The Drive From Miami to Key West Is 4 Hours. The Day Trip Is Doable. Here's How.
The Miami-to-Key West run is one of the most iconic road trips in the country — roughly 165 miles of Overseas Highway, some 42 bridges, and a whole lot of open ocean on both sides. A day trip is doable, just ambitious. Depending on when you roll out, you'll get about five to seven hours on the island.
The honest take: if you're torn between a day trip and an overnight, go overnight — you won't regret it. But if one day is all you've got, here's how to make it land.
The stops worth making: Alabama Jack's sits on Card Sound Road just before you hit Key Largo — take the Card Sound turnoff instead of the 18-Mile Stretch — for fried conch fritters and cold beer over the mangroves. On the way back, Robert Is Here (around MM 101 up in Florida City) for a tropical fruit smoothie and a slice of key lime pie. Do both if the timing works.
In Key West: Fort Zachary Taylor in the morning, then a Cuban mix and a con leche at the walk-up Cuban Coffee Queen near the Seaport — or, if you want the only-in-Key-West version, grab lunch at B.O.'s Fish Wagon, the wonderfully ramshackle shack at Caroline and William. Then a walk down Duval and the Southernmost Point photo. If you can swing only one booked activity, make it a sunset sail.
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