Miami to Key West Day Trip & Glass Bottom Boat Cruise Combo

Description

Cool Key West is happy to offer Key West glass-bottom boat tours, one of the island’s most popular attractions, as part of an exciting Miami to Key West Day Trip combination package. In one fun, busy day you can sightsee the full length of the Florida Keys on the incredible Overseas Highway, explore the living coral reefs in the Gulf of Mexico waters just offshore from Key West, and spend some time visiting historic Old Town Key West.

This great day trip is an easy way to spice up your Miami vacation with a Key West tour and some play time in the Caribbean paradise of the Lower Keys. Get complementary transfer service to the tour departure point from most hotels in Downtown Miami and Miami Beach. Then, after a 7:45am departure from downtown Miami, you will travel down the Keys in the comfort of a luxurious modern touring coach. It’s the convenient, economical way to visit Key West, and you can enjoy a glass-bottom boat ride along with a bit of playtime in Key West without having to worry about the long drive back to Miami at the end of the day.

This 1-day Key West tour begins on U.S. Highway 1 running south out of Miami through the Southern Everglades. About an hour later, the highway leaves the Florida mainland and crosses the narrow land bridge that stretches between the shallow inshore waters of Barnes and Blackwater Sounds. This is the northern end of the Overseas Highway, and minutes later the coach rolls onto the resort island of Key Largo then turns southwest to start along the Florida Keys island chain on one of America’s most iconic scenic drives.

The Overseas Highway is an incredible example of innovative road construction. Much of the roadway follows the former roadbed of the Overseas Railroad, a railway connection to Key West built between 1905 and 1912 by Standard Oil baron and railroad magnate Henry Flagler.

Flagler wanted to extend his Florida East Coast Railway to offer trade and tourist access to the island of Key West 128 miles from the tip of the Florida Peninsula. Often referred to as Flagler’s Folly because the Overseas Railroad pushed the limits of early 20th century construction engineering capabilities, the route threaded along narrow islands and crossed numerous bridges over open sea.

The daring project had a short operating lifespan, closing permanently in 1935 when a Category 5 hurricane destroyed the central portion of the rail line. However, Flagler’s brave vision left a legacy in the form of one of the world’s most spectacularly scenic highways. As it crosses 43 bridges and 31 islands, the Overseas Highway offers many expansive views over open ocean. Emerald water, white sand, beautiful resorts, busy marinas, and lively small towns make the ride to Key West one of the most interesting trips you will ever take.

A world-class Overseas Highway attraction comes into view about 90 minutes into the drive, when the touring coach reaches the western end of Marathon Key. The legendary Seven Mile Bridge rises gracefully above the water and carries the roadway across 6.79 miles of open sea to touch down on tiny, uninhabited Little Duck Key.

Although the bridge rises to 65 feet high in an arch placed near Pigeon Key for the purpose of accommodating ship traffic, the road is only about 20 feet above the water for most of its span. This gives passengers in crossing vehicles a wonderful feeling of low-skimming flight above the clear water. The Seven Mile Bridge has been highlighted in several action movies including the two of the Fast and Furious films, and it is certainly an unforgettable part of every journey to Key West.

When the coach leaves this astounding bridge, you enter the Lower Keys. Here, the Caribbean island atmosphere dominates as Backcountry bays and channels alternate with undeveloped tropical bushlands, small Old Keys communities, modern luxury resorts and marinas, and the occasional waterfront trophy home. Time flashes by like the scenery, and the coach reaches Key West and pulls into Old Town at about 12:00 noon. There is just time to grab a snack and look around a bit then proceed to the harbor where your glass-bottom boat awaits.

Departing at 2:00pm, the boat runs about 30 minutes out into the pristine waters of the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary. Enjoy the sun on the open upper deck, grab some refreshments from the snack bar and sit in the air-conditioned cabin, use the clean, spacious restrooms, take some pictures, and enjoy the boat ride. Soon the vessel reaches the shallow Backcountry flats where patch coral reefs and a rich variety of marine life can be found.

The glass-bottom boat’s high-tech viewing windows are designed so that every passenger gets a great underwater view of one of the world’s most biologically diverse eco-systems. It's an amazing educational experience, and guests of all ages are thrilled by the multitudes of fish representing more than 400 species. Strange-looking sponges, colorful corals, and large creatures such as sea turtles, rays, and sportfish are often sighted. An expert guide is on hand to provide narration, explanation, and answers to any questions.

Besides being great fun, a Key West glass-bottom boat tour is also the environmentally-friendly way to experience the wonders of the fragile coral gardens. A top Key West attraction since the first glass-bottom boat on the island was launched in late 19th-century, a glass-bottom boat cruise is the perfect pairing for an Overseas Highway tour and some afternoon fun in exciting Key West.

Secure online booking and excellent customer service by phone or email makes it easy to arrange a Miami to Key West Day Trip & Glass Bottom Boat Cruise Combo. Reserve your seats now and join Cool Key West on this great Key West day trip!