Thanksgiving in the Keys

230 Taylor Drive - "The House"

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As we had done for our last Tison Sisters’ Thanksgiving Holiday in 2009, Cindy found a house for rent in Florida for the week, through "Vacation Rentals By Owners" (VRBO.com). This one was in Key Largo, the first of the many islands that make up the infamous "Florida Keys" off the coast of Miami. Since this was going to be the "adults only", we only needed a three bedroom house and 230 Taylor Dr. fit the bill well.The house was a double-wide modular home, with approximately 1,800 square feet. With three bedrooms and two baths, it would accommodate the six of us for our week’s holiday. While the house was quite spacious with common area living space, it was not very conducive for the si...Read More

As we had done for our last Tison Sisters’ Thanksgiving Holiday in 2009, Cindy found a house for rent in Florida for the week, through "Vacation Rentals By Owners" (VRBO.com). This one was in Key Largo, the first of the many islands that make up the infamous "Florida Keys" off the coast of Miami. Since this was going to be the "adults only", we only needed a three bedroom house and 230 Taylor Dr. fit the bill well.

The house was a double-wide modular home, with approximately 1,800 square feet. With three bedrooms and two baths, it would accommodate the six of us for our week’s holiday. While the house was quite spacious with common area living space, it was not very conducive for the six of us to engage in any singular activity. The dining table only sat four, so we brought in two chairs from the pool area; the living room(s) also only comfortably sat four . . . including the one where the only TV in the house was located. Out at the pool, there were three areas for lounging but again, no more than four could comfortably sit together. We made the most of it during our stay, not allowing the inconvenience to prevent us from being together when we wanted to be.

Speaking of the pool area, that was one of the nicest features of this house. The pool was half in the shade throughout the day, but there was plenty of deck space to lie out in the sun. One area of the backyard was fully under a tiki style hut, with the other area focused on the outdoor kitchen. Yes – there was a full outdoor kitchen that included a rotisserie type gas grill, refrigerator and sink. By this kitchen area was another set of patio furniture that included a table and chairs for four.

The three bedrooms were not exactly the perfect set up for three couples, but we made it work. The master bedroom had a large king sized bed and was spacious. The master bath was also very nice, with a single person jetted Jacuzzi tub and separate shower stall. There was ample space for clothes both in a dresser as well as a closet.

The second bedroom had a queen sized bed and was a bit smaller, but had ample space to walk around. The nicest feature of this room was the huge walk-in closet. The last bedroom had a full-sized bed with a "pull-out" bed that stored under the main bed. David called it the "bed in a drawer" and that was where I slept. We also had a nice dresser that provided plenty of space for storing our clothes. This room was clearly the kids’ room as the furnishings were Crayola Fish.

As a general statement, while this house has location going for it (it was on a water access canal with its own boat dock), the overall accessories provided were rather scant and well worn. Many of the towels were thread-bear, there were no larger sized pool towels, the kitchen amenities could only be described as "bare essentials" and for the price paid ($1,200 for the week, plus a $125 cleaning fee) I think it was overpriced. All of that said, it was nice to have WiFi inside the house, as well as DirectTV satellite television.

This house is for sale for "just" $475,000 which apparently is about the going rate for the boat accessible lots in this mobile home community. We did see real estate postings for vacant lots in the area for $350,000 to $500,000 so perhaps the price is appropriate for the location and given it is being offered "as is" as a turnkey rental property. From what we could tell on the VRBO website, however, the house has sat empty more often than not over this past year.
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The Fish House

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Restaurant | "Outstanding Seafood Dining in the Keys"

The Fish House - Key Largo Photo - The Fish House, Key Largo, Florida

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One of the nice things about renting a house or cottage for a family vacation is the ability to keep meal costs down by cooking in. That is one of our favorite benefits of using timeshares for most of our vacations. That said, it seems wrong to take a holiday in the Florida Keys and not get out for at least one nice seafood dinner . . . unless of course, you don’t like fish. Out of the six of us, we did have a couple of people who didn’t so we had to find a place that would also cater to the meat lovers in our group. The Fish House seemed to fit the bill.We arrived at approximately 6:00pm for dinner and were immediately seated. Adrian was introduced as our server, with Carlos assistin...Read More

One of the nice things about renting a house or cottage for a family vacation is the ability to keep meal costs down by cooking in. That is one of our favorite benefits of using timeshares for most of our vacations. That said, it seems wrong to take a holiday in the Florida Keys and not get out for at least one nice seafood dinner . . . unless of course, you don’t like fish. Out of the six of us, we did have a couple of people who didn’t so we had to find a place that would also cater to the meat lovers in our group. The Fish House seemed to fit the bill.

We arrived at approximately 6:00pm for dinner and were immediately seated. Adrian was introduced as our server, with Carlos assisting. First things first, beverages. Most everyone had already decided on soft drinks since we had beer and cocktail fixings at the house. With that taken care of, the next order of business was to decide on food.

Because I had been talking up stone crabs for two days, my sisters both wanted to sample them but at $39 for between six and eight (1.5 pounds) for dinner, there were really not enough to share with the table so they opted for the half-pound appetizer which included five nice sized claws. Served with drawn butter and lemon, they both seemed to enjoy the delicacy from the sea.

For dinner, I did order the large stone crabs. Adrian had brought by one of the jumbo claws, which seemed to be as big as my entire hand. With just four making up a dinner serving of the same one-and-a-half pounds, I just couldn’t justify the added $10 price. David decided on the crab stuffed mahi-mahi for his dinner ($25) which was outstanding. The dinners came with a choice of potato, a small half-ear of corn and coleslaw. For $2.95 we opted to sub a dinner salad for the slaw.

It was surprising that there was no bread served with the meals, just a basket of assorted crackers. We did decide on a side order of hush puppies which were plentiful enough to share with the table.

Others in our group ordered other fish dishes, with the "matecumbe" preparation (a house specialty) that consisted of minced tomatoes, shallots & capers. For the two land lubbers, they had steak and ribs, which were reported as rather bland tasting. The beef was prepared with no spice or seasonings, while the ribs were apparently cooked and then slathered with sauce. Both said the meat was tender and prepared well, just on the rather flavorless side.

Most of us were really looking forward to Key Lime Pie, something that the Florida Keys is known for. Our large meals left little room for dessert, however, which made a carry-out pie our next best option. Actually at $6 per slice and $16 for the entire pie (six slices) a pie-to-go was a much better deal! In fact, we enjoyed pie later that night at the house, and for a couple more nights later that week.

If you are planning to go to The Fish House, look for a discount coupon in the local visitors’ guide. We were able to use a 10% off, which they applied to our entire group even though we had our checks written up as three separate couples. For David & me, our check came to $97 + tip for dinner and two cocktails plus the whole pie.

For the quality and quantity of food, we were very pleased with this dining experience. The service was exceptional; we would recommend this restaurant as an excellent choice for visitors to Key Largo. As a side comment, when we left at around 7:30pm, they had a short wait of maybe three or four groups. Since this was a Tuesday evening, I would guess that they probably have a longer wait on the weekends, but they do not accept reservations.
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Member Rating 4 out of 5 on November 26, 2011

The Fish House
102401 Overseas Highway
Key Largo, Florida 33037
(305) 451-4665

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Snapper's Waterfront Restaurant and Saloon

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Restaurant | "Nice Place to Catch the (Packers') Game"

Snapper's of Key Largo Photo - Snapper's Waterfront Restaurant and Saloon, Key Largo, Florida

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With our travel plans being over two Green Bay Packers’ games, we were hopeful that we would be getting the Sunday game against the visiting Tampa Bay team, especially since we were in south Florida. Unfortunately, the house we were renting had DirectTV and they were in some sort of dispute or something with local FOX affiliates and therefore were not able to carry the game. It seems wrong that a game be covered by local TV which we could not get.We scrambled to action, however, trying to find a sports bar that would be open and with the Packers’ game on. Fortunate for us, we found Snapper’s Waterfront Restaurant & Saloon about eight miles from our house, advertising 12 televisions ...Read More

With our travel plans being over two Green Bay Packers’ games, we were hopeful that we would be getting the Sunday game against the visiting Tampa Bay team, especially since we were in south Florida. Unfortunately, the house we were renting had DirectTV and they were in some sort of dispute or something with local FOX affiliates and therefore were not able to carry the game. It seems wrong that a game be covered by local TV which we could not get.

We scrambled to action, however, trying to find a sports bar that would be open and with the Packers’ game on. Fortunate for us, we found Snapper’s Waterfront Restaurant & Saloon about eight miles from our house, advertising 12 televisions throughout their dining and bar areas. Calling first, we were not disappointed to find the game on one of the inside TVs at the far end of the bar. Better yet, there were four bar stools just waiting for us.

Once settled in, the bartender Frank took our beverage orders. Seemed wrong to go to a bar to watch the game and only order soft drinks, so we decided 1:30pm wasn’t too early for adult beverages. They did feature a rather extensive football themed snack and sandwich menu, but with chili on the stove back at the house, we all knew better than to spoil dinner with bar food.

Snapper’s had two bars, one outside waterfront and this one inside away from the bugs that seemed to enjoy biting us throughout the time we spent in Key Largo. With three games going on simultaneously, it was easy to hear outbreaks of cheering fans. While our Packers were trouncing the Buccaneers 35-26, it was almost as rewarding to see the Minnesota Vikings losing. Locals could be happy with the hometown Miami Dolphins winning over Buffalo.

The bar and restaurant had a lot of personality . . . our bartender Frank . . . not so much. Clearly we were from out of town (three of the four of us were wearing Packers’ jerseys), but this guy made no effort to make us feel welcomed nor did he attempt to engage us in any small talk. Perhaps more egregious was his stopping to stand right in front of the TV playing our game as though he was oblivious to our trying to watch the game through him. "Better door than a window" or "Down in front" came to mind, but we decided not to be obnoxious tourists.

I think their drink prices were about typical, with a round of two cocktails, a pint of domestic beer and a soft drink coming to $20. For the four of us, the outing cost $45 including tip to personality-less Frank.

Before leaving, I did take a walk through the dining room and out to the back deck area and bar. The bar looked a lot more fun than where we had watched the game, with a couple of folks out there right off their boat (which was docked right there at the restaurant). There was a travel motif with car license plates from around the USA hanging overhead.

The dining room provided for a nice enclosed area with large windows with beautiful views of the marina and water. By the time the game was over, the lunch crowd had left and the wait staff was preparing for the evening’s dinner service. The menu board provided information on the specials which included stone crabs, which should not be missed when visiting Florida in the winter. When I saw the $19.95 price for the half-pound appetizer, I thought that was rather pricey knowing that the market retail price as $20/pound, but later in the week I realized the going rate in the restaurants was significantly more.
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Member Rating 4 out of 5 on November 26, 2011

Snapper's Waterfront Restaurant and Saloon
139 Seaside Avenue, Mile Marker 94.5
Oceanside, Key Largo 33037
(305) 852-5956

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Things to See & Do In and Near Key Largo

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When in the Florida Keys, there are a lot of things to see and do. Key Largo itself is known for its diving and snorkeling opportunities. My brother-in-law Mack went diving several mornings while on vacation and got his "wreck certification" (diving ship wrecks in the ocean). He said it was pretty spectacular, going over 100 feet beneath the surface, penetrating the ship's skeletal remains.We had planned on going snorkeling with one of the many boats that go to the reef that is part of the John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park. Unfortunately, the weather was not very conducive (high winds = churned up waters) and a couple of in our group had some back issues making a boat trip ill-advis...Read More

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Dry Tortugas National Park

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The Easiest Way to Get There Photo - Key West, Florida

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Dry Tortugas is the National Park furthest south in the United States. Dry Tortugas NP is comprised by a small group of islands. The park is also the location of Ft. Jefferson, the largest of the 19th Century forts built to protect America from attack. As you might have guessed, Ft. Jefferson was named after the US President Thomas Jefferson.You can only get their by boat or seaplane or by booking with a private tour operator. The 70 mile trip by boat from Key West to the park is a fun and leisurely way to take in several hours on the water, soaking up the sun’s rays. If you are more interested in getting their quickly, a plane may be more to your liking. During my three day visit to Key West,...Read More

Dry Tortugas is the National Park furthest south in the United States. Dry Tortugas NP is comprised by a small group of islands. The park is also the location of Ft. Jefferson, the largest of the 19th Century forts built to protect America from attack. As you might have guessed, Ft. Jefferson was named after the US President Thomas Jefferson.

You can only get their by boat or seaplane or by booking with a private tour operator. The 70 mile trip by boat from Key West to the park is a fun and leisurely way to take in several hours on the water, soaking up the sun’s rays. If you are more interested in getting their quickly, a plane may be more to your liking. During my three day visit to Key West, I planned my trip to Dry Tortugas National Park with the Fastcat Ferry, one of several boats operated by Yankee Fleet of Key West.

The Fastcat Ferry runs a little over $100 per person, for adults and includes breakfast, lunch and snorkel gear. Plan on a full day as it is just over two hours each way to Dry Tortugas NP! You will depart the Key West Harbor at 8am and return just in time for dinner.

Fort Jefferson is located on the “Garden Key” is has served many purposes over history. Ft. Jefferson has a very interesting and storied past. Taking the US Park Ranger’s 45 minute walking tour is very worthwhile. Originally intended to be an outpost to protect America’s southern most borders along the Gulf of Mexico, construction began in the late 1840s. By 1950 the officers’ quarters were completed, but the rest of the fort was never really completed. There were numerous challenges in building a US Military installation so far from the rest of the United States. Add to that, the advent of the rifled cannon, and the fort was rendered inadequate for the purpose originally intended.

During the US Civil War, the fort became a place for imprisoning criminals, including the most infamous, Dr. Samuel Mudd. Mudd was found guilty in playing a role in the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln. He was the doctor who treated John Wilkes Booth’s broken leg. He was sentenced to life imprisonment and sent to Ft. Jefferson. With a yellow fever outbreak on the island, the fort’s official doctor was also stricken and subsequently died. Dr. Mudd was instrumental in the treatment of many military personnel and prisoners alike. Due to his role in treating the sick, he was later granted a pardon my US President Andrew Jackson in 1869.

I spent my morning taking the walking tour and doing lunch, followed by an afternoon of snorkeling around the fort. Some areas were very nice for snorkeling, with coral reefs and beautiful fish. There are also areas that are thick with plant life, making the swimming and snorkeling impossible. If you ask someone in the park office, they will tell you where the best places are to snorkel.

There are generally no services (including fresh water) available on the island. With that being said, there were several small groups of people doing primitive camping. If that is something you are interested in, you should contact the US National Park Service. Read Less

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Everglades National Park – Royal Palms Area

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Alligator's Crossing Photo - Everglades National Park, Florida

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The Royal Palms area of Everglades National Park is one of the more remote places you can get out and walk around on a sidewalk that goes into the wetlands and marshes where you may see alligators, turtles, birds and fish in shallow waters. The Royal Palms Visitors Center and surrounding area is best accessed from the Homestead, Florida. It is quite a distance from Miami, but easily doable.I have been to this area twice, the once seeing a lot of alligators and the second, not seeing a single one. So from my own experience, I must way it is hit and miss, since both trips were during the month of May (the first in 2000 and the second in 2002). David was with me during the 2002 trip and wa...Read More

The Royal Palms area of Everglades National Park is one of the more remote places you can get out and walk around on a sidewalk that goes into the wetlands and marshes where you may see alligators, turtles, birds and fish in shallow waters. The Royal Palms Visitors Center and surrounding area is best accessed from the Homestead, Florida. It is quite a distance from Miami, but easily doable.

I have been to this area twice, the once seeing a lot of alligators and the second, not seeing a single one. So from my own experience, I must way it is hit and miss, since both trips were during the month of May (the first in 2000 and the second in 2002). David was with me during the 2002 trip and was very disappointed to not see alligators here, since we had done the Mangrove Wilderness Boat Tour earlier in the week and didn’t see alligators on that day either!

During my 2000 visit, I was returning to Ft. Myers from a three day trip to Key West. I thought it would be an interesting diversion since I had been to the Shark Valley several times. My toy poodle Rustymeister was with me. In the Visitors Center, the park ranger suggest that I either leave him in a car parked in the shade or carry him in my arms as the alligators were active in the area and would view him as a nice fluffy marshmallow for lunch. I took rusty with me, carrying him as the ranger suggested.

There were a lot of mosquitoes in this area, so I was careful to spray down before heading out for my hour walk along the sidewalk and nice boardwalk that meandered through the marshy area. I didn’t have to wait long to see an alligator. There were several that were walking around right along side the sidewalk. There was one crossing and another under the hand rail just sunning. I have attached a photo of perhaps the dumbest thing I’ve ever seen in a National Park. I cannot imagine what was going through this man’s mind, but he was literally down practically on his hands and knees, attempting to get close to this six footer!!

As I walked around the boardwalk, it was very interesting to watch the alligators hunt fish in the water. They would remain very still, and then snap when a fish swam near its mouth. It was a very loud popping sound when the large jaws of the gator caught his meal. It was very nice to have the man-made side walk constructed up over the water to see such in the wild.

When David and I were here in 2002, the ranger told us that we might not see any alligators because they were “in season” mating. She told us to walk into the marsh (on the boardwalk, of course) listening carefully, that we should be able to hear the calls as males sought their female mate. It was pretty remarkable in that we didn’t have to listen very carefully, as the mating call was VERY LOUD and distinguishable given that we knew what it was.

There was a small bird doing fishing along one of the canals. It was interesting to watch it spear the fish, and then bring it up on the grassy area to eat it. I have a photo attached to this journal of the bird with his fish, before he came down on the ground to eat it.

All and all, I really enjoy this area of Everglades National Park and would encourage visitors to make the side trip sometime to see an area of the Everglades that are just a bit different that other areas of the park.
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