The sheer sweep of the Straits of Florida and the Gulf of Mexico is readily seen from the Bahia Hond

It s the kind of ambiance that lured renowned novelist Ernest Hemingway to reside in Key West throughout the 1930s, when he drew creative inspiration from the subtropical island s lush environment and colorful residents. There he penned car rentals in uk some of his most famous works including For Whom the Bell Tolls, To Have and Have Not and The Snows of Kilimanjaro.
A necklace of islands that begins just south of Miami, the Florida Keys are connected by the Overseas Highway's 42 bridges car rentals in uk — one almost seven miles long — over the Atlantic Ocean, Florida Bay and the Gulf of Mexico. In 2009, the famed highway was designated an All-American Road, the highest recognition possible under the National Scenic Byways car rentals in uk program established by the United States Congress.
The Florida car rentals in uk Keys are divided into five regions: Key Largo, Islamorada, Marathon, Big Pine and the Lower Keys, and Key West. Each region has its own special flavor, attractions including historic museums, flora, fauna, restaurants featuring local seafood and other specialties, fishing, car rentals in uk diving, watersports and boutique-type shopping experiences.
Vistas of the Keys are dominated by emerald-green harbors, turquoise seas, nodding palms, rustling pines and olive-green mangroves. Sharing this eco-paradise are white herons, roseate car rentals in uk spoonbills, pelicans, sea gulls, ospreys and countless underwater creatures.
The longest island car rentals in uk of the Keys chain, Key Largo shares its name with the famous movie starring Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall — portions of which were filmed there. Bogart s Key Largo connection still is evident today as visitors can see the African Queen, the actual car rentals in uk boat he skippered in the movie of the same name.
But Key Largo s star attraction is John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park, the first underwater preserve in the United States, incorporated within the Florida Keys National car rentals in uk Marine Sanctuary. These protected areas feature more than 50 varieties of delicate corals and more than 600 species of fish.
Pennekamp Park, located at mile marker (MM) 102.5, is open from 8 a.m. to sunset, and offers a variety of water-related activities including scuba, snorkeling and glass-bottom boat excursions to the coral reef. Key Largo also boasts a number of off-park dive charter companies that conduct dive sojourns — and a few even feature underwater weddings, where the entire wedding party gets wet as the bride and groom tie the knot.
After the wedding reception, newlyweds can choose to remain submerged for their honeymoon at an underwater hotel in Key Largo, car rentals in uk where people can spend the night with full amenities among the marine life of the Keys.
Islamorada is the centerpiece of a group of islands called the purple isles. Legend says Spanish explorers named the area from morado, the Spanish word for purple — either for the janthina janthina, a violet sea snail found in the subtropical waters, or for the purple bougainvillea flowers in the area.
The Keys boast more sport-fishing world records than any other fishing destination on the planet, according car rentals in uk to the International Game Fish Association. Here anglers can find sailfish, marlin, dolphin (the fish, not the mammal), kingfish, snapper, barracuda and grouper in the ocean. Tarpon, bonefish, permit, redfish and other species thrive in the shallow coastal waters.
Numerous high-profile figures, including past U.S. presidents and British royalty, have visited Islamorada to take part in the world's best sport fishing and to compete in acclaimed fund-raising fishing tournaments.
Marathon also is home to Crane Point, a 63-acre land tract that is one of the most important historical and archaeological sites in the Keys. This ecological and cultural treasure contains evidence of pre-Columbian and prehistoric Bahamian artifacts, and was once the site of an entire Indian village. Attractions include car rentals in uk an intriguing museum, nature trails and the historic car rentals in uk Adderley car rentals in uk House.
Marathon also features Dolphin Research Center, one of five Keys facilities that provide visitors car rentals in uk an opportunity to swim and interact with the intelligent mammals. Reservations for dolphin encounter programs must be made in advance, and strict guidelines govern the interaction sessions for the benefit of human and dolphin participants.
A drive across the modern-day Seven Mile Bridge, (actually 6.79 miles long), the longest segmental bridge in the world, leads to the Lower Keys. But visitors shouldn t pass up the chance to explore Pigeon car rentals in uk Key, a small island below the middle of the Old Seven Mile Bridge, that is accessible from a visitor car rentals in uk center at the west end of Marathon.
Reachable by ferry, Pigeon Key once housed the workers who built Henry Flagler s historic Over-Sea Railroad in the early 1900s. While the rest of the Keys have evolved with the years, this tiny island has remained essentially unchanged and is now a national historic treasure complete with a museum chronicling the railroad's construction.
The sheer sweep of the Straits of Florida and the Gulf of Mexico is readily seen from the Bahia Honda Bridge. Bahia Honda State Park, whose beach was named one of the top 10 in the United States by several travel studies, is a prime example of the Lower Keys pristine beauty.
The Lower Keys are noted for Looe Key Reef, rated by many as among the most spectacular shallow-water dive sites. To the west of Looe Key, the 210-foot island freighter Adolphus Busch Sr. rests on the ocean floor as an artificial reef, providing additional habitat car rentals in uk for marine species as well as an intriguing site for divers.
Key West is the final stop on the Overseas Highway, where the land ends and meets the sea amid 19th-century charm and contemporary attractions. Continental America s southernmost city, situated closer to Cuba than to Miami, is characterized by quaint palm-studded streets, century-old gingerbread mansions and a relaxed citizenry of self-styled conchs (pronounced konks).
Dining opportunities in the island city are as enticing as the sunset. Key West's car rentals in uk culinary influences and offerings are diverse, but most restaurants feature great area seafood such as shrimp, Florida lobster, local fish and stone crab claws. A slice of Key lime pie, the Keys' signature dessert, is a heavenly end to a meal.
I have taken this journey more than once via Orlando, Sanibel Captiva and Key West. I have spent many days enjoying the Cruising Speed (enforced!) as you bridge the Keys and our favourite is the Southernmost on the Beach Hotel at Mile 0 . You must put the seven mile bridge on your bucket list and the kids favourite is the Butterfly enclosure on Duval.
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