Overseas Highway, Florida Keys

About this drive

US-1 from the mainland to Key West crosses 113 miles of island-hopping road and 42 bridges, including the Seven Mile Bridge — a road running just a few feet above open water with nothing visible on either side but the Atlantic and the Gulf of Mexico. The Overseas Highway is unique in the continental United States; there is genuinely nowhere else where you can drive through the open ocean for seven uninterrupted miles. The journey south through the Keys passes through a string of distinct island communities — Key Largo (diving capital), Islamorada (sport fishing), Marathon (family-friendly, halfway point), and finally Key West, which feels like a city that has happily given up on caring what the mainland thinks. Roadside fish shacks sell conch fritters and stone crab claws; the water shifts through improbable gradients of turquoise and cobalt; the pace slows to match the latitude. The old Seven Mile Bridge still runs parallel to the current road and has been converted into the world's longest fishing pier. Bahia Honda State Park, just past Marathon, has one of the best natural beaches in Florida. Plan to arrive in Key West in time for the nightly Mallory Square sunset ritual — the whole town gathers on the waterfront to applaud the sun going down, an unmistakably Keys tradition.

Stops along the way

• 📸 Seven Mile Bridge · Scenic Viewpoint

  The longest bridge in the Keys, running just above open water with the old original bridge visible alongside it.

Featured in

• Top 10 Scenic Drives in the USA
• Best Coastal Scenic Drives in the USA