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John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park

11/15/2012

While visiting The Keys, we took a day trip to John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park in Key Largo. Although you could stay there longer as they offer both RV and tent camping.

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The park is named for the late John D. Pennekamp, a Miami newspaper editor, whose efforts contributed to the establishments of Everglades National Park and the preservation of what would become John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park.

We started our day with a visit to the Visitor’s Center to get the lay of the land. My husband was impressed with the Visitor’s Center which is a pretty hard thing to do. He spent his career as the manager of Huntley Meadows Park in Alexandria, Virginia so he knows a thing our two about visitor’s centers and exhibits.

We were surprised by the really nice and informative aquarium area.

Then we headed out for a hike on of the the trails. We didn’t see much wildlife (birds) while we were walking but we did see mangroves, plants, and lots of cool trees. I just love this tree bark.

Isn’t it cool?!

We worked up an appetite so we stopped to have our picnic lunch. They do have concession stands if you didn’t bring your own. They have areas with area with picnic tables and Pavilions.

While we were eating, the Ibis came over wanting hand-outs. And Gary fed them! Shhh…don’t tell anyone

Look at that face – does he look guilty?

This is probably when I scolded him for feeding the wildlife.

Apparently, a lot of people have despite the signs not to because they were so bold – even hopping on the table and walking over to check out our cooler

Now that our bellies were full (and we weren’t attacked by the Ibis), we walked around the rest of the park.

We went to the beach. It was a little too cold for swimming but we have our photos on the beach.

They have cannons on the beach. Why? I do not know.

We saw you could go on a glass bottom boat tours ($24 for adults and $17 for kids 4-11). They have three times (9:15 a.m., 12:15 p.m. and 3:15 p.m.) for this 2 1/2 tour. We missed the 12:15 p.m. and probably wouldn’t be there by the 3:15 p.m. … so next time

John Pennykamp offers a variety of activities:
Boating ~ You can rent paddle boards, canoes and kayaks.
Hiking ~ There are some nature walks along the Mangrove, Wild Tamarind and Grove trails. It has Canoe, motorboat and Kayak rentals also available. The trails were short but well maintained.
Scuba Diving ~ Explore the living coral reefs with their PADI 5-Star facility which offers two-location, two-tank dives twice daily, at 9:00am and 1:30pm. Equipment rental available.

Snorkeling ~ Pennekamp was one of the first undersea parks in the United States. You can snorkel off the beach in three different swimming areas. One area is called Cannon Beach and when the water is clear, you are able to see actual remnants of an early Spanish Shipwreck. Equipment rental available.

If snorkeling is not your thing, but you still would like to see the coral reef, you are in luck. John Pennekamp also has Glass Bottom Boat Tours available.
Swimming ~ Three areas are designated for swimming, including Canon Beach, which features remnants of an early Spanish shipwreck 100 feet offshore.
Here is a link to John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park, so you can check out all that they offer and find out their prices and time.

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Florida Keys Aquarium Encounters in Marathon

11/12/2012

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Dive into an up-close experience with rays, fish, and sharks at Aquarium Encounters, in Marathon, Florida.

**This post may contain affiliate links. I receive a small amount of compensation when you purchase from my links which help to keep this blog running.**

Last night when we were planning what to do, we knew it was supposed to rain so we looked for things to do inside. I checked things to do in Marathon and Aquarium Encounters came up.

Everything is under HUGE Cabana buildings. We stayed totally dry.

It offers a lot of different sea creatures to see and touch. A few areas offered the opportunity to touch sting rays, starfish, shrimp, conch, etc. You can also see sharks, turtles, grouper, tarpon, manta rays, etc.

Although, it was a beautiful place, well maintained and clean, but I must say that we were a bit disappointed. It’s a smaller aquarium and some of the exhibits were empty. Perhaps it’s because it is fairly new establishment.

Also, it’s a bit pricey, even with the Florida discount, for such a small property. The encounters are astronomical.

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Crane Point Museum and Nature Center

11/12/2012

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Crane Point’s 63-acre property provides visitors with numerous trails, hardwood hammock, and dramatic exhibits featuring artifacts and objects of cultural interest.

**This post may contain affiliate links. I receive a small amount of compensation when you purchase from my links which help to keep this blog running.**

It’s raining today so we thought we would do something indoors. Our first stop was Aquarium Encounters. Then we went to Burdines Waterfront Restaurant for lunch.

By the afternoon, it had stopped raining, so we went to the Crane Point Museum and Nature Center in Marathon. Crane Point, the best preserved tropical hardwood hammock in the middle keys, offers several miles of self-guided trails where visitors can learn about some of the 160 species of native plants in the hammock from interpretive signage.

We noticed that they closed at 5 p.m. Since it was already 2:30 p.m., we asked how long it usually took to “do” the museum. The man told us “that depends, you could be here all day but the minimum to do the trail and museum is 45 minutes to 1 hour depending on how fast you walk.” Perfect, we have enough time.

We decided to do the trails first and then the museum. Once we stepped beneath the thick canopy, hardwoods and thatch palms border the narrow leaf-carpeted trails that traversed the hammock.

As we are walking, lizards and geckos cross in front of us. Gary warns me to be aware of snakes. Snakes! Eeek! Just kidding! I’m used to it by now. We have a black snake in our neighborhood that always crosses in front of me while I’m on my walks.

Hardwood hammock gradually changed to thatch palm hammock, which in turn led to mangrove forest, tidal lagoons, and ponds.

Adderley House

George and Olivia Adderley came to Florida from the Bahamas in the 1890’s. They purchased the 32 acres and constructed a classic Bahamian home of Tabby, a concrete like material made of burned conch and other shells. The Adderley’s lived on the site from 1902 until 1949. They sold turtles they caught, sponges they harvested, and charcoal they made from abundant buttonwood. For food they grew root vegetables, pigeon peas, and fruit trees.

Their home, which George built, is made of Tabby construction, a concrete-like material made of burned conch and other shells. The Adderley House is a classic Bahamian-style and is the oldest house in the Keys outside Key West.

In later years the Adderley’s sold a right of way to the Overseas Railway, and Vaca Station was created. After living off the land for almost 50 years, George Adderley sold his property to Francis and Mary Crane following his wife’s death.

The Cranes built a modern house at water’s edge on the property’s most remote point. As conservationists and horticulturists, they worked tirelessly to preserve the hammock until they sold it in 1970. Before long the site was threatened by the developer’s bulldozer; a complex of private homes and a shopping mall were proposed for the 63 acres. Thankfully, the Florida Keys Land Trust stepped in to rescue the site.

Crane Point Museum is open Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday from noon to 5 p.m. Admission is $14.95; Seniors (65+) is $12.95; Children (5-13) is $9.95 and children 4 and under are free.

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A Day in Key West

11/11/2012

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We’re staying in Islamorada, but it wouldn’t be a trip to the Keys without visiting Key West. So we made the hour and 45 minute trek down.

**This post may contain affiliate links. I receive a small amount of compensation when you purchase from my links which help to keep this blog running.**

It’s mid-November which is supposed to be off season, but there are people everywhere. Key West is much busier than the previous two times I’ve visited. Perhaps because of the cruise ships that visit the port with 2,000-4,000 descending to the streets daily.

Granted we didn’t get there until almost noon, but traffic was horrendous and finding a parking space on the street was virtually impossible. So we opted for a parking lot, paying almost $20.

Where to Eat Lunch

The Six Toed Cat Restaurant was recommended to us and received good reviews online, so we gave it a try! I got the Lobster BLT … without the bread because it wasn’t gluten free

I didn’t really need the bread anyway because the sandwich was HUGE! We could have totally split one sandwich.
Gary loves omelettes so he ordered the POPEYE with Spinach, onions, tomatoes and feta cheese.

After our bellies were full, we set out in the blistering heat to walk around and explore Key West. Our first stop was the Ernest Hemingway House because it is right next door.

The Hemingway Home is on pretty much everyone’s “to-see” list when they go to Key West, so I doubt that I have to convince you, but just in case: It’s well worth the trip! Admission is USD$13 (cash only) and that gives you the options of guided or self-guided tours. There’s no time limit (outside of their operating hours, of course).

This is the house Ernest Hemingway lived (and worked) in for over ten years, and in which he wrote To Have and Have Not.

Apart from Hemingway himself, the home’s other claim to fame are the cats. “Hemingway Cats” (proper name: polydactyl cats), are noted for having six-toed paws.

I love cats so they are absolutely the stars for me! They have the run of the house and the grounds. I love how they are just so at-home wherever they are.

They even have a cat cemetery with plaques of cats who have gone over the rainbow bridge.

After our fill of six-toed cats, we headed toward Duval Street and Malory Square taking in the sites and architecture along the way.

Once we got to Duval, we peeked in Sloppy Joes…way too crowded. You couldn’t even get in. So we continued to stroll.

Next stop Hog’s Breath. On one of Gary’s previous trips to Key West he got a Hog’s Breath t-shirt and it has pretty much seen it day. To say it is well worn would be an understatement. It was crowded as well, but at least we could get in. Gary got to replace his t-shirt with a couple and I bought a t-shirt too

Southernmost Point
Before heading back up to Islamorada, we had to go to the obligatory destination in Key West, the Southernmost Point in the continental U.S. You wouldn’t believe how long the line was to take a photo…yeah… We just hung back in the shade and snapped our photo.

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Bahia Honda State Park

11/10/2012

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Today, we’re exploring the infamous Bahia Honda State Park at mile marker 37 of US1/Overseas Highwayay. Sitting between the confluence of the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico is this 524-acre beach park with some of the finest stretches of sand in the Florida Keys.

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The park is open daily from 8:00 a.m. until sunset. We arrived at Bahia Honda around 10:00 a.m. (we are on vacation after all and we don’t do mornings all that well) and paid the $8 per vehicle fee plus the 50 cents per person fee.

Bahia Honda contains three separate beaches, Caloosa Beach, Loggerhead Beach, and Sandspur. Each one is completely different from the others.

We parked near to Caloosa Beach, tucked into a gentle cove at the foot of the old Overseas Railway trestle at the southern end of the park. This is probably the most popular place to park because there are restrooms, a snack bar and ample parking all located adjacent to the crescent.

After parking, we walked to the beach off of the Butterfly Garden Trail. This beach was stunning with views of the Old Bahia Honda Bridge.

Then we walked the Butterfly Garden Trail to get a closer look at the Old Bahia Honda Bridge. A portion of the old bridge has been maintained as an elevated walkway that offers spectacular views of the beach and inlet.

Then we got back in the car and drove to Loggerhead Beach which is located in the center of the park. A submerged sandbar emerges at low tide.

Sandspur Beach is located at the northern end of the park. Sandspur has pure white sand which reminds me of the powdered sugar sand of Siesta Key.

This beach had a lot of sea oats and grasses atop low dunes. I’ve heard that this is supposed to be the favorite beach of a lot of people. But when we visited, there was lots of seaweed in the water and on the beach so I thought it was a little less pretty than the other two.

For more information and to plan your visit to Bahia Honda State Park check our their website

Stay tuned for our adventure in Key West tomorrow!

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John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park

Florida Keys Aquarium Encounters in Marathon

Crane Point Museum and Nature Center

A Day in Key West

Bahia Honda State Park

Linda Roisum

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