22 hours driving with 4 kids... how did we do it?!
We started our drive at 8pm - our motto is to
always get the most of our driving in while our
kids are sleeping! Why? Simple - less distractions,
less needing, less stopping for food or potty breaks -
the list of reasons could go on and on. If you're a
parent, you understand! For laughs, and maybe a
few free drinks we decked out our van with our venmo link that we changed to @KeyWestDrinks2021 -
and with a plea of lack of sanity on the back of the van,
"Ohio to the Florida Keys - 22 hours with the kids..."
The laughs, thumbs up, and people cheering us on
throughout our drive was worth it as is - but we did
make out with around $100 to spend on our date night
out on Duval Street - score!! :D
Here's a look inside the van as we were leaving - I highly recommend the luggage rack on top of your vehicle if you can! It saved us so much space inside of the van, and leaving room for more of our entertainment needs for our kids, aka - snacks, toys, activity trays, and their new tablets that they had just received for Christmas!
I'll share some links here - these items were life savers for us!
You can order the activity trays here:
These trays were great for eating on the go, dry erase coloring, and they even have a slip area that can hold a tablet as well! Speaking of tablets, they have the Fire 7 kids tablets. Here's the link:
Stretching our legs in Georgia for some breakfast - then back on the road again! For road trips we love to stop at local places when we can along the way!
WE MADE IT!!
Vrbo link to this amazing rental in New Town Key West:
We can't say enough about this amazing rental!! This home sits in Key Lime Grove Subdivision - a neighborhood rich in history and conveniently located on the Island.
It had all the space that we needed as a family of 6. Everything was clean, the kitchen had everything that we would need to use, and I loved that we had an indoor washer and dryer available for our use as well. This made packing light as a larger family much easier to do! Best of all?! We had our own private heated pool with a waterfall feature (SO relaxing!!). A fenced in yard, and even an outdoor shower too!! We loved this for quick showers after the beach or swimming for the kids! This home is in such a great neighborhood in New Town Key West. It is close to everything you need grocery or food wise - and only minutes from Duval Street or other attractions in Old Town Key West - but far enough away to not keep the kids awake at night from the sounds of live music playing! We hated to leave... we would 100% book our stay here again!! Roberta who manages this rental is very sweet, and great about getting back to you asap should you have any questions for her during your stay!
Day 1 - Monday, December 27th:
Morning one waking up from our master suite - I see 3 little ones ready to go jump in that pool!! For our Day 1 we took it easy recovering from the drive since we didn't get in till very late the night before. Grocery shopping for the week, some pool time, a little beach time (because we just couldn't wait for them to see the ocean for the first time), and then we ordered some food for dinner to enjoy back at the house!
Some beach time from our visit to Smathers Beach -
For dinner, Tim picked up some pepperoni pizza for the kids, and then picked up these delicious creations that I had seen as a food items to try on a tiktok video before our trip! So yummy and a perfect way to end a fun day!!
THE SEASIDE CAFÉ SIGNATURE PIZZA - LOBSTER BIANCA
Lobster, Cream Sauce, Fontina, Garlic Purée, Fresh Parsley
Coconut Shrimp
w/Piña Colada Sauce
Seaside Cafe at the Mansion (located in The Southernmost House Hotel)
1400 Duval St, Key West, FL 33040
Day 2 - Tuesday, December 28th:
We spent the afternoon swimming and enjoying some local eats at the Sunset Grille & Raw Bar! This is such a fun atmosphere!! Great drinks and food! Not to mention the views all around us as this is directly before you enter the 7 mile bridge!! We had a table right beside the pool - so it was great to be able to watch the kids and get in and swim ourselves! We loved that this was also a saltwater pool - felt very tropical and great on the skin too! This is a must visit place anytime we come to the Keys! One of our favorites!!
Sunset Grille & Raw Bar
7 Knights Key Blvd, Marathon, FL 33050
After this we went home to get ready for our date night out kid free on Duval Street - not something we would typically be able to do on a family vacation - but something I hadn't mentioned yet is our Cudjoe Key locals! In Cudjoe Key we have Grandma, Grandpa - Uncle Mike, Aunt Nina, cousin Zoe - Aunt Angie, and cousin Shane. So this wasn't our first trip to the Keys, but it was our first trip to the Keys with our kids in tow! We were VERY grateful to our family for offering us a much needed night out kid free!! We got to see the sunset at Mallory Square - absolutely breathtaking... and the best place to watch the sunset in the keys!!
After the sunset - we took full advantage of all of our fun venmo earnings from the trip down, haha!!
Duval Street is definitely a vibe of it's own - we collected our souvenir cups, we met new friends, listened to live music, and then even went and did Karaoke with those new friends that we had just met!! A night to remember, mostly... if ya know what I mean, haha!!
Day 3 - Wednesday, December 29th:
As I mentioned before, It wasn't our first trip to the Keys - well on our first trip to the Keys, Tim stumbled across Omar the Barber - who then called himself, *Claps hands* "The Master Barber!!" - and according to Tim - he sure is!! We had to give our son Liam the full experience this time too! Omar was so great with him, and loved that we were from Ohio, and HAD to get a haircut while we were in town! Liam loved looking at all of his fish he had there in his shop too!
Here is a link to book with Omar during your stay:
Omar The Barber
1108 White St, Key West, FL 33040
After we got our boys looking very spiffy, we headed to the Key West Butterfly & Nature Conservatory. HIGHLY recommend this experience!! We were a bit nervous with how the kids might react (our son hates flies, haha...) - but though a bit nervous at first, he ended up loving it!! The great thing is that a ticket in lasts you as many times through as you want that day! We ended up walking through 2 times back to back! We would have gone through 3 times, but we needed to get back to the house to get ready for our sunset pictures on smathers beach!
The Key West Butterfly and Nature Conservatory
1316 Duval St, Key West, FL 33040
Check out our videos below!
We used ArJay Hasty Photography to take our pictures at sunset on Smathers beach!
Here is a link to his facebook page to view some more of his work - he is local to Key West!
Scroll through our pictures here! :)
After pictures we went and grabbed a quick bite at Bo's Fish Wagon - really yummy shrimp tacos - and quick service with window walk up ordering!
B.O.'s Fish Wagon
801 Caroline St, Key West, FL 33040 (Key West Bight Parking Lot)
Day 4 - Thursday, December 30th:
Our big water adventure day with Sunset Watersports!! This day was SO much fun!!
All included - 12 different watersport activities including jetskis, parasailing, snorkeling, banana boat rides, grilled lunch, drinks and unlimited draft beer on the ride back in. This is one of Key West’s best watersports packages. Book direct with them and enjoy their Lowest Price Guarantee.
Link to book with them:
The best part?! Kids 5 and under are free!! Ages 5 and up can parasail too!! We couldn't believe it when Ellie and Liam decided they would do it too!! So brave, and we were SO proud - what an amazing experience!! This was everyone's first time parasailing except for of course, Cudjoe Key local Cousin Zoe - she had been before! Brynlee wanted to go so bad, but sadly too little - next time baby girl!! Pictures and videos below of our fun filled 6 hour water adventures!!
On the boat heading over to the water playground - the kids (and us!!!) all loved the slide and trampoline!!
We were the first group up to go jetski - then afterwards we all went on the banana boat - even Brynlee (3 years old) got to do this! We all loved it!!
Scroll through our pictures here:
Mama and Ellie
Daddy and Liam
Graisyn and Cousin Zoe
So many memories made - 100% worth the money to do the full adventure day!!
After all of our water adventuring we went to a local place for the BEST seafood bisque in town!! Grandma's Kitchen! ;) We had a great night spending time with family - great food, drinks, laughs & love!! We are missing them all so much already!! <3
Day 5 - Friday, December 31st:
For New Years Eve we spent the day poolside ALL day long - morning to night!! It was fantastic!! It was a great chill day that allowed for us to still be able to enjoy and relax - but throughout the day we packed up some things too, as we needed to checkout of the house by 10am the next morning. So sad... this house was a dream to stay in, and we didn't want to leave!!
Some pool fun!
Our Iguana friends that came to hang out with us poolside!
Happy New Year!!
Day 6 - Saturday, January 1st - New Years Day and checkout day
Sadly leaving the Keys - but excitedly on our way to Clearwater Beach for a couple of days!
On our way out - I had seen that you can often spot Key Deer at the No Name Pub in Big Pine Key roaming near the parking lot. So, of course we had to stop and see if we could find any, and sure enough!! We were so excited to finally see Key Deer - this was a first time even for Tim and I!! We have always joked that they were a myth since we had never seen them in the Keys before!
No Name Pub
30813 Watson Blvd, Big Pine Key, FL 33043
Crossing the 7 mile bridge!
Before officially leaving the Keys and preparing for the remaining 6 hour drive to Clearwater Beach, we wanted to stop for one last lunch - and get out to stretch our legs! We found the perfect spot at Robbie's in Islamorada, FL! Lots of souvenir shops, yummy food and drinks, and we even got to feed the Tarpon!
As you can see in this video below, the pelicans can be very intimidating and aggressive when you have a bucket of fish in your hand, haha!
Robbie's of Islamorada
77522 Overseas Hwy, Islamorada, FL 33036
We made it to our hotel in Clearwater around 11pm this night - so just checked in, then got some needed sleep!
Day 7 - Sunday, January 2nd:
We started the day off to the races at Tampa Bay Downs. We stopped in to see an old friend - he so kindly gave us some food vouchers, and some bets for us to place when watching some of the horse races! Graisyn picked the lucky horse and ended up winning $15 - we told her coffee is on her the next morning, haha!
Website link to their page and location:
After this we headed to Clearwater Beach to spend the rest of the day playing in the sand, collecting seashells, and watching the beautiful sunset from the beach!
This toy in the video below was so much fun - you toss him into the waves and he will surf back!
Here is the link:
Beach toys link: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B084NWPGM6/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Beach bags for the beach toys link:
Seashell bags link:
Beach blanket link:
Beach pool:
If you had a laugh at our suits with our faces on them, haha - you can custom order your own here:
Beautiful Sunset!!
Day 8 - Monday, January 3rd:
Our last day before heading home. After we spent the morning loading up the van and checking out of the hotel, we headed to the Clearwater Marine Aquarium! This was a lot of fun to see the dolphins up close! We even got to play toss with a dolphin!
Clearwater Marine Aquarium
249 Windward Passage, Clearwater, FL 33767
I recommend looking them up on groupon for tickets - it saved us around $2 a ticket!
After the aquarium we grabbed a quick lunch, happy meals by request, haha - then hit up one last souvenir shop before we were on our way, caffeine in hand ready to drive the remaining 16 hours home on shifts!
We said our goodbyes to the ocean... but we are fully prepared to hold onto these memories forever- an amazing trip full of so many memories!! As I mentioned before, Tim and I had both already made this trip to the Keys - but traveling with our children and seeing it through their eyes... there is nothing like it!! Take the trip with your kids - we just showed you that it is possible, and there is something for everyone in the Florida Keys and Clearwater Beach! We all got to experience new things together, and that is what truly bonds a family. Experiences over things - we'll choose it every time!
We haven't been everywhere, but it's on our list!
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