![]() ![]() ![]() Naturally fish restaurants abound on Key Largo, but like a lot of children with unsophisticated palates, mine don't like fish. You can volunteer to help give the fish out, but be forewarned: This is not a job for the squeamish, as the birds can get aggressive and the fish are not particularly pleasant to touch or smell.Įven when surrounded by the splendors of nature, sometimes kids want to climb and swing, so we also spent some time at Harry Harris Park in Tavernier, which features a swimming beach and picnic areas in addition to a nice playground. Every day, a few buckets of fish are thrown out to supplement the diets of wild brown pelicans who live in the area, and the birds - somewhat prehistoric looking with their long, flat, clapping beaks and plodding waddle - come by the hundreds in hopes of getting in on the handout. and we enjoyed spotting the many egrets lined up like statues to watch our boat pass through the narrows that connect the shores of the park to the open sea.įrom Pennekamp Park, we headed to the Florida Keys Wild Bird Center in Tavernier, a couple miles south of Key Largo, arriving just in time for the 3:30 p.m. We also walked the short trails along the shores of the park, which showcase the mangrove swamps and hardwood hammocks that once thrived all along the Florida coast. And I didn't have to fly halfway around the world I merely took a day trip while visiting relatives who've retired to the Fort Lauderdale area. Snorkel and scuba trips to the reef are available from any of the local dive shops, but the glass-bottom boat was an affordable and easy alternative for me and my children. But part of the attraction of Key Largo's reef is its accessibility. Of course, serious scuba fans and reef-seekers who are world travelers may scoff Key Largo's reef is not exactly like the Great Barrier Reef in Australia. ![]() It was like looking at the most beautiful tropical aquarium we'd ever seen, only it was real. The coral and seagrass in various shapes and colors swayed dreamily with the waves. We saw yellow-and-black striped Sargent Major fish, blue hamlets, angelfish, barracudas, and the occasional green moray or turtle swimming by. My two young children and everyone else on board were spellbound for the hour the boat hovered above the reef for what appeared to be close-ups of the marine life. Although the reef is 20 feet below the surface of the water, the coral and fish appear magnified, as if they are right beneath the glass, which juts down into the water in a V shape. Most of us have, at some point in our travels, been let down by the promise of a natural wonder that did not fulfill expectations - a whale-watching cruise where a black dot amid distant waves was the sole whale sighting, or a wildlife trail where you were lucky to see a squirrel.īut Key Largo's coral reef does not disappoint. You can reach the reef via a glass-bottom boat called the "Spirit of Pennekamp" that departs from the park three times a day. The reef is located in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary, just 3 miles from the shores of John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park. Robinson and a hotel full of gangsters waiting out a hurricane with booze and gunplay.īut once you get to Key Largo, those black-and-white movie images are wiped out by the rainbow of reality: The turquoise sea, the green mangroves, and the brilliant colors of tropical fish and other marine life found in the only contiguous coral barrier reef in North America. KEY LARGO - For those who haven't been there, the name Key Largo probably brings to mind Humphrey Bogart, Lauren Bacall, Edward G. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |