# What's your favorite Florida key? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [January 27, 2007, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-florida-key/389743 "2007-01-27T18:47:06Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![kalex](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/dfb087/32.png) [@kalex](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kalex)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2007, 4:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-florida-key/389743/21 "2007-02-03T04:42:38Z")
Key West, my home for 8 years. I miss it so much sometimes I feel like my heart will break. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2007, 5:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-florida-key/389743/22 "2007-02-03T05:28:18Z")
What’s a “key”? 😕 ( **Piper** , who lives a thousand miles from salt water) ---
**Author:** ![BoBettie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4af34b/32.png) [@BoBettie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BoBettie)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2007, 2:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-florida-key/389743/23 "2007-02-03T14:15:05Z")
[QUOTE=Northern Piper] What’s a “key”? 😕 ( **Piper** , who lives a thousand miles from salt water) [/QUOTE] The Florida Keys are a bunch of islands off of the southern tip of FL. > **[Florida Keys](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Florida_keys)** > > The Florida Keys are a coral cay archipelago off the southern coast of Florida, forming the southernmost part of the continental United States. They begin at the southeastern coast of the Florida peninsula, about 15 miles (24 km) south of Miami and extend in an arc south-southwest and then westward to Key West, the westernmost of the inhabited islands, and on to the uninhabited Dry Tortugas. The islands lie along the Florida Straits, dividing the Atlantic Ocean to the east from the Gulf of Mexic... They’re big for fishing, snorkeling, diving (there are coral reefs everywhere and it’s spectacular to see them and explore) as well as the tropical foliage, the restaurants, and the nightlife. Each Key has it’s own flavor and feel, IMHO. Come visit! It’s a great time of year for it. ---
**Author:** ![carlb](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carlb/32/5930_2.png) [@carlb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carlb)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2007, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-florida-key/389743/24 "2007-02-03T15:22:35Z")
Key Largo/Islamorada, mostly because we’re divers, and they’re the closest to us. I think they provide a nice mix of hotels/restaurants/resorts with ood diving, fishing, and snorkeling. Key West was fun for the topside stuff, but the diving sucked. Plus, it’s a long drive from us. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2007, 4:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-florida-key/389743/25 "2007-02-04T04:59:38Z")
so why are they called “keys”? ---
**Author:** ![carlb](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carlb/32/5930_2.png) [@carlb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carlb)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2007, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-florida-key/389743/26 "2007-02-04T18:16:11Z")
[QUOTE=Northern Piper] so why are they called “keys”? [/QUOTE] [QUOTE=Webster’s] Etymology: Spanish cayo, from Taino : a low island or reef; specifically : any of the coral islets off the southern coast of Florida [/QUOTE] You’ll see it spelled, “cay” elsewhere in the Caribbean, but it is still pronounced, “kee.” ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2007, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-florida-key/389743/27 "2007-02-04T20:14:39Z")
**Bahia Honda Key**. It’s a little over halfway down. The one place (from my limited experience) that is just like a Caribbean isle (sugary white sand, crystal turquoise water), yet right on the highway. I think most of it is a state park or something. ---
**Author:** ![BoBettie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4af34b/32.png) [@BoBettie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BoBettie)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2007, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-florida-key/389743/28 "2007-02-04T20:47:40Z")
[QUOTE=JKellyMap] **Bahia Honda Key**. It’s a little over halfway down. The one place (from my limited experience) that is just like a Caribbean isle (sugary white sand, crystal turquoise water), yet right on the highway. I think most of it is a state park or something. [/QUOTE] I’ve not been yet, but I’m dying to take a day trip down there. I’ve heard it’s really gorgeous. There is a Bahia Honda state park that is pretty big and you can camp, boat, snorkel, whatever. ---
**Author:** ![clayton\_e](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c57346/32.png) [@clayton\_e](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/clayton_e)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2007, 9:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-florida-key/389743/29 "2007-02-04T21:41:02Z")
I thought [Indian Key](http://www.abfla.com/parks/IndianKey/indiankey.html) was interesting. Its historical and remote… I spent some 5 hours on it and didn’t see a single other person. Beats the tourist whirlwind that is anywhere else in southern Florida. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-florida-key/389743.md?page=1)