The scenic 113-mile Overseas Highway between Miami, Fla., and Key West ranks among America’s most delightful road trips. Grab friends or relatives to embark on a tropical vacation without leaving the country. Bridges connect the sunny paradise’s three areas where assorted wonders await all ages at 43 populated islands. Pack the latest Swimsuits Direct looks for unique adventures at these tempting Florida Keys destinations.
Vacation Swimwear
As a plus-size woman, you may prefer modest silhouettes to bikinis. Shop one-piece swimsuits for sand and water fun. Tankinis are popular two-piece alternatives that hide your midriff. To conceal even more skin, opt for high-neck or skirted looks. Loose-fitting cuts, shirring, rouching, and hidden tummy toners can disguise a thick midsection. Slip into matching or contrasting tunic, shirt, dress, or poncho cover-ups for boating, tours, shopping, and lunch breaks.
Choose Swimsuits Direct’s floral or animal prints to match your tropical surroundings. Select other conservative to flashy patterns and colors to reflect your personal style. Or pick dark solids to minimize your curves.
Upper Keys’ Attractions
From Key Largo to Lower Matecumbe, you’ll find dive shops, weekender condos, and country clubs. Visit these Upper Keys tourist spots:
Key Largo: At the uppermost island, join guided trips of Key Largo’s underwater John Pennekamp State Park. This Atlantic Ocean region spans over 90 square miles. Attractions from snorkeling and scuba diving to glass-bottom-boat tours let you admire sea life, a dazzling and extensive coral reef, lifelike sculptures, and nearby sunken shipwrecks.
Islamorada: Take kayak tours among the tropical greenery. Or explore fascinating sites on deep-sea fishing charters. Anglers enjoy sport fishing and tournaments. Large bonefish can weigh around 10 pounds. Sport fishing offshore for sailfish near Islamorada’s reefs is an exciting winter activity.
Lower Matecumbe: Anne’s Beach offers vacation pleasures from pristine sand and shallow water to snorkeling and windsurfing. Stroll the boardwalk through natural wetlands and lunch at sheltered picnic tables.
Middle Keys’ Marvels
Grassy Key: The Beach Under Water, an unusual sandbar out in the ocean, is an incredible spectacle. This extensive stretch’s stunning white sand appears almost magically at low tide. Reach it by canoe, kayak, or boat only. Go snorkeling or sunbathe while sipping cocktails. Take your vessel back to land before high tide submerges the sandy mass.
Marathon: Catch beautiful sunsets on family-friendly Sombrero Beach. Experience crab harvesting on a busy commercial boat. During your educational excursion, discover how professionals pull traps. Visit the Turtle Hospital to learn about the surrounding area’s delicate ecology while viewing and feeding these amazing reptiles. Stay at a relaxing resort in homey Marathon.
Lower Keys’ Highlights
Venture from Little Dock to Fleming for quiet, green Lower Key settings in a mostly laidback atmosphere. Urbanized Key West is the festively exotic exception. Check out these celebrated sites:
Big Pine: Magnificent beaches at Bahia Honda State Park are notable for being clean and pretty. Sandspur Beach’s mild drop-off and calm, wave-free water are ideal for young swimmers, snorkeling, and kayaking. Amenities include gear rentals, boat ramp, concessions, grills, and campgrounds. Wander down the historic bridge to take photos of the sparkling ocean and surrounding islands.
Other Big Pine areas offer swimming, diving, snorkeling, fishing, and bird watching. During boat tours, view nurse sharks, stingrays, barracudas, turtles, and sponges. National Key Deer Refuge’s miniature white-tailed residents are almost too cute. The 9200-acre sanctuary includes Blue Hole freshwater pond featuring fish, turtles, and birds.
Key West: This southern point promises diverse amusements. Stroll along the beach, marvel at fabulous sunrises and sunsets, relax in a remote guesthouse, dance the night away, or socialize at rowdy bars and exotic events downtown on Duval Street. Smather’s Beach is Key West’s longest and largest stretch. Enjoy kayaking, rafting, or parasailing in this splendid paradise. Historic Fort Zachary Taylor is a state park offering deep, clear water and gorgeous sunsets.
Dry Tortugas National Park’s seven small isles span 100 square miles in the Gulf of Mexico. It’s accessible only by ferries, seaplanes, charter boats, and private vessels. Enticements include diving and snorkeling to view marine life and coral. Tour author Ernest Hemingway’s home/writing studio turned imaginative museum. Round out your memorable trip at Mallory Square’s famous freak show. This must-see Key West tradition features oddities like a contortionist, fire juggler, and escape artist.
