The Keys for kids

By VICTORIA SHEARER

© St. Petersburg Times, published April 30, 2000

Key West may tilt to adult attractions, but for the rest of the chain it's a small world.

Mention the Florida Keys, and for many the instant visions are of tiki-bars and sunset celebrations in frenetic Key West. "It's no place for kids," these folks might add, but other islands in the chain that arcs from mainland South Florida like a 126-mile kite tail are a family affair.

From Key Largo at the mainland end of the Keys through Marathon at the Seven-Mile Bridge, the islands are awash with pint-size attractions. Home-away-from-home bungalows, motels and condominiums in various price ranges pepper the shores of the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico and are often equipped with kid-size water toys. Three full-service resorts are committed to showing children a grand time.

Among attractions that appeal to children are:

• The Maritime Museum of the Florida Keys. This little museum chronicles the Spanish treasure ships that sank on the coral reef in the 1700s. A video of pioneer treasure hunter Art McKee turns back the dive clock to the 1950s.
• Dolphins Plus Inc. Children 7 and older can participate in a structured, in-water dolphin encounter if they are accompanied by an adult.
• Florida Keys Wild Bird Center. Owls, hawks and other recovering raptors join egrets, herons and pelicans at this rapid-care aviary.
• Theater of the Sea. Dolphin shows, similar to those at Sea World are staged all day. A Trainer for a Day program, for kids 10 and older, allows the children to assist the dolphins' trainers.
• Robbie's Marina. Giant tarpon swim at the end of the pier here. You can buy a cup of baitfish and send the silver kings into a feeding frenzy.
• The Dolphin Connection at Hawk's Cay. Kids 5 and older can become dolphin trainers in the Dolphin Detectives program. They will be taught the hand signals and participate in a training session.
• Dolphin Research Center. Dolphin Encounter enables children 5 to 12 to interact in the water with the dolphins if the children accompanied by an adult. One-hour narrated walking tours of the training facility are offered five times daily.
• Florida Keys Children's Museum at Crane Point. This hands-on museum is loaded with "please touch" activities such as a hop-aboard pirate ship with costumes to don, a Cuban "freedom raft", a pond filled with hungry fish and a touch tank loaded with sea life.

Kid bites

These family-friendly restaurants make mealtime fun for youngsters:

• Morada Bay. The kids will love to play in the sandy landscape of this gulf-front tapas restaurant while parents enjoy a drink and the sunset from Adirondack chairs. Dining outside provides lots of wiggle room.
• Islamorada Fish Co. Enjoy a water view from every table on the wharf pier that extends into the Gulf of Mexico. The dining is ultra-casual, with paper-lined baskets of fish and seafood.
• Dino's of Islamorada. A brick-oven pizza and pasta family room sports tables, booths and a smattering of TVs. Mom and Dad can order from the menu of the adjoining fine-dining room if they wish.
• The Island. Picnic and umbrella tables under a thatched tiki roof front the Gulf of Mexico. The extensive, eclectic menu ranges from snacks to full-course meals. Kids will love peering into the water at the schools of illuminated fish.

If you would rather park the car and unload everyone at a big resort, the following offer organized activities for children:

The Westin Beach Resort, situated on Florida Bay in Key Largo, operates the Fun Factory, such organized activities for children as nature walks, water sports and beach time.

Each day's activities revolve around a theme, such as Creative Minds Day, Anything Goes Day or Lost Treasure Day. On Friday and Saturday nights, the Fun Factory has special kids' activities to free Mom and Dad for the evening.

Older children can take kayak lessons, tennis workshops and drama sessions. Babysitting service is also available.

Camp Cheeca at Cheeca Lodge on the Atlantic in Islamorada places an environmental focus on its children's activities. Everglades Alert teaches about the endangered ecosystems of nearby Everglades National Park, and Earth Alert shows how to protect species the world over. The kids learn to snorkel in the hotel pool and then visit the nearby coral reef or look for tropical fish under the hotel's dock. Kids create art from recycled materials, such as rugs made of braided plastic grocery bags or woven palm fronds. Camp Cheeca's specialty nights are Wednesdays and Saturdays, parents' nights out.

Hawk's Cay Resort on Duck Key has age-specific activities for kids 6 to 12 years and 3 to 5. This theme day camp offers such activities as Save the Planet Day. Structured activities teach about the Keys' tropical ecosystem. Perched on the ocean, Hawk's Cay also sports a shallow, protected saltwater lagoon and a dolphin research facility, which kids love.

The two age groups have a pool that features a pirate ship, slides and water cannons. Older kids love the treehouse playground, which includes a rock-climbing wall, water slides, a bridge and a tire swing. Kids Night Out evening sessions here are Fridays and Saturdays and include art projects, lagoon games, movies and pizza.

-- Part-time Duck Key resident Victoria Shearer is the co-author of The Insiders' Guide to the Florida Keys and Key West.

If you go

Getting there: Several airlines fly from the Tampa Bay area to Miami International Airport. Flights are available to Key West's airport, but you will need a car no matter which end of the Keys you start from.

The Overseas Highway (U.S. 1) links the Keys from Key West (mile marker 0) to the mainland at Florida City (126). From the bay area, reach the Keys by driving south on I-75 until it joins Alligator Alley, then head east until it intersects U.S. 27. Take that to Florida's Turnpike and head g south once again to U.S. 1. All addresses in the Florida Keys are referred to by mile markers, visible as small green and white signs at the edge of the Overseas Highway.

Staying there: Accommodations range in price from $65 to more than $250 per night in high season (December through April). Book in advance. An 11.5-percent room tax is added.

Westin Beach Resort, Key Largo: MM 97, Bayside; (305) 852-5553 or (800) 728-2738; e-mail: info@1800KeyLargo.com; the Web site is http://www.1800KeyLargo.com

Cheeca Lodge: MM 82, Oceanside; (305) 664-4651; (800) 327-2888; email: cheecalodg@aol.com

Hawk's Cay Resort: MM 61, Oceanside; (305) 743-7000; (800) 432-2242; email: reservations@hawkscay.com

Eating there:

Dinner for two at these family friendly restaurants ranges from under $25 to 40. Kids portions will be less.

• Morada Bay: MM 81.5, Bayside; (305) 664-0604.
• Islamorada Fish Co.: MM 81.5, Bayside; (305) 664-8363.
• Dino's of Islamorada: MM 81, Oceanside; (305) 664-0727.
• Key Colony Inn: MM 54, Oceanside; (305) 743-0100.
• The Island: MM 54, Bayside; (305) 743-4191.

Attractions there:

• Dolphins Plus Inc.: MM 100, Oceanside; (305) 451-1993.
• Florida Keys Wild Bird Center: MM 93.6, Bayside; (305) 852-4486.
• Theater of the Sea: MM 84.5, Oceanside; (305) 664-2431.
• Robbie's Marina: MM 77.5, Bayside; (305) 664-9814.
• The Dolphin Connection at Hawk's Cay Resort: MM 61, Oceanside; (305) 743-7000, ext. 3030.
• Dolphin Research Center: MM 59, Bayside; (305) 289-1121.
• Florida Keys Children's Museum at Crane Point: MM 50.5 Bayside; (305) 743-9100.

For more information:

• Key Largo Chamber of Commerce: (800) 822-1088, (305) 451-1414.
• Islamorada Chamber of Commerce: (800) 322-5397, (305) 664-4503.
• Greater Marathon Chamber of Commerce: (800) 262-7284, (305) 743-5417
• Go Tours Airport Shuttle: (800) 689-3304, (305) 743-9876.
• Enterprise Rent-A-Car will pick up and deliver cars to Islamorada: (800) 736-8222, (305) 451-3998.

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