Florida Keys @ Christmas 2016

Don't know where you are in ENC but we are just South of Wilmington. We usually drive 1 day to Jax where my daughter lives. That's a good 8 hours pulling a trailer. I guess you could drive the rest in one day but we usually stop over just North of Miami, around Lake Worth or Port St Lucie area. That makes the 3rd day an easy drive to the keys and mid day check in. So, the way we do it I would not go for less than 2 weeks total. Even if you drive it in 2 days you will have a short week IMO.

We like Bahia Honda SP, John Pennekamp SP, Boyds in Key west, Jolly Roger in Marathon. Not many pull through sites in the SP. Maybe not a lot anywhere due to space requirements, although I have not really been looking for them either.

Love the Keys. We are going back this month.

You may already have a hard time getting reservations as that is their in season time. Last time we went we took a month so we had time to see things. We are about the same distance as you will be.

x2 on Bahia Honda and Marathon.

I'll give you the standard recommendation for Bluewater Key. We've stayed there twice over Christmas, longest visit was 6 nights I believe. Traveled from DC area. Expensive, but worth the experience.

Stayed two nights enroute. First night in Brunswick, GA, second night near West Palm Bch FL. About 5 hr from there. Have to arrive at BWK before dark.

We used to live in Eastern NC below Morehead City. Never would have done it in just one day, even in our former class B. Definitely two days minimum. Break it in Jacksonville.

State parks are great in the Keys but they completely book 11 months out to the second when reservations open, so Christmas is sold out.

Commercial parks book their full seasonal repeaters first as they depart, then take new seasonals, then the one-month, then go to the shorter stays. So they may not talk to you this early, but persist.

Some thoughts:
We live in the NC mountains and have wintered in the Florida Keys for many years
Our distance is just about the same as yours to get to Key Largo which is the first of the Keys.
We take two days to get there and naturally two to get back.

The Keys are great for only four things:
1. Warm weather in the winter
2. Kayaking or other forms of boating
3. Fishing
4. Drinking and partying

We are hard core kayakers and explorers so we winter there for numbers 1 and 2

If you are expecting beaches like you have along the NC coast or any
others along the Atlantic don't waste your time. Even Bahia Honda which has the best beach in the Keys is a zero compared to those along the east and west coasts of Florida or NC.

Key West (the tourist trap) is good for a once in a life time day trip unless you enjoy NO.4

There are a few places like the "Dolphin Research Center" where you can pay an arm and a leg to get in the water with one, but I have yet to figure out what kind of research they do accept collect money from tourists.

Jack L

Curry Hammock has alot of room in most sites and more room to back into a site.

RGar974417 wrote:
Curry Hammock has alot of room in most sites and more room to back into a site.

But they, like other SP in keys, are booked for Xmas 2016. I have been watching for winter cancellations in SP in keys and also trying to book 2017 as dates come up. Since my dates are flexible, there is a small chance I'll luck out. Wanting a holiday trip, the OP will probably need to find a pricey private park rather than a SP.

You might check out Knight's Key RV Park/Resort. It's at Mile Marker 47 just outside of Marathon. We stayed there 3 years ago and some of the sites to the right of the gate house were fairly generous & out in the open. They have W & E and will pump your rig out when needed. Nice Tiki Bar on site with great view of the sunset.

Parrothead Mike wrote:
You might check out Knight's Key RV Park/Resort. It's at Mile Marker 47 just outside of Marathon. We stayed there 3 years ago and some of the sites to the right of the gate house were fairly generous & out in the open. They have W & E and will pump your rig out when needed. Nice Tiki Bar on site with great view of the sunset.

They are closing to build condo's .