| Miami to
Key West | View
a sample itinerary for this location
Ah, Florida and the Florida Keys;
miles of smiles, images of palm trees, sandy beaches, bright
city lights and aqua waters turning to cobalt blue as the
depths increase. Memories of the Calusa and Tequesta Indians,
of Ponce de Leon searching for the Fountain of Youth and
of early white settlers eking out a living. So much to do
and see even without a trip to Disney World!
Our journey will be along the Eastern
seaboard, beginning at St. Augustine and heading south all
the way down to the Dry Tortugas. The trip can be taken one
of two ways, using open water or going down the Intracoastal
Waterway, with its 80 bridges between Fernandina and Coconut
Grove.
St. Augustine is often called the
Nationís Oldest European City, and was founded in 1565 by
Don Pedro Menendez de Aviles. Just to put it into the proper
perspective, this was the year after Michelangelo died, and
a year before Shakespeare was even born. It would be another
50 years until the pilgrims landed on Plymouth Rock.
The heart of this beautiful and ancient
(by American standards) city is its downtown Plaza de la Constitucion,
with most of the historical buildings located within a block
or two to the north and south. The Castillo de San Marcos
on the north end of the bayfront is fascinating and well worth
a visit.
The Spanish constructed the Castillo
de San Marcos between 1672 and 1695. Sir Francis Drake, whose
2000 men sacked and burned the town, attacked St. Augustine
in 1586. Rebuilt, an English pirate named Robert Searles assaulted
and plundered the settlement in 1668. These attacks, along
with increasing threats from English colonization to the north,
prompted Queen Mariana of Spain to authorize a stone fortification
to be built. The Castillo was created entirely of coquina,
a soft local shellrock. Cut from a quarry on nearby Anastasia
Island, the coquina was ideal for the walls of a fort, since
when the cannonballs hit, the walls didnít crumble, they merely
dented. The Castillo was never once taken by force and the
changes in its occupation came about due to military agreements
or treaties.
The Castillo de San Marcos only starts
the history lesson of St. Augustine. After exploring it, there
is the Fort Matanzas, Fort Mose, the Lightner Museum, the oldest
drugstore in America, the fountain of Youth, the...well, you
get the picture. Perhaps the quickest way to get an overview
of St. Augustine and all that it has to offer is to hop on the
Old Town Trolley for a tour. Or, on the other hand, you can
skip it all and head right for the chocolate at Whetstone Chocolates.
Yumm. Few things can top a jaunt through a chocolate factory,
especially when Florida has only one.
Further down the coastline is the
area termed the Gold Coast, extending from Palm Beach to Coconut
Grove. Palm Beach is known the world over for its over 47
miles of white sand beaches, multiple cultural events, high
society charity balls, polo matches and more than 150 golf
courses. Golfers, pack your clubs! Maybe they should have
dubbed this area the Golf Coast rather than the Gold Coast.
Even though Palm Beach doesnít have
the long history that St. Augustine boasts, the two settlements
were both changed forever by one man by the name of Henry
Flagler. A founding partner in the Standard Oil business with
John D. Rockefeller and Samuel Andrews, Flagler first visited
St. Augustine in 1881 on his honeymoon. He liked it so well
that he proceeded to build the Hotel Ponce de Leon. He quickly
realized that the key to developing Florida was a solid transportation
system and subsequently purchased the Jacksonville, St. Augustine
& Halifax Railroads. When he bought them the train only ran
between Jacksonville and St. Augustine. The warmer winters
of Palm Beach enticed him south from St. Augustine so he proceeded
to build his personal residence, the Royal Palm Hotel, the
Breakers and Whitehall. To service his newly built hotels
he had to extend his railroad to Palm Beach, which was to
be the terminus of his railroad, now called the Florida East
Coast Railroad or FEC.
Palm Beach is known far and wide as
an enclave of the wealthy. The high society functions take place
at a dizzying pace during the winter ěseasonî. Clematis Street
with its many shops and al fresco dining choices positively
jumps with activity, as does the new "City Place"
which is modeled after Coconut Groveís popular CocoWalk. Excellent
people watching in both places!
If you have decided to spend a day
or so in the Palm Beach area while on charter there is more
than enough to keep everyone busy. A fun, offbeat excursion
is a trip to Lion Country Safari. You will need to rent a
car to go there and you need to make sure it is not a convertible.
Hard-topped vehicles only are allowed
in as you will be driving through the 500 acre park where
the animals roam free and you stay penned up safely in your
car. Up close and personal with a rhino as it lumbers past
the car with six inches to spare will make you wonder why
you have the telephoto lens on your camera!
Ft. Lauderdale is often referred to
as the "Venice of North America", only unlike the
real Venice it is not in danger of sinking into the sea, thank
heavens. Her many large marinas and very active marine community
make it a favorite stopping place for yachts of all sizes. The
history fanatic is going to have a rather tough time of it in
Ft. Lauderdale, as it was pretty inhospitable until recent times,
and home only to a few Indians and later on to some rather hardy
settlers. This all changed when Henry Flagler brought his railroad
through in 1896.
Prior to that, the Bay Stage Line,
started in 1893, was the only means of mass transportation,
and it only went from Palm Beach to Lemon City, now part of
Miami. The Bay Stage Line made an overnight stop in Ft. Lauderdale
on its way between the two towns. A gentleman by the name
of Frank Stranahan, known as the first permanent white settler
of Ft. Lauderdale, was hired to run both the overnight camp
for the stage and the New River Ferry. His residence, the
Stranahan House, is still standing and is a delightful museum.
What Ft. Lauderdale lacks in history,
it makes up for in the sheer number of things to do, whether
it is shopping, cultural events or the many restaurants that
line trendy Las Olas Boulevard. If the whole family is on board
with you and they need a day "out", the Museum of
Discovery and Science and the 3D IMAX Theater are a sure bet
for fun. In the same area, you can stroll along the river and
end up at River Walk, an open-air mall complete with movie theaters,
shops and restaurants.
Hundreds of years before white settlers
arrived the Tequesta Indians lived in an area near the mouth
of the Miami River. In more recent history, 1999 to be exact,
the same area was being excavated for an exclusive condominium
complex when an Ancient Tequesta settlement was discovered.
Now called the Miami Circle, it is a circle cut into native
bedrock with a series of holes sunk into it. Samples of charcoal
and bone recovered from the site indicate the location was
occupied as long ago as 125AD!
In 1566, Pedro Menendez de Aviles,
his men and Brother Francisco Villareal, visited the Tequesta
Indians of the Miami area. One year earlier they had established
St. Augustine. Their intention was to establish a Jesuit mission,
but it was abandoned after a few years. The first permanent
white settlers arrived around 1800 and settled in Coconut
Grove and Lemon City, now known as little Haiti. By 1877 a
young Staten Islander, Ralph Monroe, came to South Florida
for a sailing vacation, returning in 1881 to settle permanently
with his wife. Their home, the Barnacle, built in 1891, still
stands, and until 1973, when it was purchased by the State,
continued to be home to successive generations of Monroes.
The 1890's emerged as a time of powerful
people with strong visions moving to create Miami into the city
it is today. The Brickell's, who owned much of the south side
of the Miami River, and Julia Tuttle, who owned much of the
north side of the river finally enticed Henry Flagler to extend
his railroad south to Miami. Nature helped out by producing
two terrible freezes in the winter of 1894/95, killing citrus
trees and ruining winter vegetables throughout Florida. In a
marketing move that would be considered a stroke of genius even
today, the Brickells and Ms. Tuttle packed orange blossoms in
damp moss and sent them to Flagler, up in Palm Beach. The ploy
worked and the FEC railroad reached Miami by April of 1896.
There are plenty of historic places
to visit in the area, George Merrick's home and the Venetian
Pool in Coral Gables, the Barnacle and Villa Vizcaya in Coconut
Grove; the list goes on and on. Cultural venues abound with
numerous theaters of every size and plenty of attractions to
visit such as: Metro Zoo, Fairchild Tropical Gardens, the Miami
Seaquarium and Parrot Jungle, just to name just a few.
The fabulous Florida Keys shimmer for 126 miles like a string
of sparkling opals dropped by a careless giant's hand. Visiting
the islands themselves is best done on a small vessel that can
navigate in the shallow waters that surround the Keys. However,
the great lure of the Keys is what lies below her waters, some
of the best fishing and diving in the world. The entire coastal
area has been declared a national marine sanctuary, guaranteeing
that the clear waters and bright tropical fish remain pristine
for you and generations to come. If fishing is what you desire,
take your pick. Do you prefer fly fishing on the flats or deep
sea fishing? The choice is yours!
Like the song says "Changes in
Latitudes, Changes in Attitudes", which is the perfect
way to describe the craziness that has been, is, and will always
be; Key West. Famous people have made their homes there, including
Ernest Hemingway, John J. Audubon, Robert Frost, Tennessee William
and songwriter Jimmy Buffet. From the early days of salvaging
shipwrecks, the citizens have survived hurricanes, waves of
immigrants and spring breakers with equal aplomb and have a
well-deserved reputation of tolerating even the most bizarre
characters. Key West. You just have to absorb it to appreciate
it. Wander down Duval Street, have a frosty beer in Sloppy Joes,
take in the sunset rituals at Mallory Square or visit one of
the many museums. Do it all, but do it with a laid-back attitude,
and you will be in Key West style.
It is now time to pry yourself away
from Key West and head south about seventy miles to the seven
beautiful islands that comprise the Dry Tortugas. Ponce de
Leon discovered the islands in 1513 and named them for the
abundance of sea turtles found in the area. Hunted until close
to extinction, the turtles are now protected and several species
can be seen in the area.
The most notable feature of the islands
is Fort Jefferson, America's largest coastal fort, located on
Garden Key. Following the War of 1812, a group of forts from
Maine to Texas was envisioned to provide defense against foreign
invasions. Originally constructed to protect the Gulf of Mexico
shipping lines and the commerce to and from the Mississippi
River, Fort Jefferson was used as a military prison during the
Civil War. Its most infamous prisoner was Dr. Samuel Mudd, convicted
of complicity in the assassination of President Lincoln.
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