Key West: The 4.2-square-mile island, population 25,000, offers more to do than you’ll probably have time for, including the Ernest Hemingway Home and Museum , Harry Truman’s Little White House ...

The journey culminates in Key West, an independent island that knows how to have a good time. The 113-mile trip takes about three and a half hours without stopping. But you'll want to stop. A lot.

Just look on the left side of the road, around Mile Marker 105 in Key Largo, for a small overgrown wooden shack with lots of hopeful cats on the roof licking their chops. Relax. You're there.