The drive from Miami to the Keys is a slow descent into an unusual but breathtaking American ecosystem: On either side of you, for miles ahead, lies nothing but emerald waters. (On weekends, however, you will also see plenty of traffic.) Strung out across the Atlantic Ocean like loose strands of cultured pearls, more than 400 islands make up this 150-mile-long chain of the Keys.
When Spanish explorers Juan Ponce de León and Antonio … Continue reading →

Excerpted from Frommer's South Florida including Miami and Keys, 6th Edition, © 2008, Whatsonwhen Limited and Wiley Publishing, Inc.