After spending 2 nights in Key Largo it was time to head to Key West which we were really excited about. We left our Hampton Inn by 9am and our first stop on route to Key West was Robbies Marina (again)! We had such a good time there yesterday I promised the kids they could go back – so we spent another $20 to feed the Tarpons. Although it was fun – going back is never as good.

Seven Mile Bridge

We got back on the road and about half an hour later arrived at the car park for Seven Mile Bridge where we decided to go for a walk. Some of the historic bridge has been renovated and turned into a walkway and cycle route. We didn’t walk far as it was so hot but as the sun was shining it made the sea look turquoise.

As we carried on driving to Key West you could see the parts of the bridge which haven’t been renovated and where it is crumbling away. There were lots of warning signs on it advising boats not to sail too close.

Key West

We had hoped to stop somewhere for lunch but could not find anywhere we liked the look of. Everywhere was closed or empty. By the time we reached Key West we were really hungry but found a Subway which was perfect. It was too early to check into our hotel so we parked up in the town (near the docks) to go for a walk and get our bearings. There was a cruise ship anchored which we enjoyed going to look at – it was huge.

As we walked into the town we passed a tourist train (The Key West Conch Train) which was half full and about to depart so we decided to buy tickets and hop on. It was not cheap – about $150 – and we hadn’t asked the price before hand so had a shock but thought it would be a good way to see the town.

The tour was really good. The guide spoke about the architecture of the buildings, we saw where all the sites were and learned loads of cool facts such as lots of the houses paint the ceilings of the patios pale blue to ward off evil spirits. He also pointed out all the chickens roaming around and explained that you were not allowed to annoy them or you could be fined.

^{The conch tour}

After a quick ice cream from the Haagen Dazs shop we headed to our hotel to check in – another Hampton Inn – then drove back to the town for tea.

Two Friends Patio

The hotel recommended we go to Two Friends Patio (kiddie friendly) and they gave us a discount voucher for free key lime pie. The food was really good – I had a trio of shrimp which consisted of coconut shrimp, scampi and grilled shrimp. The grilled shrimp still had their heads on so Stuart de-shelled them for me. The only strange thing was the chickens walking around the restaurant as we ate!!!

After our meal we headed to Mallory Square where we were just in time to watch the cruise ship leave port. We were not too fussed about watching the sunset as we had really good sunsets in Key Largo so we returned to the hotel where Tom and Izzy spent the evening in the pool. As it happened the cloud came over so it was a good job we didn’t wait for the sunset. We also ate our free slice of key lime pie from the restaurant – but is was no where near as good as the one from the Key Lime Pie Factory in Key Largo.

Southernmost Point of Continental USA

The next morning we got up super early as we wanted to take a photo with the Southernmost Point landmark and knew long queues would form. We arrived at 8.45am and there was only a handful of people so we got someone to take a family photo. Although it isn’t technically the most southern point as there is an army base next door which is further south – you just can’t access it!

We went for a short walk and found a pier and lots of chickens. The water was very rough and we definitely would not want to swim in it.

Fort Zachary Taylor Historic State Park

We then drove over to the State Park which was quite cool. It was full of weapons from the Civil War. We spent about 10 minutes wandering round and then moved to the beach area. Again the sea was rough so you wouldn’t get in but also there were lots of jelly fish washed up on the sand which we think were Man O Wars.

Key West Lighthouse

Next stop was Key West Lighthouse which we paid to climb up. Climbing up wasn’t too bad and there were not too many people to pass on the spiral staircase. However when we reached the top you could walk round the outside which was a little scary! When it came to coming back down it was starting to get busy and it was quite difficult getting passed people – we were glad to get down.

We spent some time in the museum where Tom was making sea knots and then bought a fridge magnet from the shop.

El Meson De Pepe’s Cuban Restaurant

For lunch we wanted to try some Cuban food so found a restaurant near where the cruise ships docked (although we were really disappointed there was no cruise ship today). For starters we shared some plantain nachos – first time we had ever had plantain and they were really good. We also got given some Cuban bread with dips. Then Stu and I had Cuban sandwiches for lunch – the portions were huge and there was no way we could finish it. There were also chickens walking around the restaurant.

We headed back to the hotel so we could spend the rest of the afternoon in the pool before moving on to Miami tomorrow.