There is no drive in America quite like US-1 through the Keys. For 113 miles the highway hops from island to island on 42 bridges, the Gulf of Mexico shimmering on one side and the Atlantic on the other. Give it three days, not one — the Keys reward the traveller who slows to island time.
Key Largo to Islamorada
Begin at Mile Marker 106 in Key Largo, the self-styled dive capital, where John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park protects America's first undersea park. Snorkel the shallow reef or take the glass-bottom boat if you would rather stay dry. Continue to Islamorada, the sport-fishing heart of the chain, and stop at Robbie's to feed the tarpon off the dock — a chaotic, joyful rite of passage.
The Seven Mile Bridge
The centrepiece is the Seven Mile Bridge near Marathon, a low ribbon of concrete that seems to float on the sea. Pull off at the old bridge for a walk over the water, then visit the Turtle Hospital to meet rescued loggerheads. Bahia Honda State Park, just beyond, has the finest beach in the Keys — pale sand framed by the ruined railway trestle.
Key West at the end of the road
Arrive in Key West by late afternoon and join the nightly circus at Mallory Square for the sunset celebration. Walk Duval Street, tour the Hemingway Home and its six-toed cats, and touch the buoy marking the southernmost point, just 90 miles from Cuba. Sleep in a conch-house guesthouse in Old Town and let the island's rum-soaked calm do the rest.
