Treasured islands
The Florida Keys is celebrating its bicentennial year this summer. Katie Wright heads to the island idyll – and discovers a destination that’s looking forward to a long future of tourism success.
RUMOUR has it, there are two things that will get you kicked off Key West, one of the hundreds of islands that make up the Florida Keys. “Being pretentious and being normal,” explains Carol Shaughnessy from the Key West tourist board, as we tuck into freshly caught fish served with tostones (caramelised refried plantains) and spicy
‘mojo’ sauce at bustling Cuban eatery – and island institution – El Meson de Pepe.
Affectionately known as the Conch Republic, Key West has long been a haven for alternative types. The name (which these days applies to the Keys as a whole) dates back to 1982, when the US government erected a stop-and-search checkpoint on one of only two roads connecting the Keys with mainland Florida and a 15mile queue of cars ensued, deterring travellers heading south to take advantage of the archipelago’s tropical temperatures and welcoming atmosphere.
Angry about the impact on tourism (a vital source of income) and with complaints to the government going unanswered, the mayor declared (with tongue firmly in cheek) that Key West would secede from the rest of the United States, and the Conch Republic was born. “We didn’t technically take down the flag of the United States – this was a symbolic secession,” says
Carol. The mayor declared war on the US – the only armed combat took place when he bopped a man dressed in naval uniform over the head with a loaf of stale Cuban bread – before surrendering one minute later and applying for a billion dollars in foreign aid.
The conch, a marine snail that you find served up as fritters all over the Keys, is “a very hardy sea creature”, Carol continues. “It can withstand anything.” Sure enough, the roadblock was removed soon after the secession stunt, but the name stuck, and Key West has remained a big draw ever since. The Florida Keys celebrates its 200th birthday on July 3, commemorating the establishment in 1823 of Monroe County, which encapsulates the island chain.
To mark the milestone, fireworks and festivities are planned, including the return of the world’s longest rainbow flag (originally unfurled in 2003) for June’s Pride month and the creation of the world’s largest Key lime pie (the region’s most famous culinary export).
Technically a city, Key West has a relaxed, small-town vibe, and is incredibly picturesque, the leafy streets lined with colourful, colonialstyle wooden houses erected by shipbuilders in the late 1800s.
Clucking and crowing on almost every corner you’ll find roosters, hens and their fluffy little offspring, a product of the long-since outlawed cock fighting circuit. On a whistle-stop ride around the city’s historical hotspots, Bruce Mitchell – a charismatic Key Westerner with the gift of the gab – explains what happened when the sport was banned in the late 1970s: “People opened the cages and let ‘em loose – they’ve been roaming around ever since.” While it’s forbidden to feed the feathered creatures, you’re not allowed to get rid of them either.
In the vibrant Bahama Village neighbourhood, Blue Heaven promises ‘breakfast with the roosters’ in a leafy cobblestoned yard. Dishing up thick, fluffy blueberry pancakes and decadent lobster benedict, the property used to host cockfighting, gambling and boxing matches refereed by literary legend Ernest Hemingway.
The house occupied by Key West’s most famous resident from 1931 to 1939 is a couple of blocks away. At the Hemingway Home and Museum, you’ll find 54 docile cats sprawled out in the garden, lapping iced water from an oversized cocktail glass on the verandah, and flagrantly ignoring the ‘please do not touch the furniture’ signs. A guided tour of the house (included with your entry ticket) traces the life of the iconic author, who penned some of his most famous novels in the spacious secondfloor writing room (when he wasn’t fishing, boxing or drinking).
One hundred years before Hemingway arrived, the Keys prospered thanks to many ships
’Key West has a relaxed, smalltown vibe, and is incredibly picturesque, the leafy streets lined with colourful, colonial-style wooden houses.’
that ran aground on the vast Florida Reef. ‘Wreckers’ would sail out to the vessels and lay claim (according to laws at the time) to the cargo, then auction it off and give a commission to residents, making Key West the richest town in the world per capita for a time.
I get a sense of life in the 1800s when I jet over to historic Dry Tortugas National Park, an islet just off the coast of Key West, with Key West Seaplane Adventures.
Clambering aboard the tiny, 10-person plane, I peer out of the window and spy three shipwrecks as we cruise low over the turquoise sea.
Through headphones, the pilot tells us what to look out for in the waters: I spot loggerhead turtles lapping leisurely, pods of dolphins congregating, schools of black nurse sharks and a solitary hammerhead before we make our smooth sea landing. The island is dominated by Fort Jefferson, a hexagonal red-brick behemoth abandoned shortly after construction was completed in 1874. I get a closer look at the Keys’ marine wildlife during a boat trip to John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park.
It’s hard to believe that since the 1970s there’s been a 90 per cent decrease in coral due to climate change and disease, but recent restoration projects have proved fruitful, with 170,000 corals restored to the 350-mile reef since 2020. Scientists at the Mote Marine Laboratory are optimistic about the future. With a bit of luck, this underwater marvel can be enjoyed for another 200 years by visitors to the Conch Republic.
A six-night visit to the Florida Keys with Purely America costs from £1,649pp (two sharing, for travel in September 2023) including return flights from London Heathrow to Miami with British Airways, car hire, accommodation on a room only basis. Visit Purelytravel.co.uk. fla-keys.co.uk.