| DIRECTIONS |
Flying into Miami, as you exit the airport, take 836 West to the Florida Turnpike. If you fly into Fort Lauderdale, get on 595 West to the turnpike as well. The Turnpike ends in Florida City where it merges into US 1. There are $4.00 in tolls on the toll road. Have $1.00 bills - it makes it easier. The toll road ends in Florida City. From there you merge onto US 1. Once the turnpike and US 1 merge, you'll come to a stoplight where you can turn right to go to "Robert is Here" (see the attractions page for what this is). Or go straight to the Keys. If you go straight to the keys, once you pass the last gas station on the left, you'll go past the "Last Chance Saloon" on the right. From here take the very next left. This is Card Sound Road. If you stay on US 1 (rather than turning onto Card Sound Road) you will be on the infamous 18 mile stretch. Next stop Key Largo. The speed limit is 55 on the 18 mile stretch. People drive between 55 - 65 MPH. There are three passing lanes where everyone goes 150 MPH so no one passes anyone. Card Sound Road meets up with US 1 in Key Largo. If you took the Card Sound Road rather than the 18 mile stretch, after a bit you'll come to a wide spot in the road where a nice little rest stop called Alabama Jacks is located. Stop in have a refreshment. Try the crab cakes or anything else that catches your eye. Alabama Jacks opens at 11:00 AM daily and closes at 7:00 PM (or when the mosquitoes get bad). When leaving Alabama Jacks, go through the toll booth (it'll cost you another $1.00) Follow the road up over a huge bridge, until the road comes to a "T". Turn Right. After about 5 miles or so Card Sound Road will meet up with US 1 in Key Largo. US 1 has some of the most scenic views of the turquoise waters of the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico. ANYWHERE ! The beauty of the road really starts after Key Largo. Driving US 1 is easy if you follow the speed limit. The Monroe County Sheriff Department does not look kindly at DWI, nor do they like speeders. (see above black bold sentence). Going through Key Largo will take about 15 minutes. It's like any other large city that you drive through anywhere in Florida. At this point in time you are probably thinking that everyone who has said the drive is so beautiful is full of CRAP. Just wait it gets much better. Past Key Largo is where the beauty begins. It's about a 25 minute drive to Islamorada. In Islamorada, you will begin to see the beautiful blue waters of the Atlantic Ocean. You will be traveling over bridges, and on roads through narrow strips of land between water that will make the previous hour of your trip melt from your mind. It takes about 20 minutes to drive through Islamorada. See the info on the Islamorada page about places to see and places to eat. From here you've got about a 30 minute drive to Key Colony Beach. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ To get to our home go past mile marker 54 to the traffic light at Sadowski Causeway. Sadowski Causeway is the second stoplight AFTER you leave Islamorada. Turn left on Sadowski Causeway, go over the small bridge and our house is the fifth on the left we are house numbers #39 & #40. The speed limit in Key Colony Beach is 25 MPH. Don't test the cops. They mean it. |
| Be safe and drive smart - you're only 90 minutes away, this is no time to get killed |