1. Walt Disney World. Featuring four theme parks, 24 onsite resorts, two water parks, mini-golf courses, an interactive/video game park, a shopping area – almost everything can be done with one stop at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida. Since there’s so much to do and so many places to see, familiarizing yourself with your options is a great way to make sure your trip to Disney will be as smooth as possible.

2. Universal Studios Orlando Comprised of three onsite hotels and two amusement parks, the Universal Studios Orlando offers the following attractions:

• Shrek 4-D
• Revenge of the Mummy
• Men in Black Alien Attack
• Terminator 2: 3D
• E.T. Adventure
• Jimmy Neutron’s Nicktoon Blast
• Animal Planet Live!
• Jaws
• Fear Factor Live
• Twister … Ride it Out
• Earthquake

Some of the rides in Islands of Adventure are:

• The Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man
• Incredible Hulk Coaster
• Doctor Doom’s Fearfall
• Storm Force Accelatron
• Popeye & Bluto’s Bilge Rat Barges
• Jurassic Park River Adventure
• The Eighth Voyage of Sindbad

3. SeaWorld Adventure Park. The SeaWorld Adventure Park offers a one-of-a-kind experience with the sea and sea life. The park is 15 minutes away from the Orlando International Airport. It’s open year-round from 9am and hours are extended during summers and holidays. There are nine restaurants tourists and visitors can choose to dine from, ranging from full-service to cafeteria-style service. The park strictly implements several policies ranging from smoking to pets, to make sure all tourists are as comfortable as possible during their visit. Several guest services such as strollers and wheelchairs, lockers, diaper-changing and nursing areas, a 24-hour ATM, first aid, and foreign currency exchange can easily be found on site.

Located in the heart of Key West and only one block off Duval at 622 Fleming Street, Ambrosia consists of six restored buildings on two acres of lush tropical landscaping. There are three refreshing pools, and this property is a premier site to spend a fabulous getaway vacation.

Upon arrival, the owners, Mike and Bonnie Vagnoni, or one of their many pleasant staff will greet you. From the time you arrive, till departure, you will be treated special in every way. The staff with their years of knowledge can recommend anything you may be interested in while staying at this tropical paradise.

Everything you will want to see in Historic Key West is within walking distance. If you arrive by plane, all you need is a ride to and from the airport and you will not have to drive your entire stay.

Rates start at $139.00 per night for the low season, and $229.00 per night during prime time. This price includes a full tropical breakfast. Check out the Ambrosia in Key West Florida for your next tropical delight!

Ambrosia Key West
622 Fleming Street
Key West, Florida 33040
1-800-535-9838
www.ambrosiakeywest.com
ambrosia@bellsouth.net

Housed in a gracious class revival home, which was built around 1909 by Captain James Randall Adams, who was a “Wrecker”, (A brave man with a fast boat who would salvage goods from ships wrecked by the whims of wine and wave); this restaurant has both inside and outside dining on one of its many decks. All seating focuses on the many colors of blue that lines the Atlantic Ocean.

I’ve dined at Louie’s many times and it is a favorite when we visit the keys. My wife and I decide to dine late Sunday morning at the Brunch that is offered weekly. We are seated at a table on the deck that has a bench so both are facing the wonderful views. Our waiter informs us that it was 11:45, and we could not be served alcohol until noon on Sundays. We were fine, and he brought us Iced Tea.

The “Brunch” menu had a wide variety of items with breakfast such as French Toast with Caramelized Green Apple Compote and Applewood smoked bacon, or Florida Lobster scrambled eggs with green onions and brie, with grilled brioche. Both sounded wonderful. There were also seafood, salads, chicken, and steaks.

I could not decide between the Chipotle crusted chicken stuffed with tetilla cheese and roasted red pepper and black beans, or the grilled ribeye with Fra Diablo sauce and onions rings. My wife, who I thought would choose the French toast, decided on the Asian chicken salad with green tea soba noodles, gingered cucumbers and Thai peanut sauce. I opted for the special Ribeye dish.

Warm bread and butter were immediately brought to our table along with our drinks. We devoured the bread because we had only had fruit for breakfast since we knew we were in for such a treat. We relaxed and watched the picture perfect views and before we knew it, our meal arrived.

My ribeye was ordered medium and it was cooked to perfection. The Fra Diablo sauce was spicy as expected, but not so that it took away the taste of everything else. The onion rings and green beans that accompanied the steak was tasty and well received. I was very pleased as usual and enjoyed the entire feast.

Maureen’s Asian Chicken Salad was probably the best and most unique salad my wife has had. There was a dry slaw base, topped with the soba noodle and piled high with pieces of chicken that was cooked just right. Gingered cucumbers were mixed in and the Thai peanut sauce was poured on top. What made this dish so wonderful were the green tea soba noodles and the Thai sauce. The sauce was not to strong, but the perfect blend to enhance the noodles, chicken and cucumbers.

After our lunch was complete, we went to the “After Deck” bar, which is built over the water. My wife ordered one of Louie’s specialty drinks, the raspberry cooler, which was made of raspberry wine and Chambord liquor, while I tried a Mojito. Both drinks were refreshing and the perfect ending to a great lunch.

Louie’s Backyard
700 Waddell Avenue
Key West, Florida, 33040
1-305-294-1061

We started our trip at mile marker 28 in Big Pine Key and headed up towards Key Largo. Our first stop was in Marathon at the Publix Shopping Center. Located on the corner of the center are the Lazy Lizard and the Goofy Gecko. These fun shops have all of the tropical souvenirs and gifts you could ever want. Painted Gecko’s, Tropical clothing, and Caribbean furniture are only a few of many different items you will find in these two stores. Both have unique items, so it is worth the stop.

After spending some time, (and money), we headed up to Islamorada and the shops at mile marker 82 caught our attention. In this row of small stores, we found the Blue Marlin Jewelry shop that had unique designs by Steven Douglas, The Sandal Factory/T Shirt City, which had great T Shirts and Sandals, and many other interesting shops. If you walked behind the last shop, which housed a flower shop and interesting outside pottery and Caribbean items, you would find a glass artisan that was blowing glass and making all kinds of interesting pieces of art.

The Bass Pro shops at mile marker 81.5 in Islamorada are a favorite of many boaters and fishing enthusiasts. This large shopping area on the water also houses the Zane Grey Lounge, which was my choice for lunch. My one of only two tasks turned out to be an excellent one. Housed on the second floor of this expansive shopping area, Zane Grey offers balcony seating overlooking the blue azure waters and marina. The picture perfect view enables you to sit and relax as you enjoy a fabulous lunch or dinner.

Specializing in seafood, but also offering other tantalizing treats, the Zane Grey had excellent choices for us to look at. I chose the Caesar salad topped with five large shrimp, and my wife had the curry chicken salad, which was served in a half of a pineapple. The presentation was as good as the food. We both thoroughly enjoyed our meal. Since we were driving and had many more stops, we opted for the iced tea and we passed on dessert because I already knew where I wanted to stop for my evening meal. For the two of us, our lunch, with tax and tip came to thirty-four dollars. We were both very pleased with the Zane Grey.

Back on the road again, our next stop was the Rain Barrel Sculpture Gallery, located at mile marker 86.7. There were two reasons for this stop. First, this has a great array of small shops with artisan’s works. We’ve been here before and made a few purchases that we still cherish today. There are many paintings, pottery, hand made quilts, and various other original items with the Key West flare. Although we did not make any purchases here today, we enjoyed admiring the unique works of the artists.

The second reason for stopping at the Rain Barrel Sculpture was that we had read about HGTV and the fact that they were building the “Dream House” in Islamorada Florida. We had previously asked if anyone knew where the house was being built, and locals at the shops prior to this stop told us they knew exactly where it was being built. The dirt road next to the Rain Barrel Sculpture, if taken back to the water is the location of the HGTV Dream House. We drove back to find that the land had been cleared, and the footings set, but the project was just barely on its way. We hope to come back before the house is finished so we can get a look at it before it is given away.

Our last stop before we turned around was at mile marker 97.5 in Key Largo. Shell World is located in the middle of the highway and has an abundance of gifts to please everyone’s taste. If you enjoy looking at different shells, you will find varieties from around the world. But shells are only the beginning. Several rooms have anything tropical you could imagine, from clothes, to cards, to house wares. My wife was enjoying a sale of Fresh Produce, while I wondered and checked out the shells and other fun items.

Heading back to our destination, we stopped at a few more interesting places such as Latitude 25, located at mile marker 82.7 in Islamorada, which also had great clothing options such as Tommy Bahama, and T-Shirts with Florida sayings. Fish Lips, a small store on Key Colony has unique tropical gifts that are worth seeing.

We have now shopped the day away, enjoyed the scenic drive up and down Route 1, but there was one last stop we had to make before our final destination. My last responsibility for the day was our dinner choice. It was not a difficult one. A few years back, we discovered the “Keys Fisheries Market & Marina” located at mile marker 49 in Marathon. The Market, on the bayside of 35th Street is a rustic fishing marina with fresh seafood served daily.

You stand in line and place your order, and give them your favorite movie, song, or actor/actress. Once your food is prepared, your “pseudo” name is called and you pick up your tray. What makes this a wonderful treat is that the atmosphere, although rustic, is very calm, and the food is fantastic. If you don’t like seafood, don’t come. Other than chicken wings and chicken fingers, everything else is seafood.

We were introduced to the Lobster Reuben our first visit to this market. This is a huge lobster sandwich (two can share this), served with sauerkraut, cheese, and Russian dressing, just as a Reuben would be served but with lobster meat. This comes with French fries and is grilled and mouthwatering. What a great sandwich. Other delicacies include crab, shrimp, scallops, and many of the local fresh fish.

Nothing fancy at the Keys Fisheries, Market and Marina, but wonderful food at a reasonable price. My wife and I shared a Lobster Reuben and Crab Chowder and both were outstanding. After we were finished we had ice cream served in a waffle cone. For the two of us, the bill came to $27.00 with tax and tip. A great meal at a great price.

We headed back to Big Pine Key and felt satisfied both by food and shopping. The day was sunny and we thoroughly enjoyed the scenic ride up and down Route 1. One last note about this road. This is the only road up and down the Florida Keys and there are restricted speed limits, and many accidents per year. If you take this road at a leisurely pace, you will not only arrive safely at your destination, but you will also take in the beautiful scenery and arrive feeling calm and relaxed.

A typical “Dive” bar is what you will think as your car meanders to this establishment. What brings the locals, and tourist from all walks of life is the quality of food, good drinks, lots of fun, and the chance to hang a dollar bill on the cluttered walls. Since the mid 1980’s, patrons have been writing names, notes, or any thing else they can think of on dollar bills and staple them to the walls.

The pizza is world famous, the fried shrimp basket is fabulous, and the grouper sandwich is awesome. On my many visits to this fun filled bar, I’ve always had one of the three dishes listed above. Our visits to the keys would not be complete without a visit to the “No Name Pub”. You immediately feel welcome and can tell that everyone is having a good time.

Once you find this hidden treasure, be prepared to sit and relax outside while waiting for a table. On most nights during the high season, you can expect up to an hour wait. But it is worth every minute. Come to the No Name Pub and experience the Keys the way they were years ago.

No Name Pub
Big Pine Key, Florida
1-305-872-9115
www.nonamepub.com

After meeting with a business associate and friend at his Bed and Breakfast, the recommendation for Sarabeth’s lead my wife and I around the corner for lunch. One of our best friends joined us for lunch, which made the meal that much more enjoyable. Owner, David Case greeted and welcomed us to his restaurant and sat us at one of the outside tables. Our waitress was very pleasant and she immediately served us water and iced tea.

We started our lunch with Sara’s Velvety Cream of Tomato Soup, which was one of the best soups we have ever tasted. We asked if it was possible to get the recipe, and was jokingly told that we would have to be killed once we received it. Maureen chose the Key West “Pinks” Shrimp Roll, which was poached shrimp dressed in a light lemon mayonnaise with celery hearts and fresh chives in a split topped bun, topped with sliced avocado. This entrée was accompanied by a green salad.

Our lunch guest dined on grilled fresh Dolphin served with a salad of baby lettuce, avocado, snap peas, cherry tomatoes and sliced new potatoes, dressed with citrus soy vinaigrette. I chose the same but opted for a sautéed lump Crabmeat and Key West Pink Shrimp cake served with the salad.

All three was in agreement that the meal was wonderful. Too full to each try a specialty dessert, we shared strawberry biscuit shortcake with sweet whipped cream. We could tell that the biscuit was homemade and had sugar garnished on the top, which made this dessert worth coming back for.

Sarabeth’s originated in New York in 1981, when Sarabeth and Bill Levine opened a tiny bakery-kitchen to make and sell her preserves and baked goods. The little store became an instant success with New Yorkers and it expanded to an East and West restaurant serving Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner. David had been working with Sarabeth for many years and she offered him a store at a location of his choice. He chose Key West, and the success began.

While visiting Key West, please take time to dine at Sarabeth’s. They are open for Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner and any of the meals are well worth the visit.

Sarabeth’s Restaurants
530 Simonton Street
Key West, Florida 33040

I’ve been told about the Square Grouper on several trips to the keys, but this has been my first visit, and it was fantastic. My wife and two of our wonderful friends decided to dine at this establishment on a weeknight during the prime season. We arrived around 6:30 PM, and to our surprise, there was a half hour wait. We sat outside because it was a very comfortable evening, but after a few minutes of the “no-seeums” eating away at our skin, we decided to move inside. The Square Grouper had a lounge area in the back of the building that you could wait and have cocktails. This fun area offered games to occupy your time, so we sat and played a food trivia game called “Food Smarts”. After about five minutes, we had the whole room joining in. It was fun and made the time go by very fast.

We were seated just about a half hour after we arrived, and our waitress, Erin greeted us with a big smile and a great sense of humor. Erin brought us cocktails, and filled us in on the specials for the evening. Everyone but myself chose the Pasta with the Key Lime Butter sauce. This came with a choice of Shrimp, Scallops, or Grouper. Two chose the scallops, and one chose the shrimp. Not wanting to order the same thing, although I was tempted, I went with the appetizer special of Wild Mushroom Ravioli with a Tarragon Dijon Sauce and fresh Spinach. For my main course, I chose the chicken salad.

My appetizer was the best Mushroom Ravioli I’ve ever tasted. My chicken salad was good, but I wished I had gone with the majority. Everyone Uhmmd and Ahhd over the seafood with Key Lime Butter sauce over linguini. I was offered a taste, but that was it. I always know when my wife thoroughly enjoys her meal. I get offered one taste, but it stops there.

Our meal came with hot rolls and butter, and everything was wonderful. Our friends who stay in the Keys every year for several months recognized some of the other guests, so I assume that the regulars come to the Square Grouper for a fantastic meal. I will be back next year to try something new.

The Square Grouper, (which I learned is a not only a Florida fish, but also a nickname for a bale of marijuana), received the highest reviews from everyone at our table. We all had to pass on dessert, although my wife wanted us to get the Chocolate Fondu for four. As I said, this place could easily be passed by unless you have heard about the reputation. This is a “Must Eat At” restaurant along route 1.

The Square Grouper Bar & Grill
MM 22.5
Cudjoe Key, Florida
305-745-8880

1. Sloppy Joe’s – Although more commercialized than years ago when Hemmingway would take a seat at the bar, Sloppy Joe’s is an institution to what Key West is all about. Everyone who visits wants to have his or her picture taken in front of the famous Duval Street Bar. Sloppy Joe’s is an open-air establishment with great nightly entertainment. The bands will get you in the mood for an evening of enjoyment.
2. Louie’s Backyard – Only a few blocks off Duval at the southernmost end, Louie’s Backyard has an outside bar, known as the afterdeck with an ocean breeze and views anyone would enjoy watching while sipping on a cold, cool drink. This bar is very friendly and the 360 degree views of the old Victorian style house that the indoor/outdoor restaurant is located, to the beaches and calm blue waters makes this bar one of the friendliest and calmest bars in “Old Town”.
3. Schooner Wharf – The Schooner Wharf is located on the Wharf just a few blocks off Duval Street. This Wharf is lined with Bars and Restaurants with a boardwalk style walkway that winds along the water where all the large boats dock. What I like about the Schooner Wharf is once again, like Sloppy Joes, this is an old, open-air bar, with dirt floors that everyone comes to have a good time. There is normally a band playing in the evening and you can hear the noise as you approach from either end of the walk.
4. Margaritaville – Almost everyone who comes to Key West wants to have a “Cheeseburger in Paradise” at Jimmy Buffet’s Margaritaville. Made famous by the song, and being the original location of this widely famous franchise, people like the tropical colors and the fun atmosphere that is created here. The food is typical bar food, but the fun filled atmosphere with bands playing in the evening is worth the trip.
5. Sunset Pier Bar - Located next to the infamous Mallory Square, Sunset Pier offers the relaxed, tropical atmosphere with sunsets you will remember for a lifetime. With a band playing, and everyone’s anticipation of sunset, this bar offers the best of everything. You can sit and enjoy a drink, while listening to the music play, and anticipate if the sunset is going to be everything you had expected. Don’t miss the fun and sun at this lively bar during the evening hours before sunset. ***

*** Words of Advice. If going to Sunset Pier for the sunset, you may want to get there an hour early to allow for a good position of the sunset.

*** One note I want to make about US Airways. Once we arrived back home, I investigated what the obligations were of the airlines in our case where our flight was cancelled.

According to the Federal Government guide, all airlines that cancel a flight because of weather or mechanical failure only has to refund the customer the money involved in the portion of the flight that was cancelled. With this information, I called the airline and my first call gave us the refund for the flight from Ft. Lauderdale to Key West. I told the spokesperson for US Airways that I wanted a phone number for the complaint department, which she was happy to pass on.

When I called the second number, I asked the spokesperson there to please listen to my complaint for three minutes and then I would listen to her. She was very polite and when I finished, she did not hesitate to apologize to me and my group for the inconvenience and offer us each a $300.00 voucher for a future flight. I felt that this was very fair and I thanked her for her understanding. I left US Airways with a very positive feeling, and even though I fly US Airways almost 100% of the time, I will repeat this story again and again. I thank US Airways for their concern and need to help rectify a bad situation.

Others decided to wait for an early lunch and headed over to “Mango’s” on the corner of Duval, mid way. This open-air restaurant/bar offers a variety of special lunches and is a famous Key West spot because of it’s homemade sangria. We toasted the birthday girl once more as we ate and drank to we were filled.

After lunch, everyone split up. Some went shopping, while others went back to the pool. The intention was that those who were sports fans would meet at “Monty’s” on the water around 3:00 to watch the first of the football playoffs. Those who chose not to do this, hung out at the pool and went out to a fine dining experience at the Marquesa. This small, but fabulous Key West restaurant offers fine dining at its best. I had the yellowtail snapper with asparagus and fancy stuffed pasta shells, while my wife had the lamb. The Marquesa always offers a meal you will remember forever.

After dinner everyone in our group met at the Lazy Gecko for one last drink and toast to a wonderful trip and good companionship. We all went back to the hotel because some had early flights back on Monday.