Parks & Peaks with Peter

Get out there and Carpe Diem

Peter Hinman standing in front of KeyWest postcard graphic and Cuban Coffee sign

Dry Tortugas National Park and Key West

Itinerary At-A-Glance

Location: Florida

3-Day Itinerary for DRY TORTUGAS NP AND KEY WEST

Timeline: Wednesday, April 10 to Friday, April 12, 2019

I visited the Florida Keys for 6 days in mid-April 2019, a two-part trip which included: (1) a drive down and back from Miami to Key West along the “Overseas Highway” and a day trip by seaplane from Key West to Dry Tortugas National Park; and (2) a day trip to Biscayne National Park coupled with “36 Hours in Miami”. I highly recommend the March/April timeframe for this trip before the heat of summer and stormier fall weather. Below is the itinerary for Part (1); the itinerary for Part (2) is found under “Biscayne National Park and Miami”

#53 Visitation Rank with 50,000 visitors in 2017

What’s Special at Dry Tortugas

  • Coral Reefs/Tropical Fish – great snorkelling for beginners 
  • Birding – particularly the March-May migration. The sooty tern, brown booby and magnificent frigatebird, are common in spring during nesting season. 
  • Fort Jefferson – incredible U.S. history, from fort to prison to national park!
  • Bragging Rights – reputed to be “the Most Difficult NP to Visit”, accessed via a terrific seaplane flight

What’s Special in Key West

  • The “Overseas Highway”– an iconic drive along one of America’s Scenic Byways considered a Top 10.
  • “Old Town” Key West is full of local character, bars and music, restaurants both fine and fun, periodic architecture and quiet side streets. It is edgy and eccentric and I love it.

Lodging in Key West

Angelina House (302 Angela Street, 305-294-4480). Angelina’s is a well-priced, attractive, quiet and convenient option in an Old Key West neighborhood full of character. Make reservations way in advance.

Culinary Imperatives

  • Seafood: snapper, grouper and hogfish (inaptly named as it’s sweeter and lighter than most)
  • Limes: Key Lime Pie, Margaritas, and Mojitos 

Key West Restaurants & Bars

  • Green Parrot (601 Whitehead Street,. 305-294-6133): skip the food; relish the music. Quite the party ambience.
  • Louie’s Backyard (700 Waddell Avenue, 305-294-1061): nice for dinner; great for cocktails.
  • Blue Heaven (729 Thomas Street, 305-296-8666): love this as much for the ambience as the food with roosters and ping pong; breakfast is best (pancakes recommended), but get there early.
  • Bagatelle (115 Duval Street, 305-296-6609): 2018 Diners Choice Award and a likely spot for fine hogfish. Reservations recommended.
  • Nine One Five (915 Duval Street, 305-296-0669): recommended by CN Traveller, with very fine al fresco dining. Reservations are advised.

Cultural Imperatives

  • Mallory Square at Sunset: if you don’t mind crowds, this is the spot to mingle for nightly entertainment and be thrilled by street performers, particularly the unicyclists who put on quite the show. 
  • Live Music and Bar-Hopping: Duval Street is the evening lifeblood of the town, a pub-crawler’s heaven and most with no cover charge.
  • Hemingway: this is where “Papa” wrote most and best. You cannot claim to have visited Key West without visiting his home here with Wife #2 (of 4).
  • “Flagler’s Folly” at the Customs House: who would build a railroad line from Miami across the 43 keys of Florida to Key West? And what became of it? That incredible story is the star attraction here.

Visitor Centre and Other Resources

Daily Itinerary

photo montage key west florida and dry tortugas national parks

Day 1: The Overseas Highway and a Key West Evening (Wednesday, April 10)

  • Fly from Toronto to Miami (MIA); rent a car at MIA; drive down the “Overseas Highway” to Key West, and take your time to enjoy the scenery, beaches, and numerous attractions.

    Here are my favorite stops:
    • Seven-Mile Bridge – it’s all water for miles and miles along this Bridge! A stunning part of the drive.
    • The Turtle Hospital – a rapid response, surgical and rehabilitation center for injured turtles. The 45-minute tour is terrific and should be booked in advance.
    • Laura Quinn Wild Bird Sanctuary – dedicated to the rescue, rehabilitation and release of injured birds.
    • John Pennekamp State Park – considered a Top 10 U.S. state park. Swim, kayak or snorkel; take a coral cruise on the glass-bottomed boat but reserve in advance. Great visitor center.
  • 05:00 PM: Check in Angelina Guest House 
  • 6:00-8:00 PM: Sunset at Mallory Square (sunset is app. 7:45pm; celebration starts 2hrs before).
  • Duval Street bar-hopping

Day 2: Dry Tortugas and Crazy Key West (Thursday, April 11)

  • 06:30 AM: Cuban Coffee Queen: best cortadito in town
  • 07:30-08:45 AM: Key West Seaplane Adventures (3471 South Roosevelt Blvd. 305-293-9300)- depart Key West Int’l Airport 8:00am – Every seat is a window seat, so bring your camera. It’s only 25 minutes by air, and you land on the ocean. Otherwise, a 3-hr. ferry ride each way.
  • 09:00 AM – 04:30 PM Dry Tortugas National Park: Visit Fort Jefferson; Snorkel; Sunbathe; Bird Watch; Photography. Return on the late afternoon flight.
  • 06:30 PM: Louie’s Backyard: enjoy the waterside veranda for a sundown drink. 
  • 08:00 PM: Dinner at Bagatelle: Ask for an outdoor table on the second floor overlooking the street.
  • Late Night: Green Parrot: the oldest bar and Hemingway spot. Considered to have the best live music in town.

Day 3: A Full Day in Key West( Friday, April 12)

  • 08:00 AM: Breakfast at Blue Heaven – legendary spot; best for breakfast; dine outdoors with roosters 
  • 10:00 AM: Nancy Forrester’s Secret Garden — one woman’s personal parrot sanctuary; catch her morning talk  at 10am before it gets busy. 
  • 12:00 PM: Key West Butterfly & Nature Conservatory – enjoy over 50 species of butterflies, in this domed indoor habitat with lush plants, birds and water. 
  • 01:00 PM: Hemingway’s Home – take the tour, learn how Papa moved on from Wife #2 to #3, and how Pauline (Wife #2) spent Hemingway’s “Last Penny”. Meet the many fifty 6-toed cats, all descendants of Hemingway’s first cat, Snow White.
  • 02:30 PM: Harry Truman “Little White House”. Stroll the grounds; skip the lengthy tour; and spend a few minutes in the visitor center.
  • 04:00 PM Customs House: must-see the exhibit of Henry Flagler who built the railroad.
  • 06:30 PM: Sunset at Fort Zachary Taylor State Park – a terrific spot to watch and photograph the sun setting on the watery horizon. Bring a picnic basket with wine & cheese. 
  • 08:00PM: Dinner at Nine One Five: One of the top restaurants in town, try to snag an outdoor table.
  • Late Night: Bar-hopping around Duval Street and a return to the Green Parrot Bar

RESOURCES

Books

  • Karuna Eberl and Steve Alberts, Key West & the Lower Keys, 2017. Winner of “Best Travel Book” at the American Book Festival. Having read a half dozen of these, this is the one, hands down, for spot-on insights delivered in a humorous, irreverent style. Great pics, great writing. My idols.
  • Lonely Planet, Miami & the Keys, 2018. I find the Lonely Planet travel series provides both well-organized information and interesting ideas, for example, a walking tour of Art Deco Miami Beach. I used this guide more for Part (2) – Miami and Biscayne. 

About Peter Hinman

National Parks lover and adventurer