Tagged: beach bar, florida, florida keys, islamorada, key largo, key west, road trip, sunset, travel
I’m really missing the Florida Keys. After being in St. Pete Beach for 11 days, I was reminded of just how much I miss being on the water. Salty or fresh, it has this way of calming me while at the same time getting me excited about just how big the world is and all the new places out there to explore. And when you’re in the Florida Keys, you can’t deny the ocean – it’s everywhere you turn and if you don’t see it, you’ll smell the salt or feel it on your skin.
Another reason to miss the Florida Keys is all the waterfront dining spots. Similar to the Lorelei in Islamorada, they plop you right down on the shore and in some cases, right over the water.
Although the Florida Keys aren’t known for their white powdery sand beaches, a few do exist and one of the best is at Bahia Honda State Park. They have a few beaches to choose from, each with its own charm. Trek on over to the beach at the southwest corner of the park and you can walk out 100 feet, plop down in the water and your head will still be above water.
Calling Highway 1, the main thoroughfare that courses through the many islands of the Florida Keys, just a road would do it an injustice. I prefer to call it a path, one that leads to a little self-discovery, a realization that the laid back island life might just be the best life and that all those things we thought were important just don’t really mean that much in the long run.
Then there’s the uniqueness that is Key West. Some people hate it, some people love it. I fall in with the latter crowd. There’s more to the madding crowds that line Mallory Square for its daily entertainment and sunsets. If you take the time to explore the town, you’ll find it has plenty of culture, history and hospitality to offer (and personality to spare!) and those aspects will most likely be the driving force to prompt a return visit to the Conch Republic.
And those Florida Keys sunsets. From the Bayside Grille in Key Largo all the way down to the Sunset Pier and out to Sunset Key in Key West, the stunning evening shows of the sun slowly dipping below a horizon only fettered by islands are a daily reminder that you are lucky to be alive and even luckier to be in the Florida Keys.
