Travel Tuesday: Key West & Miami

by Erin Z. Bass

Today, I want to kick off a new summer travel feature. Since I had such a great time on my recent Florida Keys vacation, and discovered so much literary history, I thought we’d start with that. It wasn’t a work trip, per se. My cousin was getting married at Hawk’s Cay Resort, and my husband and I gladly accepted the invite. But since we figured a long weekend in the Keys wouldn’t be enough time to properly explore, we decided to stay the following week. I had never been to Key West or Hemingway’s Home, and since we were flying in and out of Miami, we thought we should see some of that beachside city as well.

If what you’re looking for is luxury, relaxation and someone to bring you drinks by the pool all day, then Hawk’s Cay in Duck Key is the place. Located on its own private island, the resort is great for both couples and families with kids. You can go from pool to lagoon and order lunch from the grill overlooking the water, never having to leave the property or sunshine. After a few days though, it’s hard to sit still knowing Key West is only about an hour and a half away.

We drove down (yes, this is the drive you always hear about and see in movies!), checked into Azul guest house, then ditched the car in favor of renting bikes. You don’t want to be trapped in a car while exploring Key West. Sea breezes and so many things to do and see make a bike, or scooter, the preferred mode of transportation. We hit the highlights, like Hemingway’s Home, which will be included in our Southern Literary Trail app, ate as many Cuban sandwiches as we could and discovered a few of Key West’s hidden gems. Did y’all know Tennessee Williams wrote his first draft of “A Streetcar Named Desire” in Duval Street’s La Concha Hotel?

After meeting some guys over drinks one night and hearing they were also headed to Miami and were planning to do an Art Deco Walking Tour, we e-mailed the guide and got signed up. Despite the craziness of South Beach’s Memorial Day Hip Hop Weekend (formerly held in Atlanta), the tour was filled with fascinating architectural, and pop culture, history of Miami.

To view all the sights from Key West & Miami, see our set on Flickr. Don’t miss the Key Lime Pie on a stick and my pic with a huge pink flamingo!