Visiting the Florida Keys

Do you have any travel information regarding the Florida Keys?  I want to plan a trip there next May.

-Marlene, Yardville, N.J.

If you're traveling to the Florida Keys in May, you can expect temperatures in the mid to upper 80s—typical of the summer months. The water temperatures are also pretty warm, in the mid-80s. Be aware of the frequent afternoon thunderstorms characteristic of the Keys at the end of May, preceding the Hurricane season. That lasts from June through November.

The Florida Keys include Key Largo, Islamorada, Marathon, the Lower Keys, and Key West. After deciding on your destination, you can then choose whether to arrive by air, ground, or sea. The island chain is connected by U.S. 101, the Overseas Highway, and the drive from mainland Florida to Key West (the westernmost point of the Keys) is about three and a half hours.

There are several flight options, too. You can fly into Miami International Airport (MIA) or Ft. Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport (FLL) and take shuttle buses or a rental car to the Upper Keys, which takes about forty-five minutes to an hour. From there, of course, you've still got the three-ish-hour drive through the Keys. You can also fly to Key West International Airport (EYW) through a Florida airport. Flights into Ft. Lauderdale or Miami are hovering in the low $200s—from the New York Area—while flights to Key West are about double that price. Flying into Key West does, however, allow you to skip renting a car or taking a bus; the island is small enough to walk or bike most places, or take a cheap, quick cab ride.

The ferry company Key West Express also offers roundtrips to Key West for $129 from Fort Myers or $106 from Miami, taking about four hours from either city.

If you need additional information, visit the official Florida Keys Web site at http://www.fla-keys.com/keywest/.