Driving from Fort Lauderdale to Florida Keys to New Orleans in 2 weeks

[oh_laceyj]

HI there

My partner and I are arriving in the States in a few days and will be driving from Fort Lauderdale to New Orleans in the end of the month. We were previously considering driving up to Jacksonville and then across to New Orleans over two days but a heap of friends have mentioned how lovely the Keys are.

As Aussies we're quite used to big drives (10 hour days not a problem) but we're wondering if it's feasible to get from Fort Lauderdale to the Florida Keys and back to New Orleans in two days (and if so what routes would be recommended).

Any help is really appreciated!!

Thanks

[AZBuck]

Welcome aboard the RoadTrip America Forums!

I think you'll find American roads to your liking, particularly our Interstate System which lets you keep up your speed (70-75 mph, 110-120 kph) even through moderately built up areas. However, trying to go too much faster than that will get you into trouble that will cost you both time and money. Ft. Lauderdale to New Orleans is a very easy two day drive at 850 miles. Going by way of Jacksonville adds only 20 miles to that. But trying to add the Keys makes the trip essentially impossible to do in 2 days. Going to Key West would put your total miles at 1225, but more importantly most of those 400 or so extra miles would be on two lane roads with a lot of bridges, causeways and small towns, and your average speed would be more like 35-40 than 70. What might make more sense is using one of your days in Ft. Lauderdale to take a day trip down to Key Largo or Islamorada. That will let you enjoy the Keys without having to drive every inch of US-1 or making you late into New Orleans.

AZBuck