Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
There is also dolphin swimming at Grassy Key's
Dolphin Research Center
and
Hawk's
Climate
Though it's warm and tropical in the Keys, it never gets higher than about 97°F. The peak
in summer is usually about 89°F, with the temperature staying a few degrees cooler than
Miami because the Keys are surrounded by ocean (and refreshing ocean breezes). The
coldest it gets is usually in the 50s (when some people dress like a blizzard has descen-
ded), and water temperature stays in the 80s most of the time. The thunderstorm season
begins by late May, and then everyone buckles down for the feared hurricanes - if they ar-
rive, expect them in late summer and early fall.
Information
The Monroe County Tourist Development Council's
Florida Keys & Key West Visitor's
with information on everything the Keys has to offer.
Check
www.keysnews.com
for good daily online news and information about the is-
lands.
Getting There & Away
Getting here can be half the fun - or, if you're unlucky, a whopping dose of frustration.
Imagine a tropical-island hop, from one bar-studded mangrove islet to the next, via one of
the most unique roads in the world: the Overseas Hwy (US Hwy 1). On a good day, driv-
ing down the Overseas with the windows down, the wind in your face and the twin sisters
of Florida Bay and the Atlantic stretching on either side, is the US road trip in tropical per-
fection. On a bad day, you end up sitting in gridlock behind some guy who is riding a
midlife-crisis Harley.
along US Hwy 1 and depart from downtown Miami and Key West; you can pick up a bus
along the way by standing on the Overseas Hwy and flagging one down. If you fly into
Fort Lauderdale or Miami, the
Keys Shuttle
(
888-765-9997)
provides door-to-door ser-
