FLKeys suggestions

[kfp673]

Hello All,

We have a spring time trip planned to Disney and are considering adding an additional week somewhere in the keys or possibly gulf coast. I have poked around via Google and found some openings but am curious to hear some campground opinions. We are a family of 5 with kids ranging from 4-13. We have kayaks and a paddle board so those type activities would be ideal, but also a pool and just general fun/relaxation type place. Would love a site on the water but even just having the park itself be on the water would be ideal. It's pretty late so I know there may be availability issues but please suggest places anyway. If we can't do it this year then we may book a year ahead for next year so all suggestions are welcome. Thanks

[wowens79]

We’ve done the keys twice, and really like the middle keys best, Marathon, and Islamorado. We stayed at Curry Hamock State park, and really liked it, but you will have to luck into a cancellation.
Since y’all like to Paddle, the different springs in central Florida are amazing. The Rainbow River, Manatee Springs, Crystal River are all worth seeing.
Our last trip to the springs with 12 and 14 year old, we did 3 days at Disney, and 3 days paddling, and both kids said they wished we,d spent the whole week paddling and skipped Disney.

[agesilaus]

I have to disagree with a couple of things that have been said on this thread. wrote:
I agree, only Key West is New Orleans like. But watching the sunset on the pier there is worth the trip and then leave before the wildlife gets going. The rest of the Keys are perfectly tame.

[enblethen]

We lucked out when we stayed at Bluewater. The owners had just left and left a list of items to be done. Owner was called and gave a really good price. Even though it was more then I normally spend, it was the best deal in Key West and most likely our only trip there.

[learntorv]

enblethen wrote:
We stayed at this great resort.
Bluewater Key

We’ve gone here twice as a family of 4. It’s stupidly expensive but oh so wonderful.

Oh and we did Key West at all hours of the day (same with Las Vegas and other “adult” towns). We treat it as openers for frank discussions. Key West was great from the “be who you are, as long as you’re happy” discussions.

[SpeakEasy]

I have to disagree with a couple of things that have been said on this thread.

First of all - concerning "adult" activities. I do not see it as a problem. The Keys are 100 miles long, and as far as I can tell, only Key West has a reputation as a party town. And even at that, you can avoid the worst of it by seeing it by day. I guess there is a carnival or festival or some such thing there at some point, and you'd want to be sure to avoid Key West at that time with your kids. But to avoid the whole area (The Keys) because of this would be a shame.

Second - concerning prices. I just haven't found it to be true that everything costs more in the Keys. Gas is comparable to most places on the mainland. There are enough chain grocery stores (Winn Dixie, Publix) that most prices are reasonable. Some things, like produce, might be a little high. But most things are not much different than in the mainland.

To me, the main reason to go to the trouble of going to the Keys is to see the reefs. So that's back to the snorkeling - or if you're certified - the scuba diving. You just can't get anything like those reefs on the mainland.

Just my 2Cents.

-Speak

[enblethen]

We stayed at this great resort.
Bluewater Key

[agesilaus]

Oh yes, very important. Take the Florida Turnpike from Orlando all the way to the end. Then drive straight for a mile of so. You will see several gas stations, fill up there. Nothing is cheap in the Keys. You are at the beginning of the highway going down to the keys, US1. Follow that south.
Under no circumstances do you want to drive in Miami traffic, the worst in the state. Thus the turnpike plus it takes you directly to the keys highway.

[kfp673]

Great feedback so far. Thank you all!

[magnusfide]

Some more tips for your trip. From Disney to Marathon you have at least a 5 ½ hour drive south one way. Round trip that’s at least 11 hours lost to driving instead of having fun.

An alternate suggestion would be to seek out places to kayak and have fun with the kids on the way back home. We’ve found state parks to provide the best memories for less money.

In addition to Sarasota there’s a lot of places to take the kids for kayaking, etc. that won’t take you out of the way on long drives plus will give your wallet a break from Disney’s prices too.

On the way back north from Disney you can swing northwest over to Crystal River for swimming and kayaking with the manatees. Kids love that and it makes for great memories. In fact our grandkids loved doing that better than Disney and treasure their photos of swimming with manatees. Keep in mind these are a protected species so it may be pricey. We did it with our grandkids and the memories were worth every penny. Here’s more info
How to Swim with Manatees https://www.visitflorida.com/en-us/things-to-do/outdoors-nature/how-to-swim-with-manatees-in-crystal...
https://swimmingwiththemanatees.com/
https://crystalrivermanatees.com/

Some other places to visit with good activities for kids plus your water activities are the state parks in Georgia. You can RV camp and do your favorite things. It’s a good value for the money.

Crooked River SP at St. Mary’s, GA https://gastateparks.org/CrookedRiver

Stephen C. Foster SP at Fargo, GA https://gastateparks.org/StephenCFoster. Our grandkids loved the swamp tours and had bragging rights with their photos of alligators.

Further north you have Ft. McAllister SP just outside of Savannah. They offer historic re-enactments that kids love plus your water activities. https://gastateparks.org/FortMcAllister

Here is an interactive map of Georgia State Parks https://gastateparks.org/Map. It helps us to find state parks along our routes when traveling.

[Guy_Roan]

kfp673 wrote:
Hello All,

We have a spring time trip planned to Disney and are considering adding an additional week somewhere in the keys or possibly gulf coast. I have poked around via Google and found some openings but am curious to hear some campground opinions. We are a family of 5 with kids ranging from 4-13. We have kayaks and a paddle board so those type activities would be ideal, but also a pool and just general fun/relaxation type place. Would love a site on the water but even just having the park itself be on the water would be ideal. It's pretty late so I know there may be availability issues but please suggest places anyway. If we can't do it this year then we may book a year ahead for next year so all suggestions are welcome. Thanks

T

[agesilaus]

We always stay at Pirates Cove on Marathon Key. They have a small beach, outside the season they aren't extortionate either. The further down the chain of Keys you go the more it will cost you. And you can drive to Key West from Marathon in an hour or so for a daytrip. I believe the season ends in late March but it might be in early April. And there is a short lobster catching period in their too where they may jack up the fees again.

If you go down there you should take one of the many snorkeling/scuba boat trips to the reefs. Not expensive, they will provide all the gear, and they put trained people in the water with you. Yopu will have a much better time in the Keys than you will on the Gulf coast.

[magnusfide]

kfp673 wrote:
Hello All,

We have a spring time trip planned to Disney and are considering adding an additional week somewhere in the keys or possibly gulf coast. I have poked around via Google and found some openings but am curious to hear some campground opinions. We are a family of 5 with kids ranging from 4-13. We have kayaks and a paddle board so those type activities would be ideal, but also a pool and just general fun/relaxation type place. Would love a site on the water but even just having the park itself be on the water would be ideal. It's pretty late so I know there may be availability issues but please suggest places anyway. If we can't do it this year then we may book a year ahead for next year so all suggestions are welcome. Thanks

With young children I would be careful in the Keys. Quite a bit of adult activity happening in some of the cgs if you get my drift.

My suggestions would be on the Gulf Coast head over to Sarasota. TripAdvisor lists kayaking and a number of child friendly activities. Click on this link to see the list.
Sarasota Acitivities on TripAdvisor

Myakka River State Park has a campground and you can kayak on the river there.