[sware2cod]

I went to the Keys in July and left early because it was too hot and humid, and I am a Floridian. I didn't stay in Key West(stayed on a diff key) , but went to Key West for a day visit. Many of the restaurants on Islamorada and neighboring keys have outdoor tiki huts for dining. This means there is no A/C and you dine on an open aired porch with a roof that is thatched with palm fronds. It was very difficult to find a restaurant that had indoor dining with AC.

Might be a bit easier to find indoor ac at key west. Although much of key west is blocks and blocks of businesses and it's nice to walk down each block and visit the shops and such. But when it's so hot/humid, it makes it miserable to walk around in the middle of the day. Evening or morning would be best for walking around.

You should take the opportunity to go visit just to check it out. Just be prepared for heat/humidity and try to find ways to cool down. A boat ride is usually comfy because once the boat starts moving the breeze cools you down. There are lots of boat rides there. You can rent a car and drive to the many different keys and enjoy the comfort of the AC in your car,and view the sites.

Many Floridians walk /do outdoor stuff in the morning (before 9am) and around sunset because it's too hot in the middle of the day. You can have fun outdoors in the evening at Key West after sunset.

Bring a wide brimmed hat (or buy one) and wear sunscreen during the day. Visitors can get sunburned in a few hours.

[Restrain]

When in KW, take an afternoon break at The Boat House. It is on the waterfront near Turtle Krawl and the charter boats. They have great drinks and a very cheap appetizer list.

[ctr88]

Thanks everyone for the info. I am definitely really curious to see KW as it is a place I've always wanted to go.

[Shortbus901]

It's hot and humid most of the year down here, especially so right now but as long as you just accept the fact that everyone else is sweating along with you, grab a beer and sit in the water to cool off it's not so bad. The climate is actually a little more moderate down here than the rest of Florida due to the moderating effect of the water.

Bring lots of sunscreen and enjoy the trip!

[StarfishKey]

Originally Posted by sware2cod

Many of the restaurants on Islamorada and neighboring keys have outdoor tiki huts for dining. This means there is no A/C and you dine on an open aired porch with a roof that is thatched with palm fronds. It was very difficult to find a restaurant that had indoor dining with AC.

Might be a bit easier to find indoor ac at key west.

This is utter nonsense. Whether OP is going to enjoy the oppressive heat is questionable. But I live in the Upper Keys, and unless you were last here in 1963, it is ridiculous to state that there are no restaurants outside of Key West with A/C. Many restaurants offer outdoor seating for customers to be right on the water, but they are based indoors. We are based on a tourist economy in one of the hottest climate zones in the nation, including territories. Everything here operates on A/C. Where do you think the restaurants do their cooking? It sure isn't in the heat, without A/C! It might be possible to find restaurants that don't have any and are just a hut, but the vast majority do. Key Largo, Tavernier, and Islamorada all have plenty of restaurants with A/C. Locals wouldn't eat there in the summer if they didn't! If this concerns you, do the most basic research beforehand to find places you want to eat before ending up desperate, but an actual RESTAURANT - not a tiki hut serving snacks by a pool - will have indoor seating. It would take no effort at all to simply ask a hotel front desk, or any business owner or local, where there is a restaurant with cold indoor seating. Additionally, the Upper Keys have chain fast food, so obviously those all have indoor A/C seating, too. We also have grocery stores with frigid A/C, clothes and trinket stores with A/C, ice cream shops with A/C... just like any other normal place where people live anywhere else in the US.

People make it sound like the Keys are some desolate backwater for 100 miles all the way until you reach Key West. There are tons of things to do along the whole way and nearly all of them cater to the needs of people from out of town. We are lacking in many respects, but A/C is considered an essential in SFL, and you are hard-pressed to find anywhere down here in Miami or Monroe counties that does not have an over-abundance of it, especially in the summer when even locals need refuge from the insufferable heat and hordes of mosquitoes.
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The first time I ever saw the Keys was in July, and if I could have come any other time, I wish I could have. It was not the best first impression of the Keys. But I personally would rather have come then, then not at all. I am a hot-and-humid weather person, though, and most people are not - hence why I live in SFL year-round, and they don't. It was unpleasant (I was here at an unusually bad stretch), but it was still unusual, exotic, and exciting in my opinion. I knew SFL in the dead of summer was going to be hot, of course. But as others have said, it's not necessarily hotter than other locations in the US in the summer - it is cooler in fact than most of AZ, or inland SC, etc. during those months. The Keys rarely ever go above 93F, whereas much of the rest of the country, including states like NY, get well above that every year. Mercifully, we rarely have loss of power because we are so small, unlike major cities like NYC or Philadelphia in the summer. And a lot of individuals and most businesses have generators just in case.

I would be more concerned about hurricanes this time of year. This particular year is highly active already, although we have still been lucky so far. Get refundable tickets if you can't afford to lose the whole thing. Otherwise you'll only qualify for a refund in very narrow circumstances. We are way overdue for a direct hit to the county by a major hurricane, and it is a matter of WHEN, not IF. This is the rainy season, so it rains often every day here at this time, if not several times a day - briefly, but enough to make the humidity hover near 100% almost all the time. A serious storm added to that can really wreck plans. I live here, so obviously it's doable. But, again, it would not be my choice for the best first impression, if you could come at another time. Then again, prices are usually lower, and traffic is slightly less terrible, at this time - so for some this is the best time to come.

Hopefully OP already got here and is having a great time. But hopefully others reading this thread will take heed and plan accordingly.


Incidentally, it is certainly NOT a stupid question. What's stupid is the people who come down without bothering to ask a single question BEFORE their trip, then blame the place they're visiting rather than themselves that it did not live up to their expectations! A smart person always researches beforehand, or they prepare to be disappointed.

[Arcenal813]

Just be prepared: there are LOTS of gay men down there. It's not a bad thing, but it struck me as odd for once to get hit on more than my wife did.

[StarfishKey]

Originally Posted by Arcenal352

Just be prepared: there are LOTS of gay men down there. It's not a bad thing, but it struck me as odd for once to get hit on more than my wife did.

LOL - I would think that's a compliment!