Key West and Dry Tortugas National Park

After visiting Biscayne National Park, we headed south toward Key West arriving at our Airbnb, The Scarlett Mango Inn, in the late afternoon. After getting settled, we walked a few blocks to Pickles Sports Bar to watch the Dallas Cowboys in the playoff game and to have dinner. After the game was over, we decided to walk back to the Airbnb by way of Duval Street. Duval Street is known for being the party street of Key West. We found it to have great live music and we bounced between three different bars enjoying country music singers.

The next morning, Jim wanted a big breakfast, so our first stop was The Breakfast Club Too which was delicious! Afterwards, we rode the Conch Train which made a narrated loop through Old Town Key West. This helped us to get our bearings and see what we wanted to go back to/spend more time at. 

The Conch Train tour concluded right by the Shipwreck Museum, so we figured that was a good place to begin our own exploration. Then we walked up the street and toured Truman's Little White House, stopped to take a picture of Ernest Hemingway's house, and posed for a picture at the buoy that represents the southernmost point of the US. We finished the afternoon by visiting the Key West Butterfly Conservatory. Back at our Airbnb, we showered quickly and then headed back to Pickles Bar for dinner and to watch the NCAA Football Championship Game between Michigan and Washington. And thankfully, Michigan was victorious! 

The next morning, we were up early to walk over to the ferry terminal for our reservation on the Yankee Freedom that would take us out to Dry Tortugas National Park. Prior to boarding, we were warned that the winds and seas were very strong and that we should take Dramamine before the ferry ride. We were glad we took their advice because it was a very rough ride, and many passengers were getting seasick. Luckily, we felt fine and thoroughly enjoyed the ride talking with two men from Wisconsin who were avid birdwatchers. After 2.5 hours on the ferry, we arrived at Dry Tortugas National Park - our 30th national park in our quest to see all 63! We joined the ranger for the one hour guided tour of the fort which we found to be very informative. Then we picked up our picnic lunch from the ferry and found a picnic table outside of the fort to enjoy our meal. Later, we walked part way around the outside of the fort and then followed the beach toward Bush Key. Pretty soon, it was time to board the ferry for the ride back to Key West. Back at the Airbnb, we got cleaned up and then found a Mexican restaurant on Duval Street for dinner. We ended the evening by listening to a country band at The Hog's Breath on Duval Street.

The following day was spent mainly in the car as we drove from Key West to Orlando to fly back to Fresno.

Biscayne National Park

With Biscayne National Park consisting of 95% water, we decided that the best way to explore the park would be to book a boat tour with the Biscayne National Park Institute. We chose the 3.5-hour Boca Chita Key Heritage tour. We met our crew and fellow passengers at the marina near Coconut Grove and set out for Boca Chita Key. Along the way, we learned that the island of Boca Chita was purchased by Mark C. Honeywell in 1937 and used as a party destination for Honeywell and his wealthy friends. He had a lighthouse, chapel, and garage built on the island. Apparently, he had a canon on Boca Chita that he would fire as a signal to his friends in Miami that he was holding a party on the island. Today, the key is within the boundaries of the national park and is used primarily as a destination for day trippers and campers.

The boat stopped at Boca Key for one hour for us to explore the island on our own. We walked to the small beach on the backside of the island, walked around the lighthouse and chapel, and followed the trail along the far side of Boca Chita Key.

The Chapel on Boca Chita

The view from the trail around Boca Chita Key

Once back on the boat, we headed to Stiltsville, a group of wood stilt houses located about a mile off of Miami's coast. These buildings were built in the 1930's and were "party central" in the 1940's-1960s. During Stiltsville's heyday, there were 27 buildings on stilts. They housed bars, clubs, and restaurants that were popular with Miami's socialites. Today there are only seven buildings remaining with the others having been destroyed by hurricanes or simply falling into disrepair.

After Stiltsville, the boat brought us back to the dock at Coconut Grove. Jim and I both agreed that exploring this national park by boat was very fun, informative, and unique!

The next day we drove 30 minutes to the south of Miami to the Biscayne National Park Visitor Center located in Homestead. We spent some time in the visitor center learning about the park before following the short Jetty Trail that took us passed the mangrove lined shore to the end of the jetty.

The boardwalk trail in front of the visitor center

After our morning at the visitor center, we began our drive to Key West.