Sailing Away to Key Largo was not on my bucket list. But I wouldn’t be surprised if Key Largo and the Florida Keys are on anyone else’s The weather in the keys couldn’t be more perfect than when I went in March. This is especially true if you are leaving behind several months of sad, cold winter. There is everything to do in Key Largo if you are into sun and water. Think kayaking, deep sea fishing, snorkeling, parasailing, island cruises.
I confess that every time I go back to Florida to visit, I get a twinge of nostalgia. Nostalgia for intense blue skies with billowy clouds, the lushness of the vegetation and for the ocean, never far away.
Sunrise over the Atlantic
Make your reservations early. Keep in mind that depending on the time of year, Key Largo can book up quickly. It can also be pricey. We stayed in a place that was pure Florida. It was at the very end of a road far from the main strip. And it was in a true Floridian neighborhood. This is always our goal when traveling: to feel like we are a part of the place we are visiting.
We were right on the water. We had a view and a balcony outside our doors. Our side of the building faced a canal, lined with house boats. Across the canal was a center for marine biology that took boats filled with young students out on the water. The green lushness of Florida was everywhere. At the end of the property there was a hammock and chairs that looked out over the water. With all of the people I knew were around, it was still quiet. In the morning the voices came up more like reassuring murmurs that life was good.
Not everybody has a pineapple growing in their front yard.
John Pennecamp
So much to do and most of it right here at the John Pennekamp park. Beaches to swim, picnic, canoeing, camping, kayaking, . You can even snorkel and scuba dive here. And there is a glass bottom boat for touring the waters. http://pennekamppark.com/
Another thing to keep in mind is that you can hire a local to take you out on the ocean to go deep sea fishing. The first morning we were there Michael got up and was gone at 6:00 am. My sister Alison had hired a boat to take a group out for fishing. Not me. However, I was there when the boat got back to admire the catch. They got back at 12:00 with three large fish in tow: a black fin tuna and two king fish. The crew cleaned the fish for us and we kept a good portion.. The rest they were keeping for sushi, eaten right there by the docks.
So after that, following their directions, we took our catch to The Fish House https://fishhouse.com/. The restaurant will prepare the fish for you. They were made for us in three ways: Cajun style, blackened, and with a tomato caper sauce. Right out of the ocean, freshly caught, to die for!
African Queen
Post note: The African Queen, the very African Queen that took Humphrey Bogart and Katherine Hepburn through the rapids in Africa. It now calls Key Largo home. I almost took a ride, but are visit to Key Largo had run out of time. However, I did go check her out. A little heroic boat from a big heroic movie. http://www.africanqueenflkeys.com/
Sunset Over the Gulf
