Options abound in terms of getting to the sun-drenched Florida Keys.

Let's explore some of them:

• Driving...continues below
• Flying
• Public Transport
• Cruise Ship

Driving

When you are driving from anywhere in the United States, which you have to do in order to drive to the Florida Keys, direct your vehicle to the Florida peninsula.

If you scan your atlas or map or find an on-line map of the Florida Peninusula, you will see that Florida stretches a long, long way from the Georgia and Alabama borders in the north to the string of pearls known as the Florida Keys in the south. In fact, from the Georgia / Florida border on I95, you will need to drive 434 miles (699 km) to get to the beginning of the Florida Keys.

Photo: A scene from one our drives south to the Florida Keys. Leaving all that "white crap" behind is ample justification to head south, as far as I'm concerned.



Likely you'll be driving towards Florida on the I-10 from Alabama. Once you cross the Florida border heading east, you are about 300 miles from the intersection of I-10 and I-75. You will take I-75 south from I-10.

If heading west from the northeast U.S., get to I-75, and head south.

When you reach Wildwood Florida, I-75 splits off to the southwest and heads down for Tampa on Florida's Gulf Coast. At this same juncture you can take the Florida Turnpike south and easterly, heading down to Orlando and then on down to Miami.

First, let's explore your options if you decide for the I-75-to-Tampa route rather than taking the Turnpike down past Orlando to Miami.

Once you reach the Tampa area on Florida's west coast, I-75 heads directly south, down past Fort Myers. Around Naples Florida I-75 turns and heads almost directly east to Miami on the Atlantic coast.

From Naples to Miami this section of I-75, also known as Alligator Alley, is a toll highway.

We always exit from I-75 at the Naples area when we drive down that way, and head west right almost to the Gulf beaches where we pick up highway 41 southbound. This is the old Tamiami Trail.

Here's more information on the beautiful Tamiami Trail.

If you wish to avoid driving into and through Miami, before you get into Miami proper, both I-75 and the Tamiami Trail (#41) cross highway #27 as shown on the map left. If you head south on highway #27, it will take you right onto the Florida Keys.

If you take the faster, but less interesting from our perspective, drive across I-75 from Tampa, and then opt to head south on #27, note that the road splits as shown in the photo, and as you head south you want to bear right onto SW 177, and then on down into the Keys.

Highway #27 (and SW 177) meander down through some industrial, but mostly agricultural areas, before reaching the Keys.

It's in this area where I stock up on fresh, field ripened tomatoes as we head south. That's field ripened, not those picked green and shipped thousands of miles to a store in the north type tomatoes. One of the highlights of my arrival in the Keys is my first toasted tomato sandwich, made with fresh tomatoes...in January! A little thing, but man, those tomatoes do taste good!



Here's more information in case you are driving into Florida from the north.