🏝️ Florida Keys Road Trip: Your Mile Marker Guide to Paradise

The Overseas Highway Isn’t Just a Road — It’s a Story in Motion

The first time I drove the Overseas Highway, I wasn’t entirely sure what I was chasing. Maybe the end of the road. Maybe just a great fish sandwich. But somewhere between mile markers and mangroves, I found something better: a place that changes you.

This stretch of U.S. 1 — built atop the bones of Henry Flagler’s Over-Sea Railroad — is 113 miles of salt, sun, and soul. It strings together 42 islands with 42 bridges, each one a thread in the tropical tapestry that makes up the Florida Keys.

So here it is — your ultimate Mile Marker Guide. The roadside diary, the detour cheat sheet, the Keys playbook. Buckle up. We’re going all the way to Mile Marker 0.

🟢 THE UPPER KEYS (MM 127–MM 61): Wrecks, Reefs, and Really Big Fish

🛣️ MM 127 – Florida City
The mainland fades behind you. The Everglades hug your windows. This is the Gateway to Adventure — and the start of something good.

🤿 MM 102.5 – John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park
America’s first underwater park, home to the Christ of the Deep statue and rainbow reefs. Snorkel, paddle, or just float — it's sacred water.

🚢 MM 99.7 – The African Queen
Yes, that boat. Take a cruise aboard the original steamboat from the 1951 Bogart & Hepburn classic. Romantic? A little. Iconic? Absolutely.

🎣 MM 82 – Robbie’s Marina
Buy a bucket of bait and feed giant tarpon that leap straight from the water. The birds want your snack, the tarpon want your fingers — and you’ll want photos.

🧪 MM 83 – History of Diving Museum
The deepest dive into underwater exploration you'll ever take without getting wet. Ancient helmets, deep-sea legends, and a lot of wow.

🟡 THE MIDDLE KEYS (MM 61–MM 47): Heart of the Keys, Home of the Turtles

🐟 MM 56 – Curry Hammock State Park
Uncrowded, unspoiled, and unplugged. Perfect for kayakers, kiteboarders, and anyone allergic to noise.

🐢 MM 48.5 – The Turtle Hospital
Come meet the locals — flippered, rescued, and full of charm. This real-life hospital has helped over 2,000 sea turtles and will melt your heart.

🌉 MM 47 – Seven Mile Bridge
Drive it. Walk it. Gawk at it. The bridge is pure poetry on concrete — and Fred the Tree, growing stubbornly from the old span, is the Keys' most unlikely celebrity.

🔵 THE LOWER KEYS (MM 47–MM 5): Nature, Nostalgia & Quiet Magic

🏖️ MM 37 – Bahia Honda State Park
Home to some of the best beaches in Florida. Swim, snorkel, then hike up for a view of the Bahia Honda Rail Bridge — where Flagler’s dream meets your Instagram.

🦌 MM 33.5 – Big Pine Key
Slow down. This is Key Deer country — tiny, endangered, and curious. Visit No Name Pub nearby, where the beer is cold and the ceiling is covered in cash.

🔴 THE FINAL STRETCH (MM 5 – MM 0): The Conch Republic

⚓ MM 5.3 – Stock Island
Still salty, still working-class. Stock Island is where fishermen, artists, and chefs share the same dock. A hidden gem right before the fanfare of Key West.

🎉 MM 0 – Key West
Welcome to the end of the road — and the capital of weird, wonderful, tropical joy.

• Mile Marker 0 Sign: Snap your pic. You earned it.

• Ernest Hemingway Home: Tour the house, meet the six-toed cats, and channel your inner writer.

• Mallory Square: Join the nightly sunset celebration with acrobats, fire breathers, and conch shells.

• Conch Republic History: Learn how Key West seceded (briefly) from the U.S. in 1982. Because, of course we did.

🍤 Taste the Keys — From MM 106 to MM 0

🥧 Key Lime Pie
It's yellow, not green. Tart, not too sweet. And yes, it’s acceptable for breakfast.

🦐 Conch Fritters
A crunchy, savory ball of Keys culture — best eaten dockside with a breeze.

🦞 Lobster Reuben
Found at Keys Fisheries in Marathon. It sounds wrong. It tastes right.

🗺️ What This Road Really Is…

Driving the Overseas Highway is like walking across a giant’s stepping stones. Each island is its own universe — its own flavor, rhythm, and soul. But stitched together by the bridges and breeze, it becomes a one-of-a-kind place you’ll never want to rush through.

So take your time. Make the turnoffs. Ask the bartender where they go on a day off.

The road ends in Key West — but the stories? They stay with you long after you leave.

– From Mile Marker 0 and everywhere in between,
The FloridaKeysRoadTrip.com crew

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