OT-Florida Keys

[BonzoGoesToCollege]

First of all, I'll start by saying I know nothing of the area. That being said, we're heading down to Miami for a wedding in July and wanted to spend some time out on the Keys after. Any suggestions or recommendations on places to stay, things to do if we're there for 4 or so days would be appreciated. It'll be myself, wife, 2 kids in teens.

Thanks.

 

[Digging dog]

Key West. Think Bourbon Street in the tropics

 

[o_LandDawg]

Not sure how I would approach Key WEst with kids

As already stated, its basically Bourbon St with more people of alternative lifestyles. It great during the day, but once the sun goes down its not really kid friendly. You still need to go for at least one day trip. Plenty to shops to browse and local seafood. You need to see Hemingway's house and the southern most point of continental US. Also, the pier for the sunset.

Maybe stay in Islamorado. Boat rides or snorkeling there. Beaches are very small and generally crowded.

 

[dogmatic]

This is one of my favorite places on Earth. If you like to fish at all, you should look into a charter trip. The Keys are situated on a living reef, so the opportunity to target just about any species or format that appeals to you is there, fishing the reef, wrecks, the Gulf or the Gulf Stream. The Gulf Stream swings in very close to land here, so targeting the big pelagics is a reasonable thing to do. The living reef, just six miles south of Key West itself, is home to scads of different species, including yellowtail snapper, one of the best-eating fish anywhere, and one that's found only along a living reef. The backcountry in the upper keys is home to many species more. You can go big-game fishing and target marlin or tuna, you can go reef fishing and fill a cooler, you can go backcountry fishing, away from the bigger seas, and enjoy a great day catching all sorts of things.

I fished with Capt. Tony Murphy out of Key West last year and we caught nine different species in a half-day trip, bouncing from the reef to the flats in an effort to see as many different fish as possible. If I were planning my first fishing trip out of the Keys, that's the trip I'd pick.

Here's a story and photos I did about the day for OutdoorHub.com

All of Key West is not Bourbon Street. Duval Street, in Key West, may be Bourbon Street, but the rest of the key is just a key, a nice little tropical town. That said, Key West does not define the Keys overall. There are many other places to stay and things to see.

This is a marketing website, but it's run by a contact and acquaintance of mine and it's pretty comprehensive for the Keys overall.

 

[johnson86-1]

First of all, I'll start by saying I know nothing of the area. That being said, we're heading down to Miami for a wedding in July and wanted to spend some time out on the Keys after. Any suggestions or recommendations on places to stay, things to do if we're there for 4 or so days would be appreciated. It'll be myself, wife, 2 kids in teens.

Thanks.

If you wanted to do Key West but did not want particularly want to educate your teens on duval, I would say you can fill one day with a a morning of scuba, or snorkeling if nobody is certified, then Hemingway's house, and then do late afternoon/sunset on Mallory square. You could probably fill a second day just biking around the island doing all the touristy stuff and maybe finishing the day at the beach (although the beach is not that great). You can take jet ski tours and also there is a boat going out to the tortugas.

That's all I have in Key West for family friendly stuff. I'm sure there's plenty more. Charter fishing would obviusly be an option if you wanted to shell out for it.

 

[Uncle Ruckus]

What did you catch? I'm thinking about a trip this summer

 

[lumpydiver]

Middle Keys

I love the middle keys! Usually stay in Marathon. About every other year I pull the boat down for lobster season and spear fishing. For me Key West is a great day trip... ...See the sights, grab a drink at Sloppy Joes, then gtfo!!!!I would say charter a trip out to Coffins Patch or Sombrero Reef for snorkel if you guys are into that kind of thing. Bahia Honda is a state park and has great scenery and public swimming etc.. only places I wouldn't recommend is Largo and Key West... just my 2cents

 

[dogmatic]

We caught ...

... red grouper, black grouper, yellowtail snapper, mangrove snapper, mackerel, blacktip shark and barracuda. The plan was to see as many species as possible, so we started by catching pilchards with a cast net at daylight, caught the barracuda, mackerel and jacks off a wreck, the snappers off the reef and the shark in the flats by the Marquesas Keys. We fished on board his 31-foot Contender out of Murray Marina, a little place at the joint of Key West and Big Pine Key.

 

[Uncle Ruckus]

That's a big variety. If I go I want something I haven't caught, specifically a bonefish and hogfish and rooster fish. I know you can catch those down there, finding the time of year when you can catch all 3 could be tricky.

 

[Arthur2478]

I prefer the middle & upper keys more than Key West but if you do end up down in Key West, make a day trip out to the Dry Tortugas (about 70 miles west of Key West). Fun boat ride and a pretty good snorkeling spot.

 

[mcdawg22]

First of all, I'll start by saying I know nothing of the area. That being said, we're heading down to Miami for a wedding in July and wanted to spend some time out on the Keys after. Any suggestions or recommendations on places to stay, things to do if we're there for 4 or so days would be appreciated. It'll be myself, wife, 2 kids in teens.

Thanks.

If you fly fish go to Bahia Honda and wade. It is awesome. Did it when we went to the Orange Bowl.