Florida & Georgia - Advice on traveling to the Keys.....please

In two weeks I will be driving with boat/ trailer and my dog from SC to Marathon Key. I am planning to take it easy and spend the night somewhere south of Jacksonville. I would appreciate any suggestion.

Make sure you have brakes on your trailer in the keys...That is the only place I have seen anyone have an issue with police for not having brakes. I have been going down there for since I was a kid, and I still do not put brakes on my trailer, just do to the fact that the fine is only $75 ( once every 2-3 years) and brake maintenace far exceeds that.

Make sure you have brakes on your trailer in the keys...That is the only place I have seen anyone have an issue with police for not having brakes. I have been going down there for since I was a kid, and I still do not put brakes on my trailer, just do to the fact that the fine is only $75 ( once every 2-3 years) and brake maintenace far exceeds that.

10-4

I have a new boat/dual-axle trailer with brakes :):) ..... My main concern for the trip is finding a good and safe place to spend the night in mid Florida on my way to the Keys..........

The biggest problem I have had trailering and stopping overnight is finding a hotel with enough room to park. Some lots can get pretty crowded with cars. I usually try and park under a light and put a cover over the boat. Most of the valuable stuff is locked in the cuddy or car. Where possible I back the trailer up to a curb and thereby blocking the trailer between my car and curb. Of course trailer locks are a must. I also ask the front desk to keep an eye out on the boat. Park as close to the front as they will allow.

I have stayed at some of the chains in Ft Pierce where you swap over to the turnpike with success.

10-4

I have a new boat/dual-axle trailer with brakes :):) ..... My main concern for the trip is finding a good and safe place to spend the night in mid Florida on my way to the Keys..........

Lucky, there are plenty of places in St Aug, right south of jax to stay. Just got on google maps look at the size of the parking lot. Besides that be careful on us1 south of Miami, it can get pretty bad with traffic, always be ready to come to a complete stop and dont speed, cops will get you.

that's very helpful advice, guys ...... thanks

I trailered down to Marathon from Charlotte in April and stayed at the Hilton Garden Inn in St Lucie. Plenty of parking space for the boat, decent room, came with a pretty good buffet breakfast, right off the highway, and I felt my boat was safe overnight. Plus, I wanted to do more driving on day 1 than day 2.

Here's a link:
http://hiltongardeninn.hilton.com/en/gi/hotels/index.jhtml?ctyhocn=MLBSLGI

I trailered down to Marathon from Charlotte in April and stayed at the Hilton Garden Inn in St Lucie. Plenty of parking space for the boat, decent room, came with a pretty good buffet breakfast, right off the highway, and I felt my boat was safe overnight. Plus, I wanted to do more driving on day 1 than day 2.

Here's a link:
http://hiltongardeninn.hilton.com/en/gi/hotels/index.jhtml?ctyhocn=MLBSLGI


This is good advice.

In Jax you are still 8 or 9 hours from Marathon. Try to hit the South Florida traffic between rush hours. I-95 or the turnpike is no fun in stop and go especially with a boat in tow. I like the turnpike due to the ''lighter'' traffic and less nut jobs than 95 seems to attract in South Fla. Pick up a SunPass or E-Z pass for the tolls before you go. You should be able to order one online. The turnpike service centers have them but I think there is a 24 hour wait for activation.

whatever u do, dont take 95 to us1 in miami, if ur taking 95 cut over to the turnpike at 595 in fort lauderdale to the turnpike south and make sure u buy a sunpass before u get to fl. . i wouldnt stay in a hotel in ft pierce by the hgwy. pick a couple of towns close to where u would like to stop and look them up on tripadvisor.com and read the reviews, good luck

If you can, try to get to the Daytona area the first day. That leaves you with a relatively easy 250 miles to Miami and then on to Marathon...

You can pick up a SunPass in any Publix or CVS in the state. If you get the "permanent" one that attaches to your windshield and disintegrates when you try to remove it, they will charge you $4.99 for it but give you an instant $5 credit on your account when you set it up. If you opt for the "removable" suction cup model, it will set you back $25 and no credit for it when you open your account.

The tolls are less expensive if you use the SunPass vs. cash. Every time I trailer down to Miami I save at least $10 and its easier. Pays for itself quickly.

More info here: http://www.sunpass.com

These guys have a trailer monitoring system that let's you know if the boat is being tampered with up to 1000' away. http://www.tattle-trail.com/

Check this place out when you get there. Gary is full of local knowledge and a runs a nice tackle shop. His lead prices can't be beat.

Great tips on Yellowtail fishing. Good luck and have a great time.

http://www.keyscustomrods.com/index.html

I second the following-
Sunpass
Turnpike all the way from at least Palm Beach
Stay away from I-95
Also: Keep your rods out of site when traveling thru Homestead, thieves wait by the stop lights to run out and grab your stuff.

Make sure you have brakes on your trailer in the keys...That is the only place I have seen anyone have an issue with police for not having brakes. I have been going down there for since I was a kid, and I still do not put brakes on my trailer, just do to the fact that the fine is only $75 ( once every 2-3 years) and brake maintenace far exceeds that.

Interesting....never heard of this?

Keys Custom Rods as mentioned above is now closed and moved upstate. For local fishing info see the folks at Big Time Bait & Tackle. A licensed Captain is always in the shop. You will get good accurate info and advice.

Keys Custom Rods as mentioned above is now closed and moved upstate. For local fishing info see the folks at Big Time Bait & Tackle. A licensed Captain is always in the shop. You will get good accurate info and advice.


Oh no! Do you know where they went?

If you can make it to Daytona there are plenty of places to stay. Holiday Inn Express, La Quinta, etc. From there it will be about 6-7 hours to Marathon, depending on traffic. If you get a Sunpass, I think you have to activate it 24 hours prior to use. At least I did with mine. It's great to have, no stop and go through the tolls. As another member said, do not take I-95 through Miami. I wouldn't even take it through Palm Beach. I always pick up the turn pike in Ft Pierce. Have fun.

Unfortunately, the crime factor from Palm Beach south is extremely high. The scumbags from Miami are even venturing north to Ft. Pierce occasionally. Be very careful.

On another note concerning the SunPass....you will save yourself a huge amount in tolls when traveling the turnpike. Reason being, when you register the SunPass, it is registered as a passenger/two axle vehicle and will charge you the passenger/two axle rate when going through the SunPass lanes. If you go through the other lanes, they will look and charge you for the vehicle plus every extra axle you have, which is double or more depending upon number of trailer axles.

but realize you need to register it before u leave, i think it takes 24 hrs

If you are making it to Ft Pierce/PSL, I would drive a little further to Stuart (Exit 100 on I95). There are two new hotels at that exit with plenty of parking and fuel stations right there. The next morning I would run down 95 to Indiantown Rd and grab the turnpike south from there.

Again, many thanks for all the advice. I will check out all suggestions. As I am traveling with my 16 year old son and a dog my options will be a bit restricted. Safety is my major concern..... Once again, I am impressed by the good advice offered by folks on the Hulltruth

Check this place out when you get there. Gary is full of local knowledge and a runs a nice tackle shop. His lead prices can't be beat.

Great tips on Yellowtail fishing. Good luck and have a great time.

http://www.keyscustomrods.com/index.html

Keys Custom Rods as mentioned above is now closed and moved upstate. For local fishing info see the folks at Big Time Bait & Tackle. A licensed Captain is always in the shop. You will get good accurate info and advice.

Oh no! Do you know where they went?

Nice catch, Ron...beat me to it!!

Gary & Alpha moved to one of the larger cities up the coast...Port St Lucie, Jupiter, Ft Pierce??? Don't remember...

Talked with Gary just as they left...he informed me he would continue making and delivering custom rods to some select guides here in the Marathon area...you might try the email addys contained in their link above...or check with some some of the larger places in Marathon hosting guides...eg, Capt Hooks, Big Time Bait & Tackle, Pips, et al. Good luck.

Again, many thanks for all the advice. I will check out all suggestions. As I am traveling with my 16 year old son and a dog my options will be a bit restricted. Safety is my major concern..... Once again, I am impressed by the good advice offered by folks on the Hulltruth

No worries, there are lots of hotels that will accept dogs......your 16 year old son may be a different story :grin:

Nothing's free, unless there's a temporary problem with the system. From the FAQ's on the SunPass web site:
Q: Can I pull a boat/trailer?

A: When towing, you can use the SunPass lanes. The toll for additional axle(s) will be calculated and deducted from your transponder account balance during subsequent use. This is only recommended for occasional usage. If you pull additional axles (http://www.sunpass.com/images/vehillustkanstpkauth2.jpg) on a daily basis, you will need to open a commercial account. To discuss the terms of a commercial account, please contact SunPass Customer Service at 1-888-865-5352 and a representative will be glad to assist you.

On another note concerning the SunPass....you will save yourself a huge amount in tolls when traveling the turnpike. Reason being, when you register the SunPass, it is registered as a passenger/two axle vehicle and will charge you the passenger/two axle rate when going through the SunPass lanes. If you go through the other lanes, they will look and charge you for the vehicle plus every extra axle you have, which is double or more depending upon number of trailer axles.

What Bigger Hammer said...the sensors capture the number of axles and they charge accordingly. You do, however, still get the savings over the cash toll prices.

Did not know that, thanks for correcting me. Learn something new every day.

Lots of great tips already posted but I'll reinforce the following,
* Time it so that you pass through Miami (via turnpike) before 7am.
* Keep all fishing gear out of site
* Lock up all of your gear every single night while in the keys. Do not leave anything on the boat!
* Try to launch your boat at high tide, most ramps in the keys are little scary for non-locals :)
* Be a good steward of the water. If we don't police ourselves.... well we all know what happens

Brand new Holiday Inn Express & Hampton Inn at Exit 284 in Flagler Beach (1 hour south of Jax) Very safe and secure with plenty of parking, easy on/ off. We have zero crime in our little old town! 5 hours to the entrance of the keys. I luv the Keys!!

http://www.hotelpalmcoastfl.com/hotel-near-daytona.aspx

Brand new Holiday Inn Express & Hampton Inn at Exit 284 in Flagler Beach (1 hour south of Jax) Very safe and secure with plenty of parking, easy on/ off. We have zero crime in our little old town! 5 hours to the entrance of the keys. I luv the Keys!!

http://www.hotelpalmcoastfl.com/hotel-near-daytona.aspx


Furthermore, its a very short walk to Woody's BBQ!! Hope its still there! (Lived two miles south of there for three years...ate at Woody's a lot.) Nice area, but got crowded...:(

I regularly trailer from Miami to Key Colony ,about twice a month (just north of Marathon) have done it through US#1 and the turnpike. Defenitively use the T-pike to the end, but I have NEVER experienced anyone trying to steal rods while the boat is stopped at a light!! Is this a fact or urban legend? BTW while at Key Colony, never have had a theft incident in 30 years and will admit to leaving gear and keys on the boat more than once. But , you are on vacation so don't make it easy for thieves, nice public ramp , bayside mile marker 53.5, easy in or out regardless of tide, easy to get to Marathon ocean or bay from there, another ramp on 33rd street, Marathon, maybe closer to where you are staying

I regularly trailer from Miami to Key Colony ,about twice a month (just north of Marathon) have done it through US#1 and the turnpike. Defenitively use the T-pike to the end, but I have NEVER experienced anyone trying to steal rods while the boat is stopped at a light!! Is this a fact or urban legend? BTW while at Key Colony, never have had a theft incident in 30 years and will admit to leaving gear and keys on the boat more than once. But , you are on vacation so don't make it easy for thieves, nice public ramp , bayside mile marker 53.5, easy in or out regardless of tide, easy to get to Marathon ocean or bay from there, another ramp on 33rd street, Marathon, maybe closer to where you are staying

:nono: As one who has lived at KCB for three years (left six months ago only because of better digs, at the same price, on the water near the CC) I can attest to many incidents of thievery & vandalism occurring there during that time...in spite of the best efforts of Chief Petrick and his PD. Obviously, they cannot be everywhere all the time. And off season (now) is worse, because so many residents go north for the summer...place is quite empty compared to the rest of the year. Leaving bracket mounted electronics, rods/reels, other tackle/gear out and unsecured is not wise...

I think the folks at KCB have formed a "Citizens Water Patrol", cruising about the canals after sundown. Simply use every day common sense...and hang on to your entire motor, lower unit (a favorite), and your tackle.

BTW...for a better housing deal, I'd move back in a minute! Great place to live...even though all my best friends there are "back up nawth" for the summer. :grin:

Great advice from many boaters. Here's mine.

My son and I travel from Daytona Beach to KCB and MArathon 3 times a year.
Turnpike and SUNPASS are a must, not only convenient but there is a lot of traffic on turnpike, cars can be backed up quite a ways at the toll booths, and you are pulling a trailer so it's a lot of stop and go. SUNPASS allows you to sail on throughin different lanes.

Daytona to Marathon is 8 hours-no way around it. And that's with moderate traffic.So plan your hotel stay accordingly.

There is a boat launch in KCB on left side(east) of Sadowsky blvd. I think its 5 bucks to launch. YES on the high tide hint. Unless you have the silicon runners (or whatever they are called)

Sparkeys is a great place to eat.

But most importantly-enjoy the time with your son, I wouldn't trade my fishing trips that my son and I have taken for anything in the world. Just tons of great memories.

Have fun and good luck.

In two weeks I will be driving with boat/ trailer and my dog from SC to Marathon Key. I am planning to take it easy and spend the night somewhere south of Jacksonville. I would appreciate any suggestion.

I definitely would try to get farther than Jax. If possible try and get to the Melbourne area or south of there to ease your drive the second day.

I'll suggest Titusville, about 2 hrs south of Jacksonville. We have three new hotels right next to I-95. Holiday-Inn express, Hampton Inn and something else, I can't remember. I'll check out the parking situation for you if you like, PM me. I'll also recommend the sunpass, It's worth the money.