Saturday, April 20, 2013

Crane Point Museum


The Crane Point Museum, in Marathon, FL, has a few nature trails and scenic overlook.  It is quite simple and makes for a nice stroll.  There is also a center here to help rehabilitate injured and sick birds.  It is pleasant and a good place to stop for a break on the way to Key West from the Upper Keys.  Expect to spend about 1 hour here.

Friday, April 19, 2013

Dolphin Research Center


In the Florida Keys, as well as many other marine areas, you can see plenty of Dolphin shows.  However, at the Dolphin Research Center, on the drive to Key West in Grassy Key, FL, you can get much more up close with these marine mammals.  General admission allows you to get in to see the dolphins and watch the researchers work with them.  You'll even see how they train the dolphins to get them to do the tricks you see in shows.  If you pay extra, you can get in the water and swim with the dolphins and help in the training.  This is definitely a great place to stop for people of all ages who are fans of dolphins.

Thursday, April 18, 2013

Mel Fisher Maritime Museum



Ever dream of hunting pirate treasure on the open seas?  Well, Mel Fisher not only dreamed it, but actually did it off the coast of Key West.  After years of searching, in 1985, Mel Fisher and his team discovered the Nuestra Senora de Atocha and it's treasure.

Today, in Key West at the Mel Fisher's Maritime Museum, you can walk through the adventures of Mel Fisher and see how their amazing discovery came about.  In addition, when you enter the gift shop, you'll find some of these treasures for sale at some astronomical prices in the hundreds of thousands.  These were quite out of our price range, but it was still pretty neat to see.

You'll spend about an hour at this museum, and of all the museums in Key West, this one probably is the most unique and interesting

Wednesday, April 17, 2013

Courtyard Key Largo



The Courtyard Key Largo is located right on the main highway of the Florida Keys, US-1, making it easy to get to.  It's location also makes it easy to access other Upper Keys such as Islamorada.  The hotel offers free parking to guests, which in certain parts of the Keys can be hard to come by.

We didn't get to interact much with the staff in our 2 nights here, but they were friendly in our brief encounters.  The rooms are quite spacious, but at least for our room, there was no special view.  The bed was very comfortable and housekeeping did an excellent job each day cleaning the room.

My only complaint for this hotel is I feel it is a bit overpriced.  At almost $250/night after tax, I feel it should be much more luxurious.  While this is definitely a very nice place to stay, the rates should come down.

Tuesday, April 16, 2013

Duval Inn



There's numerous lodging choices in Key West.  One key consideration should definitely be location, and the Duval Inn definitely has a prime spot.  Located right off of Duval Street (the main drag in town), it provides easy access to all the prime shopping, restaurants and activities in Key West within walking distance so that you'll never need to move your car (or even have one if flying in).

The entire staff was very friendly, but one member, "Foggy", definitely went above and beyond in making the guests feel at home.  He's the main bartender, and there's a happy hour every night from 5-6 (or longer if "Foggy" feels like it) where the drinks are completely free (but definitely give him a solid tip).  He makes the drinks strong and provides plenty of stories about the area, sailing and random anecdotes.

When booking, you'll also have the choice of many different rooms.  We went for the "Mango" room.  The room was a bit tight, but it was clean and comfortable.  The housekeeping staff did an excellent job each day on it.

Monday, April 15, 2013

Theater Of The Sea


Located in Islamorada in the Florida Keys, the Theater of the Sea is an excellent place to spend a few hours. Upon entering, you'll be provided with a schedule to allow you to see everything within a 3 hour window.  This includes a Parrot Show, a Dolphin Show, a Sea Lion Show and a nature walk.  This organized type of schedule is definitely useful to make sure you don't miss anything, and because it occurs on a rotating basis, you should be able to see it all no matter what time you arrive.

All of the shows are very entertaining for people of all ages.  At the Dolphin show, you'll even have the opportunity to pet or kiss the dolphin.  At the Sea Lion show, you can throw rings over the sea lion's head.  This is a very fun activity to do in the Upper Keys and is something we'd highly recommend.