Best Summer South Florida Getaway:The Keys and Key West, Visit to the Conch Republic

Living in Miami certainly has it's advantages and some disadvantages, hurricanes, brush fires during the dry season and unrelentless heat during the hot humid days of summer...But, as far as i'm concerned the good outweigh the bad on so many counts, which I'm sure is the reason my family and I have stayed more than 40 years....

Now that summer is upon us once again my thoughts go to the good times and what fun there is to be had throughout the State and especially the southern most point of Florida, the Keys and Key West.

One of our favorite things to do is visit the keys, where water activities abound to escape the heat.. My husband and I love to visit John Pennecamp Coral Reef Park in Key Largo, the Key closest to Miami.

Depending on a persons swimming ability nearly everyone can enjoy this park...are you into scuba_diving.? Then these reefs offer underwater sights that are noted around the world for the vast array of sea life living amid the Coral Reefs... if you are an accomplished diver you will be able to see ship wrecks lying in this wonderland of sea canyons, you might even find a treasure!!!.

But, if you are like me, with sensitive ears, then deep sea diving can be a bit difficult...But don't worry, there is always snorkeling, my favorite watersport..

The reefs in John Pennecamp are a bounty of beauty just waiting to be explored beneath the beautiful aquamarine waters of the Atlantic and you don't have to go to very deep to see them....There are about 600 species of fish living in more than 40 various kinds of Coral Rock....even though some Coral was damaged during the hurricanes of 2005, there is still quite enough left in this underwater perserve to thrill your sights and senses as you float above them..tThe colorful fish swimming in and through the formations are something you won't soon forget...I know I haven't, and each time we go we see sights that astound us..One of the things we enjoy to do is buy those disposable underwater cameras....the pictures they take are better than I ever imagined they would be.