Florida Keys or Bust!

I hadn't been down to the Keys in a long time.  My kids had never been.  It was time...

We left the Flamingo Visitor Center in Everglades National Park, way down in the southernmost swamps, and made our way back towards Florida City to catch Hwy. 1 South.  Between the two, we made a very important stop...a stop that involved Key limes and coconuts ;).

We stopped at Robert Is Here, a south Florida landmark that is so much more than just a fruit stand.  It is the king of all fruit stands, a mini zoo, gift shop, splash park, and they just so happen to sell the best fresh fruit milkshakes I have ever tasted.  Oh, and fresh from the oven still warm baked goods like banana bread, etc.  Yes, indeed :).  There is a great story about Robert and how he started his fruit stand, you can read it here.

When you first pull up, you notice that the place is just a wonderful jumble of all kinds of goodness.  Don't get distracted, go directly to the milkshake window and place your order.  They are all made to order with the fresh fruit(s) of your choice and take a little while to prepare.  Order, pay, get a numbered ticket, and then check out everything else while your shake is being made.  Your welcome ;).

There were SO MANY fruits and veggies that we had never seen before.  Some really crazy looking (but yummy sounding, everything had a flavor description posted) things...

We browsed the stand, purchased some fruits to take to the Keys with us, and visited with Harold...

When our shakes were ready, everything else was forgotten.  They are really big, but we each got our own (duh).  The kids all wanted Key lime, so five of those and one banana for me...I asked the girl making them what she recommended and banana it was.  Both flavors were so fresh tasting, like eating the fruit...only in milkshake form :).

With lunch in hand (hehe) we were ready to hit the Keys!  We couldn't wait to get down there, drop our stuff at our hotel, and hit the beach.  Ahh...

An oceanside playground kept the kids busy until dark, then it was supper time and back to the hotel.  I'm pretty sure they were asleep before their heads hit their pillows ;)...