No matter how far you run, you still take yourself along for the ride.
I am a fan of random tourist attractions and I have heard of a fruity distraction on our way to Miami.
Robert is Here is a roadside produce shop full of tasty fruits and other locally grown goodies.
From cane sugar to mangos, strawberries and oranges, there’s bound to be a fruit to suit all tastebuds.
All of the colourful signs are handpainted and we spot the artist at work on a new creation in his barn studio
Apparently the second most visited sight in the Florida Keys is not exactly what you might expect… it’s a giant crustacean!!
This is Betsy. A giant fibreglass lobster found at the side of the road at the Rain Barrel Village, Islamorada.
She’s 30 foot tall and a kitschy delight!
There’s lots of other colourful delights at the Rain Barrel Village too.
Then we head onto the gorgeous Sombrero Beach.
With its palm trees and soft white sands it’s giving some serious Bahamian charm.
Then it’s our goodbyes to our lovely little waterside motel as we’re leaving the keys and heading to the bright lights of Miami!!
It was a fantastic stay and we belatedly discover the tiny motel beach too!!
Come with us as we explore the Florida Keys a little more. First some more obligatory shots of the impressive Overseas Highway.
This humungous expanse of over water road is a 113-mile highway carrying U.S. Route 1 (US 1) through the Florida Keys to Key West at the very end of the Keys.
Large parts of the highway were built on the former right-of-way of the Overseas Railroad.
Completed in 1912, the railroad was badly damaged and partially destroyed in the 1935 Labor Day hurricane.
The Florida East Coast Railway was unable to rebuild the destroyed sections due to the costs, so the roadbed and remaining bridges were sold to the state of Florida for $640,000.
Then we’re heading to the quiet little Anne’s Beach for some morning sea air.
This sandy (and free!) beach features a 1,300-foot boardwalk amongst the mangroves. Plus there are pavilions with tables offering a perfect viewing spot.
Anne’s Beach can be found at Lower Matecumbe Key, Florida and is dedicated to local environmentalist Anne Eaton
The beach re-opened in 2019 after it was devastated by the highly destructive Hurricane Irma.
Then we’re heading to the ramshackle delight that is Robbie’s Marina in Islamorada.
This curious roadside attraction is a mish mash of water sports, kayak and boat rentals, tourist souvenirs in the open air market and local food.
I am delighted to find lots of the Key’s most recognisable icons here, the Pelican!
So here’s a load of them for your enjoyment!!
They are quite ferocious, very good at sneaking fish out of buckets and did make a lot of visitors squeak and fall over in their haste to get away.
Another more elusive resident is the manatee and we spot several of the potato shaped critters!
One of the main tourist attractions here is to feed (or watch in amusement as other people) feed the huge tarpon fish!
These huge dogs of the sea really are incredibly large as the video below shows!
There is a wealth of aquatic wildlife to marvel at (and be wary of) including this orange nurse shark who is nosing around after the scraps!
Below I am keeping my wary distance from the flappy predator!!
A few more cheesy snaps then we’re off!
We’r off to see the second most photographed sight in the Florida Keys next – but first a quick pitstop and bite to eat at another little roadside pull in.
Bahia Honda State Park can be found at mile marker 37 on the Overseas Highway in the Florida Keys and features sandy shores, clear water and an iconic broken bridge.
As we’re running out of light we first scramble up to the bridge to get an optimal view of the beaches and surrounding waters.
You can also see the scale of the impressive engineering feat that is the Overseas Highway from here.
Here’s another view of the highway from the top of the old Bahia Honda railway bridge.
The park has three main beaches; Sandspur, Loggerhead, and Calusa Beach – all with soft sand lapped by crystal clear waters.
Above is the picturesque Sandspur beach with gorgeous squeaky white sands.
Henry Flagler’s attempts to build a railroad to Key West in the early 1900s made the previously remote island of Bahia Honda Key into a sought after destination.
The Bahia Honda railroad bridge was originally built by Flagler as part of the FEC’s Overseas Railroad.
It was opened in 1912 and Flagler funded the railway construction between Miami and Key West using his own personal funds.
Sadly the 1935 The Labor Day Hurricane destroyed much of the line.
A replacement Bahia Honda Bridge was opened in 1972 and two spans of the old bridge were removed for the safety of boat traffic and to prevent pedestrian access to unsafe parts of the bridge, leaving the striking sight that you can now see.
Soaking up the last rays of the sunshine on Calusa beach before we head back along the highway.
The sun is setting casting its golden glow across the cooling sands – the perfect time for me to decide to take a dip!
You get the most striking views of the old bridge from Calusa beach, and it makes an impressive sight as the sun sets behind it.
Another perfect day from our last minute fly drive around Florida!
Enjoy a few more shots from the vibrant town of Key West.
An obligatory American flag sags in the humid heat in a row of gorgeous traditional Conch style architecture.
Key West Cemetery is a sprawling iguana paradise.
These green reptiles can be found sunning themselves everywhere you look.
A few more colourful details from around the old town district of Key West.
From googly eyed fire hydrants to more lush coloured houses.
Some rather disturbing Cuban cigars…
I love this 1960s style low slung bungalow
Another street and the architecture changes again with sweetly trimmed clapboard houses
This row of pastel homes are good enough to eat!!
And finally one of the most photographed sights of Key West.
The (almost) most southerly point of the USA – just 90 miles from Cuba.
We’re leaving the lush nature of the Everglades behind now as we beetle onwards towards the Florida Keys.
This is a place that has always evoked images of secluded stunning sandy beaches and tiny green islands strung out like a line of exotic gems.
Well it didn’t really turn out like that in reality! Much of the waterfront is inaccessible, hidden behind huge hotels with private beachfronts. But there is still lots to see and do.
We’re basing ourselves in Layton which is almost mid way along the keys, staying at the Edgewater Lodge.
It’s a traditional waterside motel with access to the water.
First up we’re heading to the very end of the keys to visit possibly the most famous of the islands Key West.
We’ll cross the Overseas Highway several times during our stay, including the impressive seven mile bridge.
Then we land slap bang in the middle of vibrant Key West.
Key West has all the pretty architecture you can shake a stick at.
I love the photo of the woman on her zesty yellow scooter zipping past the Strand.
Duval Street is one of the most famous roads in Key West. Synonymous with revelry and all manner of after dark debauchery
We spot this leviathan of a monster truck! Gas is far cheaper in Florida than at home, so they won’t quite bankrupt themselves driving this beast.
The hubby looks pretty good as a red head…
The stunning blue waters finally show us the Keys as we imagined they would be.
Delighted to find a shell warehouse full of colourful sea creatures.
The endless rows of aquatic sculptures include the conch shell, the symbol of the Florida Keys also known as the Conch Republic.
Old Town Key West has some of the most beautiful architecture in the Keys.
The homes in the old neighborhood were made from wood by shipbuilders in the 19th century.
They clearly show the typical Conch style colourful homes which feature wraparound verandas, and shutters.
These homes are often accented by bright colors such as turquoise or hot pink.
More lovely Key West architecture coming up!
While they are notorious for being huge, scaly and formidable, all Florida gators start out as much smaller, surprisingly cute babies.
After our airboat tour we get chance to get up close and personal with some of the tiddy ones at Wootens!
These have all been rescued and can not be put back into the wild sadly so will live out their time in the peaceful sanctuary.
But they still have to have soft bands around their powerful jaws to stop them trying to take a bite
They are so incredibly soft and love having their necks scratched!
So excited for today! We’ve headed to Everglades City and we’re heading out for an airboat ride!
First a quick scoot around the neighbourhood checking out the pretty buildings and private docks.
A vivid blue seafood market catches my eye as we head towards our boat experience!
Then we arrive at Captain Jacks and impatiently wait to get onboard our airboat!
I have wanted to do this for as long as I can remember.
Brought up on American TV in the 80s and 90s there always seemed to be people carousing about on these noisy beasts!
And here they are, lined up and ready to speed us through the Everglades.
So excited! We’re onboard and ready to go wooshing through the mangroves and alligator infested Everglades!!
The tangled mangroves are the perfect hiding spot for watchful alligators.
We pass another boatload of people just heading out. We were the first group out on the water so had the place to ourselves for a while at least.
Then we spot our first ferocious scaled beast, lurking in the water by our boat.
Charlie is one of the regular visitors who appears to nosey at us tasty flesh snacks.
After our first exhilarating ride we hop in the car to take a short drive to our second destination for another thrill packed hurtle through the grasslands
Some more videos of me gurning for you to enjoy!
Next up we get very up close with alligators.
Another sunny day dawns in Florida and today’s itinerary is a mixed bag.
We say goodbye to our lovely little motel, complete with the obligatory pink flamingos and head off to explore a little more of the nature on offer.
First up the ever present alligator warning signs.. always fun!
This time we don’t see any sinister scalies but we do get to tick off another wildlife sighting with this cute, but elusive critter!!
Those watchful little eyes! We would have completely missed him except for a rustling in the trees.
We then head over to Sanibel Island, one of the worst affected areas in Florida when hurricane Ian made landfall in 2022.
Connected to the mainland by a vast sea bridge, the island was completely cut off when the bridge was all but obliterated
Then we head to Fort Myers to enjoy some iconic art deco architecture with this delightful scoop of pastel gorgeousness the Edison Theatre.
The city takes its name from a local former fort that was built during the Seminole Wars.
We spot another beautiful old car as we’re exploring the city streets.
The blue contrasts beautifully with the green architecture of the Arcade Theatre.
The theater was constructed in 1908. Originally a vaudeville house, the famous inventor Thomas Edison viewed films here for the first time with friend Henry Ford
Below is the Sidney and Berne Davis Art Museum in downtown Fort Myers.
Plus some colourful murals.
And a tooth achingly sweet ice cream shop with candy coloured walls.
The iconic little trolley bus tootles around the streets depositing tourists and locals alike.
Some reproduction retro adverts I spotted on the harbour walls harks back to the golden age of travel where technicolor hues saturated posters with exotic promise.
We’re exploring a few more of the beautiful beaches to be found on the west coast including Siesta Key.
Another delightful lifeguard station, my favourite Florida beach attraction!
Plus we see up close some of damage created by the devastating category 5 hurricane Ian in 2022.
This was the costliest tropical cyclone in Floridian history and the deadliest since 1935 with a total of 161 deaths, 150 in Florida alone.
Caspersen Beach is renowned for being a fossilised sharks tooth hotspot.
It’s not long before the beady eyed hubby has started to spot them!! He finds seven in the end, and they are very tiny so he has hawk eyes!
The sun sets quickly in Florida in November and paints the huge skies with shades of peach and blue.
Watching the locals fish at Venice beach pier and then it’s the end of yet another perfect day.
