A Turtle Adventure

What are we going to do to do you ask?

  • Pah lands sometime in the morning on Friday. He’s not quite sure but he’s pretty sure his two favorite people in Miami are in class…so he’ll find his way to the land of the Hurricanes.

  • A quick bite before we hit the road?

  • We are going to spend three days and two nights in the Florida Keys.

  • Okay, time to drive south…but not all the way

  • First stop, Islamorda!

Day 1

Did you know the Florida Keys are home to the only living coral barrier reef in the continental United States—and it’s the third largest in the world, after the Great Barrier Reef in Australia and the Belize Barrier Reef. 🌊🐠

Day 1…well, night 1.

  • We will be staying at Casa Morda in Islamorda. This is just down the road from the hotel we stay at as a family. Cool retro vibe + sunsets. You two should have a killer room with a bay view.

  • If we have time, we can do something. Maybe a swim, find some jet skis?! Or just chill.

  • Dinner you ask? Well, it’s at one of our favorite places! Pierre’s. Maybe you are wondering what to wear to dinner. Well, it’s a little fancy but island fancy. Chill fancy. I have us at 630 and hopefully we will be sitting outside and we will see the sun set.

Day 2: Dry Tortugas

A bit about turtle day.

There is a wonderful little archipelago that sits 70 miles west of Key west. here are some fun facts. It’s a national park called Fort Jefferson.

When Spanish explorer Juan Ponce de León discovered the islands in 1513, he called them “Las Tortugas” (The Turtles) because of the abundance of sea turtles. Later, the word “Dry” was added to warn sailors there was no fresh water on the islands.

The Dry Tortugas are home to Fort Jefferson, the largest brick masonry structure in the Western Hemisphere—built with over 16 million bricks in the mid-1800s. Despite its size, it was never fully completed.

Fort Jefferson once served as a prison. Its most famous inmate was Dr. Samuel Mudd, the physician who treated John Wilkes Booth’s broken leg after Abraham Lincoln’s assassination.

How are we getting there you ask?

We take off at 12PM on 9/20 from Key West Airport! It’s a quick flight and we will spend four hours at Fort Jefferson.

Explore

Some walking, some sitting, some snorkeling, lots of memories.

We will land at 4Pm in Key West. We can eat, sit, drive, or whatever. We just need to head back to the hotel at some point :) that night in Islamorda. You can hear me repeat all the same stories I’ve told you a 100 times while we drive ;).

Day 3: Sunday. No plans.

Just enjoy.

No plans. We can find some adventure, sit by the pool, or do whatever. So excited to celebrate another year of Mason with you two.