Where is overseas highway

NOTE : You must drive slowly through the refuge and you are not to handfeed the deer, which can be seen best at dawn and dusk alongside the road's edges.

I have seen one such heron walking down that city's main drag, Duval Street, looking for a handout, perhaps. These birds are North America's largest wading bird and are found only in the Florida Keys and the South Florida mainland. You can take a kayak or shallow draft fishing boats out into this part of the refuge, if you have the time. Late in , a resort owner named Richter Perky erected the tower to house bats which he hoped would eat the mosquitoes that bothered his guests.

The plan failed, but the tower is now listed on the National Register of Historic Places! This capital of craziness, as some visitors see it, is the final stop on the Overseas Highway--you can't go any farther. It's continental America's southernmost city only Hawaii is farther down on the map , and is a bewitching melange of 19th-century architecture, 20th-century attractions and timeless charm.

The Conch Republic based here that's pronounced "konk," by the way, and the natives of Key West are called conchs. It's named for the sea mollusk, and boasts more writers per capita than any other city in the country more than published authors reside, full- or part-time, in Key West, with a population of about 25, year-round residents.

The best known authors are dead, including Hemingway, Tennessee Williams and Robert Frost, while the living including 11 Pulitzer Prize winners don't want to be mentioned as they cherish their privacy. Key West is also noted for its artistic community, with plenty of galleries to exhibit the resulting artwork, and its lively gay and lesbian communities, many members of which fly the rainbow flag over their homes or shops. Everyone goes to Mallory Square each evening to view the sunset, watching musicians, jugglers, mimes and other performers and applauding the sunset.

I suggest a sunset cruise on at least one evening you are in town. It's a ten-day celebration including a parade, sea battles between tall ships and a drag race featuring wait for it drag queens. Then there's a ten-day Hemingway Festival tel. There's even a 5K run Ernest wouldn't go for the latter, I'm sure. Biggest of all events is the Fantasy Fest on the last Saturday in October with a big parade , preceded by another ten days of masking and costuming, with balls, a march through Old Town, a street fair, a Goombay celebration, a pet masquerade and other activities.

The city is known for its excellent dining at all price levels, for its several repertory theaters open during the winter season , and even a symphony orchestra. The weather is fine, nearly all the time, with an average daytime low of 73 degrees and average daytime high of Just before entering Key West, you reach Stock Island, itself part of the city, and at MM 5 you'll find the Sheriff's Animal Farm bayside, strictly for little children. It's on the grounds of the Monroe County jail also known as the Detention Center , and features horses, ponies, cows, ducks, geese, pigs and other animals.

It's open only on Sunday afternoons from 1 to 4. The rest of the time, the prisoners are taking care of the animals, which produce part of their food. Restoration took years. In the process, workers converted the rails to highways. The construction of the highway began in late s and it was an incredible engineering feat, with miles of roadway and 42 overseas bridges, leapfrogging form key to key in a series of giant arches of concrete and steel.

It was completed in and in , 37 bridges were replaced with wider, heavier spans, including the well-known Seven Mile Bridge at Marathon. Its foundation utilizes some of the original spans as well as the coral bedrock of individual keys and specially constructed columns.

Many take this highway-bridge combo to cross between mainland Florida and vacation hotspot the Florida Keys, experiencing the feeling of driving across the ocean for miles and miles. Driving across here during sunset is highly recommended. This low intensity drive allows for the driver to settle into the car and drink in the views as they pass from island to island over the sea.

Driving the Overseas Highway can be scary for those who suffer from anxiety driving a long time on bridges over the sea. At the same time, a few years ago, the road was pretty dangerous because it was very narrow and had maintenance issues. Today the road is generally safe although there are still many areas with poor road maintenance. The road is km miles long and runs from Key Largo to Key West through 42 bridges.

Allowing for traffic, it takes around two hours to drive it one-way. The most famous part of the highway is the iconic Seven Mile Bridge. What is great about the Dolphin Research Center is that conservation and education is at the heart of everything they do.

The famous Seven Mile Bridge starts at the edge of Marathon, too. This is the largest segmental bridge in the world and separates the middle and lower keys. Take in the sights while driving over this long stretch, they are truly incredible. One important lesson to keep in mind: Don't start your trip hungry. Between the long stretches of oversea highway and slow-moving traffic, it can be a long distance between one stop to the next.

The conch fritters at Alabama Jack's in Key Largo are a must. The no-frills seafood is served at their roadside location. Who can resist a cool slice of Key Lime Pie? Try a slice at Mrs. Mac's Kitchen, also located in Key Largo. Time your trip down or back during breakfast or lunchtime for a stop at the fifties-era diner in Marathon, the Wooden Spoon, where you'll find friendly service and excellent eats.

And who knows, you may just end up staying there longer than you think. The resort also offers on-site fishing, swimming, and diving tours as well. The islands of Marathon appeal to multigenerational families and recreational boaters.

Marathon's bustling community boasts charter fishing, cozy inns, luxury resorts, waterside vacation homes, RV parks, marinas and other modern conveniences including both a newly constructed hospital and high-tech library, plenty of dining, and environmental attractions like the unique Turtle Hospital. Driving across the 6. Today, drivers see many of the old bridges stretching alongside their modern counterparts. Some have become popular sportfishing piers. Chief among the original bridges is the Old Seven Mile Bridge, a weathered expanse of majestic arches and cracked roadway that parallels the new bridge — though its center span has been removed to allow boat traffic.

Once a vital link between islands, it's being renovated to become a walking trail leading to Pigeon Key, a pocket-sized island with a restored railroad camp and museum showcasing Flagler's achievement. In fact, the majority of its inhabitants have four legs, fins or feathers. This least "people-populated" section of the Florida Keys island chain is a realm of small communities, ecotourism and wildlife refuges created to protect species including the miniature Key deer.

Stretching from the west end of the Seven Mile Bridge at Sunshine Key, mile marker 40, to Stock Island at mile marker 5, the Lower Keys are home to two national wildlife refuges, part of a national marine sanctuary and a state park. The region's focus on the environment has earned it the title of the Natural Keys, and no visit would be complete without encountering some of its native wildlife.

Overseas Experience Trail: Key West.