My little trip turned out to be just the thing I needed for a getaway. Even though I was only there for a few weeks I was able to do alot of traveling around the Florida keys and discovered many beautiful places to paint, nice places to camp and hotels and of course great places to eat!

The Keys are really beautiful. “They are a subtropical archipelago of over 1,700 islands, with estimates often citing around 800 named keys. These islands stretch roughly 180 miles from the southern tip of Florida’s mainland to Key West,” Geez, alot to explore. Sadly, so much is developed and behind gated communities. I was dissappointed with Key Largo because of that. Key West was fun to visit, lots of action and of course history, with Ernest Hemingway home one of the most popular tourist sites, but I wouldn’t stay there because of all the tourist. I really liked the “middle” of the keys in Marathon the best. Easy to go up and down Hwy. 1 to visit other places from this area

The airfare to the keys was very cheap from Maryland. Carl only paid $45 on Spirit airlines. My ticket on Jet blue under $100 because I had to check a bag ($70) Carl only brought a back pack. The cheap fares are out of Miami or Ft. Lauderdale airport that we flew out of. Only takes 2 1/2 hours. so if you don’t mind the exhorbitant hotel fees flying is a great option. but for me, we will be back with our RV.

I am planning for next year already and will begin Feb. 1st on the drive down to Florida staying along the Florida coastline. There are tons of little places to stay that are really lovely and inexpensive. I really enjoyed our last rv trip. We only got as far as Sarasota though. Carl wouldn’t budge further. Now that he has seen the Keys I think he will feel differently. Its a long drive from Maryland, though and you should plan on at least 3 weeks, minimum. to enjoy the trip and not feel pressured.

ACCOMODATIONS: are expensive in the peak season.January thru March. All of the “snowbirds” escaping the cold winters, makes this period very crowded and expensive. But how wonderful it was to step off the plane into lovely 70’s weather after the freezing cold and snow. We flew into the Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport (FLL) we stayed at a hotel about an hour away from the airport and close to the southern entrance to the Everglades. We started at the Southern entrance at the Ernest F. Coe Visitors Center. If it wasn’t for his valiant efforts for over twenty years there would be no Everglades National Park. We stayed at the Best Western Gateway To The Keys – Florida City, Homestead, Everglades. We also used Air B&B and booked a lovely cottage in Key Largo “Cottage by the Sea”. but our favorite place was the Catamaran. It was so nice to paint from the boat in the evening as the sun set and we leisurely watched the yachts float by while we drank our glass of wine and beer. Nearby was the lovely Sombrero Beach.

When my husband Carl came we stayed at the Hampton Inn in Marathon. Spacious rooms, great breakfast and nice staff. lovely pool and tiki bar. Close to restaurants and activities. Great for a family.

RESTAURANTS: You know these travel trips are not only about seeking beauty to paint but seeking out great food! Here are a couple that we really enjoyed.

Key Largo: Hobo’s Cafe – the best seafood. We split the shrimp Hobo, their specialty and it was superb!

Harrietes – great breakfast place. famous for their muffins and huge biscuits. I got the eggs and cornbeef hash, yum

Keys Bite – had our first lunch there. split the “cubano” is a huge sandwich with roast pork, ham, swiss cheese, pickles and mustard on Cuban bread.

Marathon – La Nina -Tiny little roadside cafe. Great Cuban food. Best Cubanos sandwich!

Wooden Spoon – Began in 1954 open for breakfast and lunch great diner atmosphere

Fish Tales Market and Eatery – Great seafood hailed as the best fish sandwich in the keys.

Porky’s Bayside Restaurant – A fun Tiki style open walled diner. fun atmosphere and great BBQ that’s smoked daily on-site and the freshest local seafood

STATE AND NATIONAL PARKS Thank God for the State and National parks. I like these two state parks because they are beautiful and they are centrally located to the middle area of the keys so you can drive to other places very easily. We stayed in and around the middle area of the keys called Marathon, not crowded with tourist. there are lots of accomodations available. We did enjoy our stay at the The Hampton Inn by Hilton but pretty pricey! My favorite was the catamaran thru Air B&B. really nice and right on a beautiful marina.

PARKS
John Pennekamp Coral Reef State park This State park is gorgeous. large sites and right on the water. Looks like january is open for reservations but not February yet. This is my first choice to camp next year. Have to book early.
https://reserve.floridastateparks.org/Web/#!park/31

Beautiful Everglades……….…….Chris Willey and I really enjoyed painting here. Perfect weather!

Everglades National Park Long Pine Key Campground and Flamingo Campground. The Everglades is a place that has always intrigued me. Have wanted to go for some time. I really didn’t know what to expect and was very surprised at the vastness and diversity. February is a great time to visit as the weather was lovely not too hot, and not buggy at all which really surprised me. My painting buddy Chris Willey and I really enjoyed painting here. “It is a vast, 1.5 million-acre subtropical wetland ecosystem, often called a “river of grass,” featuring shallow, slow-moving water, sawgrass marshes, mangroves, and tree islands. As a unique UNESCO World Heritage Site, it serves as a critical, diverse sanctuary for endangered wildlife like the Florida panther, manatee, alligator, and crocodile” https://flamingoeverglades.com/campgrounds/ Both sites can accommodate tents and RVs. We looked at both and my friend stayed here and loved it. Very easy to drive to right off the main Hwy. Rt. 1. If camping isn’t your thing there are several nice hotels just minutes away. We stayed at the Best Western Gateway To The Keys – Florida City, Homestead, Everglades. a little pricey, a little dated but very clean and the pool area was lovely.

Bahai Honda State park is so beautiful. Lovely beach and picnic areas.
Bahia Honda State Park is located in the Lower Florida Keys on the island of Bahia Honda Key, specifically between Mile Markers 36 and 37 on the Overseas Highway (US 1) in Big Pine Key. Situated roughly 12 miles north of Big Pine Key and 38 miles from Key West, it is positioned just south of the Seven Mile Bridge. https://www.floridastateparks.org/BahiaHonda

This is a gorgeous park with 524 acres to explore. The island offered many painting opportunities. Such a diverse landscape with tropical plants and trees, wildlife and beautiful crystal clear azure blue water. You can see the remnants of Henry Flagler’s railroad bridge to Key West began in the early 1900s. .

BISCAYNE NATIONAL PARK : We stumbled onto this park by chance on our last night. What a gorgeous place. There are coral reefs, islands and a huge shoreline mangrove forest in the northern Florida Keys. Just a few short miles from our hotel in Homestead and a whole new world opened up. I fell in love with the mangrove forest and am working on a series of large charcoal studies.

Both Pennecamp and Bahai state parks are very close to everything on the Keys like restaurants, places of interest but very natural and beautiful and affordable! I won’t stay in those pricey hotels anymore. It was nice but I prefer the RV and so does our wallet.

We saw the 7-mile bridge and walked across a short distance. Next time I will take the trolley. If you cross over the bridge you arrive at a little island where the railroad workers lived while building the famous Construction of Henry Flagler’s “Over-Sea Railroad,” At the time it was the only way of connecting the Florida Keys to the mainland. It was known as “Flagler’s Folly,” Many did not think he could achieve this massive feat. He began in1905. It took seven years to complete. On Jan. 22, 1912 the first train arrived in Key West. Sadly the 1935 “Labor Day Hurricane” destroyed much of the railroad and was never rebuilt.

KEY WEST: A one day trip to Key West. So many lovely “Conch style” houses built by Bahamian immigrants in the 1800s, These homes were designed to deal with the hot and humid weather. Many are built on elevated piers to deflect flooding. They have tall windows for greater ventilation, large porches for shade and painted in pastel shades of color to reflect the sun’s heat. Probably the most famous resident was Ernest Hemingway. We enjoyed the tour despite the crowds. Had a nice encounter with one of the members of the band playing at the Green Parrot.

What a jam packed two weeks. Can’t wait to go back next year!

Hope you guys might consider coming next year too !

Jeanean