Travel idea: Visit the Florida Keys

Kingdom of cool
A Halcyon Highway to the mythical Kingdom of Cool, the incredible 112-mile (180-km) long trip down the Florida Keys' Overseas Highway leads to a world so different in style and temperament from mainland America that it feels like a country all of its own. The road itself is one-of-a-kind, connecting the curved line of lush, green islands that form the keys like a string of tropical pearls; its causeways crossing vast stretches of open water that offer dazzling, 360- degree vistas of the Caribbean blue sea. Every mile marker you pass beckons you to shed stress and inhibitions, while pleasant stops along the way give you time to culturally decompress.

John Pennekamp State Park on Key Largo protects one of America's few coral reefs and lures visitors to put on a mask and fins and spend an afternoon exploring the kaleidoscope of colours below the waves. Key Largo offers the opportunity to take a ride on the original African Queen boat, a working prop from the 1951 Bogart and Hepburn movie of the same name. Farther along, Bahia Honda Park with its fabulous strand of flour-like white sand, offers a place to stroll and wade in the azure water and feel the truly tropical breezes flow across your skin.

But the ultimate destination is the weirdly wonderful other world of Key West that awaits at the end of the road. Actually, despite its reputation, Key West is only as weird and wild as you want it to be. It all depends on where you look. Those with partying in mind will want to join the boisterous throngs along Duval Street. And everyone should experience the carnival-like atmosphere of chainsaw jugglers and stilt walkers that appear at sunset on Mallory Square.

Families can find plenty of attractions here too. The island's seafaring history comes alive in the cases of treasure on display at Mel Fishers Maritime Museum. And the Hemingway House preserves the aura of Key West in the 1930s when the famous author lived here and wrote To Have and Have Not. Today the laid-back, near mystical paradise that once lured him and so may other is alive and well ... and waiting.  

Island diary
February is the best time to explore the Florida Keys. While the rest of North America is experiencing the winter, the Keys are wrapped in sunny warmth and tropical breezes. Four days allows plenty of time to see the highlights, with an optional fifth to visit the National Park or enjoy relaxing on your favourite key.

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Excerpted from Where to go When, copyright 2007 by Dorling Kindersely Limited. Used by permission of Dorling Kindersley Limited.
All Rights Reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced except with permission in writing from the publisher.