south florida. What to do on the way down..... Im driving from orlando to key west. As i have kids i will be?

Question

stopping off on the way down there. Maybe overnight. What is a good stop off point. What is good to see on the way down. Miami? Fort Lauderdale? Any good beaches? I saw a gator farm near a prison. Where is that? Any tips would be good. The trip will be in feb next year after the 15th

Answer 1

Ft. Lauderdale or Miami are good stops, especially with kids

Miami Zoo is very special and huge; it's worth renting a 4-seat-bike

There's a lion safari near Ft. Lauderdale where you drive through with your car.

There are a couple of big malls.

... and more

Answer 2

If you want to stop off a little better than half way, there are fairly affordable hotels in the Homestead area, as long as there are no NASCAR races. Beaches before the keys- I would recommend Hollywood beach, much more laid back and affordable than South Beach- although if the kids are in their late teens they might prefer South Beach. Jungle Island is way overpriced, Monkey Jungle on 216 St. is kind of cool, Metrozoo is great, especially in Feb when it should be cool out- make sure you get to the tigers at 11 am for the feeding- its awesome, there is also a Railroad Museum in front of Metrozoo. Everglades park entrance in Homestead has nice boardwalk trail. On the way to Key West, I would stop for lunch at the Islamorada Fish Co. (at outdoor world, around mile marker 87- good food, outdoors on the bay, with a shark feeding thing in the middle, afternoons on weekends they have live music as well. Once you get to key west, there is a Pirate Museum, Fort Zachary Tailor state park, the beach, Sunset at Mallory Square- but keep an eye on the little ones 'cause it gets really crowded. You can rent bikes and use the bike path, or walk almost anywhere. Schooner Wharf is nice for outdoor dining right on the marina, live music most nights, very casual. If you've got the budget for it, you can go by boat to the other fort- crud, I can't remember the name.

Answer 3

It's only a 7 hour trip. Easily do-able in a day with time left over. (two weeks ago, I went from Port Saint Lucie to Islamorada, it was just under 4 hours.) As a kid, my family drove from Houston to Orlando in two days - several times. The first time I was only 4. Kids can handle long trips.

Personally, I would push through and only stop for meals and restroom breaks. There are plenty of those available en route. Tell your children the sooner you get there, the sooner they can have fun and make sure they bring books, games, etc. for the trip. You'll take the turnpike past Homestead, and then A-1 the rest of the way. Also, your halfway point is Palm Beach or Broward Counties. There are some very nice, and very expensive places there. There are also some very dangerous places there. If you don't know where to stay, you could get a great deal for the wrong reason.

Answer 4

Some places my kids love are Metro Zoo in Cutler Bay, Parrot Jungle Island which is near Miami Beach, or Everglades National Park....that's where they have plenty of airboat rides and gators. (And it's pretty close to the prison...but they only get out for work release...LOL..) That is in Homestead. The gator thing is actually pretty exciting for the little ones.
Have a great time!

Answer 5

It's 5 hrs to Miami & another 4 or so to KW. So you may want to stay overnite in Miami. 2 main kid attractions come to mind for under 15's: Jungle Island (fka Parrot Jungle) downtown or the Metro-Zoo in Soth Dade. If you want a beach, South Beach is good but very, very expensive in Feb. & not kid friendly. A better bet, esp. with kids, would be Hollywood Beach with its Broadwalk.

Answer 6

South Florida is full of garbage. It is nothing like it use to be when I was a kid in the 50's and 60's. Crime is terrible, its all over crowded, the beaches are all polluted and eroding away. Your best bet would be to drive straight through. Leave Orlando early in the morning like 4-5 am and keep on driving. You can make it to the keys by dark and stay in the upper keys overnight. Head to Key West the next day.