Overseas Highway
A sea road running from south of Miami along Highway 1. It crosses 42 bridges, links a chain of coral reef islands and leads all the way to Key West. The Seven Mile Bridge is the most famous.
The Overseas Highway is the section of U.S. Route 1 that crosses the Florida Keys. It was built on the site of a sea railway constructed by Henry Flagler in 1912. After a hurricane destroyed the railway in 1935, it was converted to a road, which opened in 1938. From Florida City on the mainland to Key West is about 113 miles (182 km). The full trip from Miami is about 260 km and takes 3.5 to 4 hours without traffic, but most people spend 2 to 4 days taking it slowly. Highlights from north to south: John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park on Key Largo, where you can snorkel and see the Christ of the Abyss underwater statue; Robbie's Marina on Islamorada, where you can feed tarpon, and Anne's Beach; Long Key State Park; the sea turtle hospital in Marathon; the iconic Seven Mile Bridge (keep the old bridge beside it for walking and cycling out to Pigeon Key); Bahia Honda State Park, one of America's best beaches; the Key deer refuge on Big Pine Key; and finally Key West, with the southernmost buoy in the continental United States, the Hemingway Home, and sunset at Mallory Square. The road is simple, mostly two lanes, but it gets congested on weekends and holidays. Roadside signs use mile markers (MM) to show location. Watch for weather alerts during hurricane season.