Discovering the Lower Florida Keys

When most people think of the Florida Keys, crowded streets, margarita-sipping festivals, and half-naked Parrotheads come to mind, but not when you learn about Big Pine Key. This natural haven is home to over 84,000 acres of the endangered Key Deer refuge area, mangroves galore, the launching point for world-class reef dives, and the much-needed peace and quiet for a relaxing holiday. We visited for a long weekend and discovered why more and more people are making this island their final destination in the chain of keys.

There are only a handful of accommodations on the island; we stayed at a lovely, unique bed-and-breakfast and enjoyed canoeing through the shallow waters and mangroves of the wetlands. We hoped along a charter to take us snorkeling at the world-famous Looe Key reef (about 45 minutes offshore), and even met several key deer up close and personal!

Quick Tips:

A quick list of things to not miss while you're visiting Big Pine Key: Bahia Honda State Park, Looe Key reef, Barnacle Bed & Breakfast, and, if your pockets are deep, Little Palm Island. Bahia Honda State Park has been ranked as one of the top beautiful beaches in the US time after time, which deserves a visit in itself, but you can also stop by their snorkeling center and catch a charter to Looe Key reef for less than per adult (1.5 hours of snorkeling plus a couple hours of boat travel) - a good day of fun! Looe Key was named a national marine sanctuary in 1981 and is known as one of the best dive spots in North America, bursting with tropical fish, sharks, shellfish, and many types of colorful coral, and plant life.

The Barnacle Bed & Breakfast is one of only a handful of places to stay along the island, and is tucked away on a residential street backing up to the water. It makes an architectural statement with the open-air courtyard, unique rooms, and roof shower. Also, if you are ready to spend a bundle, stop by Little Palm Island (accessible only by a yacht shuttle) for a night's stay or a fancy dining experience. Highly rating, and a numerous award-winning resort, this island costs a pretty penny (from over /night and up). If you can't afford to stay, observe the beautiful oasis as you pass it by boat on your charter to Looe Key!

Best Way To Get Around:

We live in Florida, so we drove our way down to the Lower Keys, but most visitors rent a car from the Miami airport and enjoy the scenic US-1 down through the many keys. The Seven Mile Bridge is a fun jaunt across the water, and your own car is convenient to have in order to explore several keys on your trip. Parking is not a problem in most places (unless you get to downtown Key West).

In Big Pine, watch for the shower speed limit because of the Key Deer crossing and reservation land. You can rent bikes to enjoy the beaches and nature paths, and also hop on a kayak or canoe for an unforgettable day paddling through the mangroves!

If you're looking for a unique, small, and beautiful place to stay while in the Lower Florida Keys, the Barnacle Bed & Breakfast is the place. Self-proclaimed as an "intriguing home that nature designed," the Barnacle is an architectural rarity with open-air courtyards, nautical embellishments, and roof showers. Sitting along a residential street that backs up to the ocean and is across the street from the mangrove-filled wetlands. Lush landscaping makes this retreat feel like a private home in the Caribbean. As you pull up onto the gravel driveway that winds by a tropical pond and hanging vines, you may spot several key deer wandering the premises. We enjoyed the wildlife around our room including deer, raccoons, birds, and exotic plants!

Jane, the owner is extremely friendly and was a wonderful host. She made delicious breakfasts and accommodated the requests of guests. There are four main rooms to choose from including the Tarpon, Dolphin, Blue Heron Cottage, and Ocean Room, along with the small loft room upstairs. We stayed in both the loft and Tarpon and enjoyed the unique features of each. The loft has two skylight windows you can open to sleep under the stars, and the shower opens to the roof in order to gaze at the beach below! The Tarpon room is filled with stained glass and is spacious and breezy. Be sure to take out the canoe to the mangroves across the street, or borrow the bikes for a leisurely ride - all free of charge. Overall, for a unique, cost effective (mid $100s/night) stay in the lesser-known Keys - the Barnacle is the perfect stop!

We just happened upon the inviting outdoor patio area of Kelly's Restaurant while we were strolling through the streets of downtown Key West, so we ended up stopping for dinner. Owned by Kelly McGillis (actress from the movie, Top Gun), the restaurant did seem quite "touristy" but overall was a nice experience. Located in the original home of Pan American Airways, this restaurant is a type of museum as well, along with an upscale, but casual, dining room, a relaxing brick-paved patio, and a classy bar.

The dinner menu varies from apple chicken, blackened fish, and meatloaf with a Caribbean flair, to crab ravioli, the local yellow-tail snapper, and coconut shrimp. Not many vegetarian options, but you can ask for the salads, pasta dishes and several entrees to come without meat/fish. The prices range from about $17-25/plate, not including appetizers or drinks. We did enjoy several tropical concoctions including a refreshing mojito and a sunset punch.

The staff was friendly enough and our waiter made polite conversation and gave suggestions about the menu. There was a very friendly, "patio-cat" that hung around the outside area and was known by name by the workers and locals. I'd recommend Kelly's for a relaxing meal, and although the food is creative, it's best to go for the nice atmosphere—more of a vacation treat, rather than a local favorite!

One of the oldest aquariums in the nation, and rebuilt in the 1930s, the Key West Aquarium is a fun experience for the entire family. Began as an open-air aquarium, many of the original structures and design is still intact, although the entire exhibit has been added onto over the years. The overall design is very unique with indoor petting ponds, to outdoor holding tanks that back up to the ocean/gulf. There are many regional fish, such as reef sharks, Jewfish, yellow-tail snapper, iguanas, local birds, and sea turtles, as well as more exotic varieties of animals such as eels and sea horses.

There are exhibits to interact with the wildlife, such as feeding shows for the barracuda, sharks, and turtles; petting areas for sting rays; and various electronic and printed media throughout the complex with fun-facts about the animals. The aquarium is focused on education about saving sea turtles and the prevention and recovery of injuries of these beautiful creatures.

Admission is around $10 per adult ($5 per child) and is open daily from 10am to 6pm. It's a great stop while downtown Key West to learn more about the local sealife and help support preservation of endangered animals.

One of the most exciting experiences we had while visiting Big Pine Key, was a snorkel trip out to the world-famous Looe Key (about 12 miles off shore of Big Pine). Looe Key is renowned for the well-preserved reef with extensive sealife and coral. We arrived at the docks for our scheduled tour departure time and were greeted with a friendly staff and were given our equipment. After chatting with several other excited tourists, we boarded the boat and took a seat for the half hour ride out to the reef.

During the ride, the guides explain a little about the sights we pass as we travel out, and some facts about Looe Key. The reef is a national protected area and a "no-take" zone, so we are strictly warned not to remove anything from the water. We are then given a lesson in snorkeling from wearing the equipment (fins, life jacket, mask and snorkel) to the best way to swim around.

When we arrive at the reef, there are several other boats anchored around the underwater treasure, but we anchor in a secluded area so we can enjoy swimming without too many other divers around. We jump off the boat one-by-one and the fun begins... At first it took me a while to get used to the breathing technique, but we I relaxed I observed Jewfish (large grouper), yellow-tail snapper, several nurse sharks, and even a couple reef sharks (which are quite scary and intimidating to be close to). I quickly swam back to the boat to ask the guides about this large fish, and they assured me that they were a normal sight and weren't aggressive.

The snorkel stop lasts 1.5 hours and you can get on and off the boat as you like (which I did several time to relax). It was a wonderful day all around and I HIGHLY recommend this experience while in the keys. Reservations are recommended and the tours are offered twice daily, year round. The price was around $35/adult for the tour and equipment rental.