Island
Eco Tour/Swim/Dolphin Encounter
Fishing
Charters Information
about Wild Dolphins
Rates
and Reservations About
the Captain and Boat Map
and Directions Photo
Gallery
.
Captain
Seaweed Charters, Inc.
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When
you wake up in the keys you want to sip the local java - you want
Key West's Own Baby: Gourmet
Coffee roasted fresh in the islands. Try one of their
espresso
flavors such as Testarossa or a flavored
coffee. Baby's also sells
coffee mugs and other merchandise with their distinctive
logo. |
The crown of the middle keys, Marathon, has an abundance of attractions - several nature centers and natural history museums, and lots of choices in accommodations – from small mom and pop operations to elegant vacation rentals. (link) Marathon is also home to the the World Famous Seven Mile Bridge. It’s the longest of the 42 bridges that connect the island chain to the mainland – called the Overseas Highway, this portion of US 1 has been touted as a top ten scenic drive in many travel guides. If you are lucky enough to arrive around sunset, stop on the Marathon side of the bridge or any time.
From there you can walk along the old highway – a part of the original railroad that first connected the keys. Built in 1905 and completed in 1912 by Henry Flagler, 35 or 40 miles of track were washed out in the Hurricane of 1935 (hurricanes were not named then).
You can walk the old bridge all the way out to Pigeon Key, a small island that was once home to the railroad workers. Many of the original buildings still stand and the island is now used by scientists studying the marine life of the keys and visited by tourists. You can also get out there by trolley from Knight Key. From the bridge you are able to spot rays, turtles, and an occasional shark - maybe even a hammerhead.

On the
other side of the 7 mile bridge (which is really only 6.7 miles) lies
the lower keys – and another bridge of note – Bahia Honda
Bridge – perhaps the most photographed bridge in the keys. It is
also the anchor for Bahia Honday State Park – an area of lovely
beaches (most of which cannot be seen from the highway – protected
swimming and sailboat anchorage and a great jumping off point to diving
Looe Key, the coral jewel of the lower keys.
More info on the fascinating conversion of old railway bed into the Overseas
Highway.
A few miles west is Big Pine Key, the most unspoiled of all the keys – and the second largest at roughly 3 by 6 miles - only Key Largo is larger. The government or the Nature Conservancy owns most of the land, so despite a commercial corridor of dive shops, restaurants and other conveniences, Big Pine retains the flavor of the early keys life. The island owes its protection to the diminutive Key Deer, a sub-species of the North American White Tailed Deer that is endemic to the lower keys. It was hunted nearly to extinction and in the 1950s a man named Watson sought successfully to protect the deer.
For more information: Florida Keys – online guide to travel along the American archipelago.
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Bertram Yacht & Boat Parts - Located in Marathon, High Tide Marine offers hard to find replacement parts for Bertram Yacht repair.
Key
West Group and Corporate Incentive Travel
Key
West Destination Travel Planner Nadene Grossman arranges
corporate incentive travel to Key West. We've Got the Keys for group travel,
events and upscale Key
West Weddings.
Other Spots of Interest in Key West, the Florida Keys and Florida
Hotels
in Key West - Hotelsvauled provides online reservations for
Key West hotels, especially the cheap and discount hotels in Key West.
Key
West Travel Guide - Key West Florida vacation and travel
information. Local experts that recommend tours, boat trips, attractions,
and restaurants.
Florida's
Finest - Places to go and things to do in Florida, produced by
native Floridians.
Florida
Boating Guide - Florida boating guide to local ports, hotels,
resorts and marinas.
Florida
Vacation Rentals - Florida Vacation Rentals site searchable by
travel date, price range, bedrooms and more. Florida Vacation Rentals
with photos and complete description.
Orlando
Fishing and Central Florida Fishing Guide
- Orlando Florida fishing with Captain Tom Carver. Enjoy an exciting Central
Florida fishing adventure for Redfish, Trout, Snook, Tarpon and more.
Only 45 minutes from Orlando attractions.