This year for our Mother-Daughter weekend, we decided to head for warmer weather, Key West, Florida. We met in Richmond for a quick flight to Miami, FL where we rented a convertible so we could truly experience Key West by enjoying 166 miles, 42 bridges and tons of smaller Keys between the airport and our hotel.
After a few random pit stops along the way, we ended out at our hotel in time for dinner. We weren't ready to tackle Duval Street so we found a great little place, Hurricane Hole Restaurant, by the water and walking distances from our hotel.
The next morning, we were up bright and early to hope on the Old Town Trolley that would take us all around Key West. It was great! The driver was so funny and we even learned things about that little island.
We rode for a while and got off so we would take the tour at the Ernest Hemingway House. What an interesting life that guy lived. It was full of romance, drama and lots and lots of travel. I think we both really enjoyed the tour and the property.
When we finished at the house, we went walking down towards Duval Street. We walked for a while and explored different shops and enjoyed a little people watching.
We ended up finding the Turtle Kraals Restaurant where we stopped for lunch, on the water, of course.
After lunch, we did some more walking and found the Key Lime Pie Company. We won't pass up key lime pie in Key West, it is what they are known for! I loved it but it was a little too sweet for mom.
We were able to make it to our next stop, the Truman Little White House, just in time to catch the last guided tour of the day. I really enjoy this house. It is all really fascinating. It is pretty amazing that President Truman was able to relocate for periods of time to Key West. Who won't love working in Key West in the winter!
You can't go down to Key West without stopping at the beach, the Southern Most Point and Mile 0 on Route 66 so of course, we had to join all the rest of the tourists for out pictures too!
Before our final stop of the night, we stopped for our traditional dinner of cheese and bread with wine at Vino's on Duval. We sat for awhile and watched the night life to roll in.
Our final stop of the night was at Mallory Square to watch the sunset and all the people. It was a beautiful sunset and a neat experience with all the extra entertainment all over Mallory Square.
For our last day, we still had lots to cover, so we were the first people at the entrance of Fort East Martello Museum. We learned so much about the role Key West played in the Civil War and this building was used many other times through out its history.
When we were done at the fort, we started our drive back up to South Beach. We ran into lots of traffic so we made a lunch stop at Green Turtle Inn.
We had plenty of time to explore South Beach once we got in and settle. There was a huge Pride Event right in the heart of South Beach so there was a lot going on. It was a great atmosphere.
After a walk on the beach, we settled in to Wet Willy's to grab a few drinks and enjoy the view and the people watching.
It felt like such a quick trip and we had so much fun! I can't wait to see where we head next year.
