The Florida Keys Scenic Highway is located along US 1 in Monroe County, Florida, approximately 60 miles south of Miami. It begins just north of Key Largo at mile-marker (MM) 110 on US 1. The corridor continues south to Key West at MM 0. In addition to Key West and Key Largo, the cities of Key Colony Beach, Marathon, Layton, and Islamorada-Village of Islands are located along the scenic highway.
The Florida Keys Scenic Highway was designated by the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) as a Florida Scenic Highway on June 22, 2001, and is proudly anticipating designation by the Federal Highway Administration a National Scenic Byway and All-American Road in late 2009.
The stretch of US 1 from north of Key Largo to Key West travels through some of the nation’s most spectacular tropical scenery and is part of the "Old National Road" that starts in Maine and meanders down the East Coast to Florida and finally to the southernmost point in the continental United States in Key West. |
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From the moment you reach the top of Key Largo’s Jewfish Creek Bridge on US 1 traveling south, the feeling of escaping the pressures of daily life by traveling to “the islands” overtakes you. US 1 in the Keys is truly 110 miles of Paradise. |
Travelers will see and experience outstanding natural beauty, world-class fishing and diving, festivals, sunset celebrations, state and national parks, water sports, historic sites, museums, island cuisine, sunshine, tropical atmosphere, rich cultural heritage and friendly people that enjoy the laid back lifestyle that is the Florida Keys. All this and so much more is available on the FKSH, the "Main Street" for all that is the Florida Keys. The scenic highway is “one of a kind” in the world; surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean, Florida Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, and its turquoise waters stretch out as far as the eye can see. The Florida Keys are a wonderful blend of dozens of unique cultures. As you walk the streets of the islands that comprise the Keys you will experience the languages of the world. This part of Florida is accustomed to
being a “melting pot of cultures” and effortlessly accommodates the multi-lingual and international guests that frequent the islands.
Historically, Bahamian and Cuban influences have been dominant since people from these nearby islands (Cuba lies 90 miles off the coast) have been traveling to the Keys for hundreds of years. Culture, music, art, architecture and cuisine of the Keys are steeped in these island traditions. Experience for yourself Cuban, Bahamian and Caribbean food, dance to Salsa music, listen to the relaxing rhythms of an island steel drum band and visit the many museums and galleries full of art influenced by these cultures.
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