Distance from Ft lauderdale to Key West

[Californiacritic]

I have one day before cruising and rented a car. Any ideas about the distance to the Keys or what to do in Ft Lauderdale?

[ParrotRob]

I have one day before cruising and rented a car. Any ideas about the distance to the Keys or what to do in Ft Lauderdale?

 

It's going to be about 90 miles from FLL to Key Largo, another 100 to Key West. Plan on 4.5 - 5 hours through to Key West.

 

I wouldn't try Key West on a day trip. Perhaps you could drive to Key Largo and do some sightseeing, exploring, have lunch at Alabama Jacks, maybe do some snorkeling at Pennekamp... just a thought.

[bouhunter]

No way you'd want to do a day trip from FLL to Key West. Key Largo is a good idea, maybe go a little further to Islamorada and feed the tarpon at Robbies Marina:) The Worldwide Sportsman store in Islamorada is nice, they have a boat inside you can walk through that's very similar to the one Hemingway used for fishing the Keys. In Key Largo at the marina by the Ramada is the boat used in Humphrey Bogarts movie "The African Queen".

 

A couple great places for lunch in Islamorada would be Lazy Daze, or The Lorelei if it's re-opened (Hurricane Wilma dealt it a blow:( ).

[sasha19]

We drove from Miami to Key West for the day... it was a long drive but we had never been there and had a great time... even though I would have loved to have more time there, I am glad that we went and saw it.

[NYHartChapp]

It's not that bad a drive, but keep in mind that if anything, and I mean anything, goes awry, you're stuck.

[LDR]

We did it last summer, leaving Miami around 7am. It was a gorgeous day and

drive, we got there around 11am. We had three teenagers with us, so

we didn't bar hop(flew back last month for that). We parked and walked,

hit the Hemingway House, Southernmost Point and Margaritaville for lunch.

Lots of shopping too. We left around 4:30 or so and got back to our place

in Miami around 7:45.

It was a great day for us. Pennecamp looks like it would be a great choice

too, unfortunately we didn't get to it-ran out of time. Miami also is a great

place to spend the day too. Lot's going on!

[Compass Rose]

There is way too much to do on the way from Ft. Lauderdale to Key West to make it a day trip. Take everyone's advice. Do something else. Don't forget, for most of the trip through the upper, middle and lower keys, it is about 35 miles per hour, and a steady stream of traffic if you intend to do this between December and May. It's much too pretty to blast through it in a day.:)

[SusieM]

There's many great things to do in Lauderdale. My favorite is to visit Los Olas. Lots of restaurants, clubs, a park, etc. There's also South Beach that is within driving distance.

 

Here is a link to Los Olas: http://www.lasolasboulevard.com

[KeywestK]

I totally agree with SusieM. Ft. Lauderdale to Key West for just one day is just not a good use of your time. No one loves Key West more than I do, but it deserves more than one day to really appreciate it. The 8 hours you would be spending just driving (down and back) could be better spent closer to Ft. Lauderdale. Here are some ideas of things we've done during our trips to the Ft.Lauderdale area: take an airboat ride on the Everglades, go to Sawgrass Mills, or better yet, drive 15 minutes north and go to the flea markets at Sample Road. Stroll Las Olas Blvd, and take in some good dining, shopping, and galleries. Go to Riverwalk to eat or shop, then take a tour boat ride on the New River and see all the mansions along the intracoastal waterway. Drive down to South Beach (about 35 minutes straight down I-95) and walk along Ocean Drive. You can people watch, and also see the most eclectic assortment of restored art deco buildings in the country. You can walk along Espanola Way, and Lincoln Road. There are galleries, restaurants and shopping galore. Enjoy some night life in SoBe. My favorite club is Mango's Tropical Cafe. A very fun night there, I promise! The list goes on. There is enough to see and do for one day between Ft. Lauderdale and South Beach that there's really no reason to spend the entire day driving to Key West. Save that for another time when you can really enjoy it. Even as a one day port of call, it's not enough time. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to ask.

[cruisingtodive]

A couple great places for lunch in Islamorada would be Lazy Daze, or The Lorelei if it's re-opened (Hurricane Wilma dealt it a blow:( ).

 

We were in Islamorada in September 2006, Lorelei was only partially reopened. It was a limited menu, more bar atmosphere than restaurant. It was new and shiny though. Very disappointing that trip as our other favorite restaurant across the street from Lorelei, "Squid Row" was turning into a Mexican place, and wasn't re-opened yet. :(

[yuccaman]

We did it last summer, leaving Miami around 7am. It was a gorgeous day and

drive, we got there around 11am. We had three teenagers with us, so

we didn't bar hop(flew back last month for that). We parked and walked,

hit the Hemingway House, Southernmost Point and Margaritaville for lunch.

Lots of shopping too. We left around 4:30 or so and got back to our place

in Miami around 7:45.

It was a great day for us. Pennecamp looks like it would be a great choice

too, unfortunately we didn't get to it-ran out of time. Miami also is a great

place to spend the day too. Lot's going on!

 

I've seen the other posts saying 'no', plus the one I've quoted here saying 'yes', and they all have merit. Just remember, that if you do this trip, to be prepared with the right expectations. You'll be doing a Griswold's (Family Vacation movies) quickie, but if this is your only chance for a while, go for it. Just don't cut things close returning to grab your ship, because with one way in and one way out, an accident on the Overseas Highway can double your 4 hour trip. And someone mentioned 'wasting' 8 hours driving back and forth, but the drive and the scenery are quite entertaining. I'd rather drive this round trip 5 times than make the boring trip to Disney on the turnpike even once.