Florida - Miami & key west, must dos?

Gonna be in Miami and key west for about 7 days miami, and 2 days key west.

Anything that i MUST do in each place that i might not be aware of, or maybe something that most tourists don't do that would be memorable/fun.

Someone recommended Opa (restarurant) to me as a fun affordable restaurant in South Beach. They also recommended doing a city tour to get acquainted with other parts of miami besides south beach.

I'll be travelling with friends. Any other must dos?

If it's still there (I havent been there in years), go to Louie's Backyard for dinner in Key West. Good food, great view.

I don't know if these are must do items but they are things we enjoyed.

Miami

Shark Valley in the Everglades
South Beach nightlife and beaches
Ft. Lauderdale canal tour
Jai Alai
Fairchild Tropical Botanical Gardens
Cape Florida Lighthouse


Key West

Jet ski tours
Hemingway House
Colombian Grace Restaurant

Key West

Mel Fisher's Treasure museum
Breakfast at Blue Heaven (if you have time to wait)
Of course, sunset at Mallary Square


Miami

Eat a Cuban Sandwich, drink some Cuban coffee
Stroll Lincoln Road Mall in South Beach - have a bite to eat or a drink at one of the many outdoor eateries (Van Dyke's would be my suggestion)
Vizcaya is a waterfron museum, former mansion. Beautiful grounds, interior
Bayside Market (and perhaps a boat tour of Miami from there) music, food, shopping.
Coconut Grove is interesting to walk around for a bit.
Lunch at the Clevelander in South Beach poolside

I'd take one day from Miami and add it to the Keys, to mitigate the travel time to and from Key West.

I'd take one day from Miami and add it to the Keys, to mitigate the travel time to and from Key West.

Yeah, search the forum, lots of suggestions on places to stop along the way to Key West.
My favorites (in no particular order) Alabama Jack's, Lorilei's, and Hungry Tarpon.

I'd take one day from Miami and add it to the Keys, to mitigate the travel time to and from Key West.

I'll be flying to Key west from Miami early in the morning. Miami is a stopover along the way to Key West. Though in reality Key West is a side trip, though i do wish i would have taken one more day off Miami and added it to key west!

Ditto Mel Fisher Museum and check out the sunset at Mallory Square - it's a regular Mardi Gras every evening.

Is it worth taking a whole day to rent a car from south beach and go to Fort Lauderdale for the day? or is it not really worth it?

I prefer Fort Lauderdale to South Beach; but if I was vacationing in South Beach it would not be worth it to me to rent a car just to make a day trip to Fort Lauderdale:cool:.

Definite second/third the Mallory Square sunset celebration. Louie's is still there, and alright but IMHO not worth the $$$. Blue Heaven (http://blueheavenkw.homestead.com/Blue_Heaven_Restaurant_Key_West.html) is a unique and kewl cjoice for a meal, especially breakfast, but also consider Pepe's (http://www.pepescafe.net/) on Caroline St. I've found many of the better meals, and interesting conversations are to be found where the locals tend to hang out as opposed to the touristy places.

Duval St. is tourist central, especially closer to the Gulf. Cruise ships dock in KW occasionally, so you can check out the Key West Cruise Ship Schedule (http://www.keywestcity.com/department/calendar.asp?fDD=13-192) to see when the cruisers will be 'invading'. They are long gone by sunset time though ^ You can also take one of the two tours of the island, the Conch Train (http://www.conchtourtrain.com/) and the Trolley Tour (http://www.trolleytours.com/key-west/). Both are a neat way to learn about the island, but the Trolley gives more flexibility because you can get on and off the tour wherever the trolley makes regular stops

Lots of good entertainment and music there too. Ya never know who might pop in - Kenny Chesney was recording at Shrimpboat Sound and one night he and his band popped into the Hog's Breath and did like a 3 or 4 hour show. I always include some time at Schooner Wharf (http://www.schoonerwharf.com/) during the afternoon to relax and listen to Michael McCloud.