The road that winds down the coast of Florida is the longest overwater highway in the world.
Along the route are spots considered as the top sport fishing areas on the globe, where you can stop and rent a boat and captain.
But why else would you travel to the end tip of Florida, located only 170 kilometers from Havana, Cuba?
To bear witness to the folly of one twentieth-century billionaire who built the railway whose bridges are the foundation for today’s highway?
To enjoy the huge variety of fantastic cuisine?
Or simply because it’s there?
Like many great destinations, as you drive along the Florida Keys, you’ll find more and more reasons to continue exploring.
And whether you plan it or not, your trip may turn into a pilgrimage to find the perfect key lime pie.
Every restaurant along the Florida Keys Highway 1 has its own version of this iconic pie. Some use molasses over the graham wafer crust. Real key lime juice, now sourced exclusively from Central America, must be used. Creative chefs may add key lime shavings, and raspberry drizzle (real or artificial). Toppings usually consist of whipped cream or meringue in various sizes.
Key West
The most visually stunning version we encountered was at the Blue Heaven Restaurant in Key West. – we’re talking six inches of meringue topping the key lime pie. I loved this restaurant for its funky vibe and location in the Old Town of Key West, close to the Hemingway House.
Roosters walk freely through the dining area in a secluded court yard, as they do throughout town.
Their shrimp and grits for breakfast was outstanding, and this from someone who’s never hungry in the morning. The meal consisted of Key West shrimp sautéed in white wine with butter and scallions over grits and white cheddar. It was the perfect way to enjoy a ‘southern’ or ‘southernmost’ breakfast, as Key West is located on the southernmost tip of continental U.S.
Key West is a charming town. No tall buildings are tolerated, a fact you can confirm by climbing to the top of the 1848 Key West lighthouse. The ancient lighthouse is near the Hemingway House, best visited early in the morning, before crowds arrive. The house was listed as a ‘tourist’ attraction back in the 1930s, when Hemingway was still living here. Hemingway was not amused and, not surprisingly, he built a wall around the property!
His house is located on the lovely Whitehead Street, parallel to the well-known, infamous Duval Street, known for its tasteless t-shirts and numerous bars and restaurants with live music. Yours to take or leave!
Islamorada – not to be missed
A unique version of key lime pie is available at the Midway Café in Islamorada. They put the pie in a blender, or so we were told. The day we stopped, it was closed for renovations. (Note to self – do not miss on my return trip).
A great way to get a feel for the variety of cuisines available in the Florida Keys is by taking the Islamorada Food Tour with Craig (https://www.flkeysfoodtour.com). He also focusses on history of the region and will introduce you to the small, but thriving arts scene in Islamorada.
Islamorada is a great stop for those heading to the bottom of the Keys. It is tempting to rush to Key West, but I would advise against it.
At the Florida Keys Brewing Company, located in a charming courtyard, likeable Canadian owner Craig McBay will probably hug you, should you bring him a package of his beloved ketchup-flavoured potato chips, currently unavailable in his Keys paradise of Islamorada! His is a funky bar, full of talkative locals. Tours of the brewery are welcomed.
The best restaurant in the Keys, for my dollar, was Chef Michael, just a short walk from the Florida Keys Brewing Company. Snapper and yellowtail snapper, two of my favs – can be prepared in one of the following ways: Pontchartrain, Ambassador, Juliette, Mixed Nuts, Adriatic or Simple Grilled.
Not sure? The waiter will recommend the best prep for each fish. A meal you’ll not soon forget.
Many of my most memorable trips have included quirky museums in unexpected places. The History of Diving Museum in Islamorada fits that bill. A timeline takes you through the history of diving and a collection of diving helmets.
Amongst the latter were inventions by Sir Edmond Halley (of Halley Comet fame) and a weird contraption used for underwater rum running between Windsor, Ontario and Detroit back in the Prohibition era. It even looks like a still.
This area is known for hurricanes – there’s a monument in Islamorada to the victims of the 1935 disaster, the worst in U.S. history.
The museum commemorates another natural disaster in an interesting way. Solid silver ingots from the Nuestra Señora de Atocha wreck, laden with treasure, are on display. The ship was sunk during a storm in 1622 that destroyed all the ships in a Spanish flotilla.
Ever wonder what shape the local coral reefs are in? Turns out, not the best. Coral reefs in Florida have lost an estimated 90 per cent of their coral in the last 40 years.
At the Mote Marine Lab, at Summerland Key, you can tour the facilities and see how coral reefs are being ‘outplanted’ one plug at a time. In their coral husbandry labs, the world’s largest land-based coral nursery, scientists grow coral on ‘plugs’ – think old-fashioned milk bottle covers. Divers then drill holes in the coral reef and ‘plant’ or outplant the plugs.
As Ian, one of the young scientists said, “Our goal is to put ourselves out of a job.” Their goal, in the next 10 years, is to cover 15 per cent of the coral reef.
And since reefs are home to fish, crabs, lobsters, rays and many other forms of sea life, their survival is essential.
Speaking of fish, some of our favourite new fish experiences included stone crab claws, grouper, conch and smoked fish dip. For our return trip? Lionfish, snowy grouper, mutters, angels on horseback and triple tail, all spied on different menus across the Keys whetted our appetite.
‘Angels on horseback’, some kind of sea horse? Not on your life – it is large sea scallops wrapped in bacon and then baked! If by some unforeseen tragedy you don’t sample key lime pie during your visit, the one available at Gilbert’s Bakery in the Miami Airport was as good as any – and we tried over 10! Other customers at the airport agreed – the tray of miniature Key Lime pies was almost always empty, although it was being constantly replenished!
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