Category Archives: Travel

The Best 4 Hours

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The Best 4 Hours

The Best 4 Hours The Best 4 hours I’ve spent in a long time were those at the Theater of the Sea. Oh , you could spend the whole day. They have a beach and you could do extra events like swim with dolphins but if you just want to experience the shows you can do it all in 4 hours. I did and I had a blast. I had arrived right when the ticket office opened but even so the reptile tour had already started. I managed to catch it before it was too far along.

The Parrots

After the reptile show we moved on to the Parrot show. There were metal bleachers for us to sit on and everyone settled in while we waited for the parrots to be brought out. A quick little movement caught my eye. There was a little crab trying to get across the cement floor of the enclosure. I crossed my fingers but he made it!The Best 4 hours

When the parrots joined us it wasn’t quiet any more. Parrots are nothing if not outspoken! I loved watching them count and play games. Beautiful birds.

The Best 4 Hours 

Next up, the Dolphin Show

More bleachers and I sat in the “splash zone”. I thought the cool water might be nice about now but these were very polite dolphins. They splashed their trainer but not so much on the audience. The lighting was challenging. I was in the shade but the dolphin show was in the sun most of the time. Still I caught a few of their tricks.

The Best 4 Hours 

The Best 4 Hours 

Saved the best for lastFascination

The last show was the Sea Line show. More Bleachers and more fun. The Dolphins had been really good. Lots of exciting leaps and splashes but the sea lion had the personality. They just made you laugh. Kids were fascinated.

Sea Lion

Sea Lion

A fish Gift

My 4 hours were coming to a close and they were the Best!

The Photos

I hope you enjoyed the photos from my visit as much as I enjoyed taking them.

Theater Of The Sea

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Theater of the Sea

Theater of the SeaTheater Of The Sea

Theater of the Sea is located on Islamorada in the Florida Keys. It’s a Marine Mammal Park. I read the web site but I was still a bit overwhelmed with the choices. You have general admission, swim with Dolphins, wade with dolphins, and meet the dolphin. If dolphins aren’t your preferred mammal then you can swim with a sea lion. Are reptiles more your speed? Then you can sign up to feed and interact with a sea turtle. So many choices, so little time. Plus your choices can really eat into your budget. Each interaction will add on $65.00 – $200.00. I just couldn’t decide.

General Admission

I was excited to be going to Theater of the Sea. I’d been thinking about swimming with Dolphins since I missed out when I went to Nassau many trips ago. But how to choose between Swimming, wading or meeting the dolphins? I decided to test the waters by sticking to a general admission ticket. A general admission ticket was only $40.00 ($39.95) and offers dolphin, sea lion, and parrot shows, a bottomless boat ride, a lagoon-side beach, as well as a fish and reptile tour with tropical fish, sharks, sea turtles, stingrays, alligators, and crocodiles. It sounded like I’d cover all of the options. 

Arrive Early

The Box office opens at 9:30 am and I was there on the dot. There were only a few cars in the lot when I arrived. You enter through the gift shop. The clerk gave me a friendly greeting and took my money for the general admission. She told me the shows are continuous so I could join in or drop out at any time. I could rejoin any that I missed. 

Theater of the Sea

 

I caught up with the fish and reptile tour first. Alligators and crocodiles, loads of sea turtles, the tour was fun and informative. At each enclosure the guide stopped to spend time with the animal. The animals all recognized what was coming- food! They were all hand fed by the guide. 

Theater of the sea

 

 

 

Hog Heaven

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Hog Heaven

Hog Heaven

Kitchen

You could say that I was in Hog Heaven at Ocean Point Resort. The suite was beautiful, the view was outstanding. The bed was comfy and gave me a good nights sleep but when I woke up this morning I was anywhere but Hog Heaven. My plan had been to do some more snorkeling but when I got up I nearly took a header getting out of bed. My feet were so sore. I think they were black and blue. They weren’t cut. I’d checked that carefully after my encounter with the coral rocks but they did get very bruised. I gingerly limped into the kitchen area, made some eggs and collapsed in a chair at the counter for breakfast. 

What to do?

As I enjoyed my eggs and tea I mulled over how to spend my day if my feet were going to be difficult. I quickly realized that walking or hiking would be out of the question. Braving the coral shore for snorkeling wasn’t appealing either.  The resort’s pool was an option but I was pretty sure I’d get bored quickly. I’d brought some books with me and decided to put my feet up on the deck and read a little. Then I’d reassess how my mobility was doing.

Hog HeveanIslamorada

Around noontime I made the decision to explore a little from my car. The next Key is Islamorada. I first heard of Islamorda a few years ago when HGTV held a Dream Home Getaway here. Theater of the Sea is also located on Islamorda so I figured I’l take a little drive to get familiar with the area. 

Hog Heaven Really Does Exist

As I cruised around I spotted a huge pig advertising Hog Heaven and ocean side dining. You’d be amazed how few places have ocean side dining considering we’re on a chain if islands.  I followed the sign into a dirt parking lot. A rustic building sporting a “crashed plane” welcomed me to Hog Heaven. Yes, Dad, it does exist! Inside I passed a  classic car, at least half of one, with speakers blaring.Hog Heaven

I could see the bar area and headed that way. This was the ocean side dining. Tables looked out on a small marina. I placed my order, fried shrimp and cornbread. It was outstanding! I really was in Hog Heaven on Islamorada Key, Florida!

Hog Heaven

Glass Bottom Boat or Snorkel?

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Glass Bottom Boat or Snorkel?

Glass Bottom Boat or Snorkel trip, decisions,  decisions,  decisions! The gift shop was between the Visitor Center and the beach. They had signs out for the afternoon trips. The seas must have calmed down. Time to check out my options. 

Snorkel the Reef?Glass Bottom Boat or Snorkel

When I entered the shop a couple were talking to the Snorkel sales person. She was really pushing the Dramamine. The seas were still running 2-3 ft and it was quite rough. She didn’t think they’d get to the Christ Statue today but that it would be up to the captain to decide when he got out there. She did assure them that they could bring children. I don’t think I’d take kids snorkeling on 2-3 foot swells but maybe that’s just me. I prefer my snorkeling in calm sheltered waters. If it’s rough give me a regulator and scuba any day. Much easier. Having overheard that I moved on to the Glass Bottom Boat desk.

The Glass Bottom Boat

The sales rep at the Glass Bottom Boat desk was also encouraging the use of Dramamine. The reefs are located between 3 and 8 miles offshore off the coast of the Florida Keys so exploring them on your own is out of the question unless you have a boat. The “Christ of the Deep” statue is located at Key Largo Dry Rocks reef. No glass bottom boat tours go to see the statue; the area is too shallow. After some personal soul searching I decided on the glass bottom boat. I really wasn’t up for hard snorkeling and swimming yet and my scuba certification is still in limbo. The Glass Bottom Boat would give me a chance to check out the conditions. How rough was it really? How clear is the water? 

Glass Bottom Boat3 pm Boarding time

It was almost 2:30 so with a 3 pm boarding time I opted to turn in my gear and wait at the marina. I didn’t want to take a chance on losing track of time and  literally  “missing the boat”. The Glass Bottom Boat is the “Journey”. I settled on a bench in the Gazebo to wait for it’s return.Glass Bottom Boat or Snorkel?

Back to John Pennekamp Coral Reef Park

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Back to John Pennekamp Coral Reef Park

Back to the Park

The whole purpose of my trip to Key Largo was to see the reef at John Pennekamp Park so it was only reasonable to go back to the park after lunch. My receipt got me right in. I still had all my snorkel gear. When you rent it you rent it for the day so I thought about an afternoon snorkel. My feet were still hurting from the morning adventure on the coral so I decided I’d check out the visitor center first.Back to the Park

Environmental Education and Visitor Center

The Visitor center was refreshingly cool. As I walked in I saw a theater that was running a continuous loop of film. One of the other visitors was just leaving and he told me I had perfect timing. The loop was just starting again. That was good enough for me. I popped into the theater and made myself comfortable.The underwater photography was beautiful but the message was a serious one. The movie was about an hour long and it was about the conservation of the seas. It followed the life cycles of the tiniest creatures  ending with the mammals. It was very worthwhile. Throughout the movie people came and went. Too bad they didn’t sit through to the end.

Back to John Pennekamp Coral Reef Park30,000 Gallon Saltwater Aquarium

The main feature of the visitor center was the 30,000 gal aquarium.  The aquarium was filled with native fish. Kind of a sneak preview of what you could see on the reef.  Smaller aquariums featured different reef animals including my lunch, the Florida (spiny) lobster.

Back to the Park

 

If you go

The park is open daily from 8:00 a.m. until sunset but parking can fill up early. All park buildings including the Concession Building and Visitor Center are open 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

All visitors are required to pay an entrance fee:
$8.00* per vehicle. Limit 2-8 people per vehicle.
$2.00* Pedestrians, bicyclists, extra passengers, passengers in vehicle with holder of Annual Individual Entrance Pass.
$4.00* Single-occupant vehicle or motorcycle.
*Plus $.50 per person Monroe County Surcharge.