Heading to the Florida Keys for a spring trip? What to know about driving, events, sites

March and April mark the height of the busy winter tourist season in the Florida Keys. It’s also when thousands of college students descend on the island chain, mostly in Key West, to let off some steam for spring break.

During this time, special events fill the calendar to give visitors more to do than just a bar crawl along Duval Street.

Whatever your plans these next couple of months, there’s always the glorious sunsets.

Here are some other helpful things to know about the Keys:

Upcoming events

Original Marathon Seafood Festival, Saturday and Sunday, March 11 and 12, at Marathon Community Park, 9805 Overseas Hwy., at mile marker 49. The annual event boasts music, entertainment, shopping and fresh local seafood. For more information, go to marathonseafoodfestival.com.

200 Years of Paradise Kick-Off Concert, Starting at 6 p.m. Saturday, March 25 at the Truman Waterfront’s Coffee Butler Amphitheater in Key West. Musical performances by Nick Norman and Howard Livingston. Also, “Drone Fireworks,” featuring 250 drones illuminating the waterfront. The concert commemorates the 200th anniversary of the Legislature’s founding of Monroe County. For more information go to www.thekeywestamp.com.

Naval Air Station Key West Southernmost Air Spectacular air show starring the U.S. Navy’s Blue Angels on April 15 and 16. For more information, go to airshowkeywest.com.

The most notable beaches in the Keys

Believe it or not, the Keys aren’t known for their beaches. If you’re imagining an island paradise, you’re in luck. If you’re imagining an island paradise with miles of sandy beaches, you could be disappointed. There are only a few of those accessible by land.

Sombrero Beach: 200 36th St. on the ocean side in the Middle Keys city of Marathon. This is one of the Keys best-kept secrets. It’s a picturesque sandy beach with crystal-clear shallow water. There’s also playgrounds, restroom facilities and picnic areas.

READ MORE: This Florida Keys beach made the best beaches list

Anne’s Beach: Mile marker 73 in Lower Matecumbe Key in the Village of Islamorada. Not a traditional beach, but also a hidden treasure in the Keys. The beach has a boardwalk under a mangrove canopy. Instead of setting up a spot on the sand, beachgoers typically pitch their chairs in the shallow clear blue water and laze the day away. Restrooms are in the small parking lot, and picnic tables are on the boardwalk.

Bahia Honda State Park: 36850 Overseas Hwy. at mile marker 37 in Big Pine Key. Like Anne’s Beach, Bahia Honda is a palm tree-lined beach with clear turquoise water. But it’s a lot bigger, with three stretches of beach. Beachgoers can also rent kayaks and snorkeling gear.

Harry Harris Park: 50 E Beach Road, mile marker 92.5, in Tavernier in the Upper Keys between Key Largo and Islamorada. The oceanfront county park has a small, family friendly beach, playgrounds and picnic pavilions.

Curry Hammock State Park: 56200 Overseas Highway at mile marker 56.2 in Marathon. The park has a 1,200-feet wide sandy beach, picnic facilities and a playground. It is a hot spot for kiteboarders and those who want to sit back on the sand and watch the high-flying action.

Clarence S. Higgs Memorial Beach: 1000 Atlantic Blvd. in Key West.

Are there tolls on the Overseas Highway?

No toll: Traveling on the Overseas Highway is toll-free.

Are there tolls on Card Sound Road?

Toll: Card Sound Road, considered an alternate road to the Keys, has a $1.74 toll, taken electronically through SunPass, at the northern end of the bridge, a 65-foot high, 2,800-foot long span that crosses Card Sound.. The cost for toll-by-plate is $2.62

Directions: Getting into the Keys using Card Sound Road, or County Road 905A, drivers take the highway southeast, over the bridge to a three-way stop sign. If you make a left, you’ll head to the ultra-exclusive gated community of Ocean Reef. Turn right on County Road 905 (without the “A”) and you’re on your way to Key Largo.

How long will it take to reach your destination?

Traffic congestion in the Keys — especially on during weekends, special events, spring break and the peak tourist season — can slow things considerably. Passing is allowed only in certain spots. Most of the Overseas Highway runs two lanes.

Here are some estimates for your trip:

Miami to Key Largo: The trip can take 2 1/2 hours.

Key Largo to Key West: The trip can take 2 1/2 hours.

Miami to Key West: It’s about a four-hour drive from Miami to Key West, and under three hours from Florida City to Key West without delays.

What to know about U.S. 1 in the Florida Keys

Length: The highway runs 113 miles through the Keys over the Atlantic Ocean, Florida Bay and the Gulf of Mexico.

Mile markers: Green mile marker signs are on the side of the road and are used for addresses and directions. The road begins and ends in Key West, where the mile marker zero signs are at Whitehead and Fleming streets.

Bridges: The longest span is the Seven Mile Bridge, which is actually 6.79 miles long. The second longest is the Long Key Bridge, at 2.3 miles.

How to monitor traffic to and from the Florida Keys

Two free apps can help you navigate the Overseas Highway. One is for traffic and the other is a guide to the Keys.

▪ The Monroe County Sheriff’s Office has a namesake app that is a must-have for people who must take the road regularly. The app has a “live calls and traffic info” tab that gives the location and times of crashes or other traffic disruptions, such as when a medical helicopter is landing on the highway. You can also sign up for notifications, which will tell you when lanes are reopened. The sheriff’s office also posts about crashes in real time on its Facebook and Twitter feeds, which you can access through the app.

▪ A travel app from the Monroe County Tourist Development Council —The Florida Keys and Key West — features just about everything you want to know about exploring the islands. The app includes narrated driving tours — one for each direction of the highway — along with lists of hotels, restaurants, art galleries, watersports rentals and fishing guides. Information is categorized by location: Key West, the Lower Keys, Marathon, Islamorada and Key West. The app also has videos of the Keys, a map and weather forecasts.

Both apps are available through the Apple Store and Google Play.

What if you get seriously sick during your visit?

Monroe County has three hospitals, with one marking each major section of the island chain from Key Largo to Key West.

For major traumas, patients are airlifted by helicopter to medical centers in the Miami area.

Addresses and phone numbers for the hospitals are listed below, but if you have a medical emergency, call 911.

Lower Keys Medical Center: 5900 College Rd. Key West, 305-294-5531. Key West’s Lower Keys Medical Center has 167 beds spread over two locations. The main campus with an emergency room is on College Road on Stock Island. The hospital has 23 beds at its DePoo Medical Building, 1200 Kennedy Dr., where mental health and rehabilitation services are offered. The number at DePoo is 305-294-5535.

Fishermen’s Hospital: 3301 Overseas Hwy., Marathon, 305-434-1000. This hospital is in the Middle Keys city of Marathon and run by the nonprofit Baptist Health South Florida. The entirely new 33,330-square foot, 22-bed hospital opened last year after the original 1962-era hospital was severely damaged by Hurricane Irma in 2017. Fishermen’s, which is now designed to withstand the wind speeds of a Category 5 hurricane, offers specialized services such as 24/7 emergency care with nine emergency department beds.

Mariners Hosp,ital: 91500 Overseas Hwy., Tavernier, 305-434-3000 In the Upper Keys, Mariners Hospital is a 25-bed hospital run by Baptist Health South Florida. Mariners dates back to 1962. It’s home to the only hospital-based hyperbaric chamber in the Keys. It uses oxygen therapy to treat illnesses that include diving-related decompression sickness.

What about urgent care in the Keys or house or hotel visits?

Upper Keys Advanced Urgent Care of the Florida Keys: 100460 Overseas Hiwy., mile marker 100.5, Key Largo, 305-294-0011 ext. 2. Monday-Friday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturdays 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Upper Keys Convenient Care: 85960 Overseas Hwy., mile marker 85.9 Islamorada, 305-741-7721. Weekdays 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Closed Saturdays and Sundays. The center was opened in 2018 by Liz Hussey, an advanced registered nurse practitioner and board certified family nurse practitioner who has been in the Keys since 1998.Upper Keys Convenient Care’s services include treatments for asthma, colds, coughs, the flu, ear aches and insect bites, along with routine physicals. Call for appointments after hours or on weekends.

Middle Keys Advanced Urgent Care of the Florida Keys: 13365 Overseas Hwy., Suite 102, Marathon, 305-294-0011 ext. 3. Monday-Friday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturdays 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. With three locations in the Keys, this center treats a range of health problems. The list includes colds and coughs, ear and eye infections, insect bites, minor burns, asthma, cuts, sprains, fractures and chest pain. They also offer various lab and diagnostic tests such as CT scans, ultrasounds and X-rays.

Lower Keys Advanced Urgent Care of the Florida Keys: 1980 N. Roosevelt Blvd. in Key West, 305-294-0011 ext .1. 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. This urgent care center has three locations in the Keys.

Key West Urgent Care and Family Doctor: 1501 Government Rd. in Key West. Weekdays 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Closed Saturdays and Sundays. 305-295-7550. Key West Urgent Care and Family Doctor offers medical care for minor accidents and procedures, along with treatment for colds, flu, sore throat, eye, ear and skin infections and headaches. They also offer lab draws and vaccines for tetanus and hepatitis B and flu shots, along with annual physicals and other primary care services.

Marquesa Medical: 305-504-5611, marquesamedical@gmail.com. Amanda Tutlewski, a family nurse practitioner, says she opened Marquesa Medical to offer affordable and convenient healthcare for residents and visitors to the Keys. This practice only makes house calls. She keeps regular hours Monday through Thursday from 4 to 6 p.m. and Fridays from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. A visit starts at $200, plus additional costs for any testing, like for strep or the flu. Appointments after hours and on holidays may be available for an additional fee.

Do you have a hangover in the Keys?

Hydration therapy: If you’re sick from a hangover after overdoing it with booze on Duval Street, several places offer “hydration therapy.” This means an intravenous shot of fluids and vitamins. These aren’t emergency medical centers. They are run under the direction of a licensed physician.

In Key West, several businesses, including spas, offer various IV cocktails. Some are mobile and will come to you. Their services are also marketed for those smarting from sunburns, down with migraines or recovering from a marathon run. Prices and lengths of services vary.

But expect to spend about $150, or possibly more, and at least 30 minutes for the hangover helper. Hangover Hospital 305-912-4911 Hangover Hospital’s IV menu includes hangover packages such as the Code Blue and the Lazarus, which promises to take you “from deathbed to remission in 45 minutes.”

Call for appointments. They’ll come to you at no extra cost.

IVs in the Keys Key West: 531 Whitehead St., 305-395-8245. IV in the Keys describes itself as a modern wellness spa. Their 30-minute “Duval Crawl Cure All” runs $129. Their hours are listed as 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. They offer house calls with a fee for fewer than five people.

Keys IV Health and Hydration: 335 Duval St. Key West, 305-413-0303. Located on Duval Street, Keys IV Health and Hydration also makes house calls for a fee. Their Dr. Feel Good IV hangover mix runs $179. The Gimme Some Water dehydration drip goes for $109. They have pricier IVs they offer for migraines or the flu.