fishing expeditions and great places to get your grub on.

I'm going to leave you with a fair warning. The Florida Keys is protected by many environmental laws that are specific to endangered species. If you do any hiking around lookout for the poison wood. It looks as innocent as an oak tree and 10x more dangerous than poison ivy. The locals can't chop it down because it produces a berry that an endangered species of bird eats.