Upper Keys

Heading out of the sprawling suburbs and scrappy towns of South Miami and onto the Overseas Highway on the way to the Keys [1], the transformation of the atmosphere, topography, and attitude is both immediate and overwhelming. As the worn-out gas stations and fast-food outlets of Florida City recede in the rearview, an open expanse of sea and a slender road spread out in front of you.

This is the Upper Keys, most folks’ first introduction to the island archipelago. Comprised of all the islands north of Marathon [2] and including the famous Key Largo [3] and snorkeling and diving paradise of Islamorada [4], these islands are a bit more developed than some of the Lower Keys [5], but they still manage to retain all the friendly relaxed beauty one expects in the Florida Keys.