“Come to the Florida Keys, where sweating like a tourist is a rite of passage”.
(#MeltingAway, #KeysLife)
My Walk into the Future continues to allow me to seek and find new adventures in my life. The concept is to enjoy life at a relaxed pace but to always move forward. I need to remember why I created the blog name and make sure I follow through daily.
Took the relaxed pace concept to heart when looking for my next adventure. What better place to find relaxation than the Florida Keys. 😊
I am a native Floridian but never ventured down to the Keys before. I’ve thought about it a few times but never acted. My thought process was it was too far to drive but I never put anything into Google maps to see the distance and/or drive time. Told you I didn’t put much effort into this process. 😊
Google maps identified the northern Key (Key Largo) was a three-hour drive from my house in Fort Pierce. Key West was much further but I never had a desire to get that far south. Decided to focus on Key Largo and plan a trip down around the 4th of July. I took an extra day of vacation time so I could beat the holiday traffic and be in Key Largo before the fireworks started and people crowded the area. Mission accomplished on both ideas.
Didn’t know much about the Keys but wanted to get down to explore and experience something new. I’m a huge Marriot fan so booked the Courtyard right off US 1. This location put me right next to a marina with boat tours and several nice restaurants with fresh fish on the menu. This location allowed me to walk to multiple places of interest while in the Keys.
Made my way over to Snappers Oceanfront Restaurant and Bar on my first day to people watch and get fresh fish. Walked by the African Queen boat tour area on my way over. Didn’t know they had boat tours, but this was a popular attraction in Key Largo.
The next stop was Jimmy Johnson’s Big Chill which was a lively spot with music and great western views. They had outstanding drink specials and the largest shrimp I have ever seen in my life. Highly recommend this spot if you love shrimp, great sunset views and cold drinks with a kick.
The Caribbean Club was identified as a spot for great live music. I was the most Caribbean person there and the band was an old school classic rock outfit. It was still a great little spot because they had outside chairs sitting right next to the water. The sunset views were better here because of the pawn trees—used them to frame a few of my pictures. Visited both places two days in a row so they had a very authentic vibe. Watched 4th of July fireworks from the Caribbean Club and enjoyed every second of the show.
The Key Largo Princess glass bottom boat was my next adventure in Key Largo. Saw the boat go out when I first arrived and was curious where it was headed. It’s a simple tour where the boat heads out to a coral reef and circles so passengers can get a great view of the sea life. The ship’s crew warned that some folks get motion sickness below deck while they circle. I didn’t believe them but had to head back upstairs because I started to feel weird. I was fine once I got back on the top deck and enjoyed the rest of the boat tour in the open air. We saw tons of fish, sea turtles and nurse sharks on the excursion. Great way to end my first venture in the Florida Keys.
Where are you heading this summer?
Irie!
Walk Into the Future 