Venture beyond Key West to the picturesque islands
Even among Florida’s famed oddities, the Keys are a special place. The people, the food, the landmarks, the culture — all embody the kind of life you would expect from a sprinkling of islands, stretching just far enough from the mainland to detach from reality while still being grounded enough to appeal to all.
It’s everything you’ve heard: jaunty bars playing Jimmy Buffett songs, Key lime everything, wild roosters in the streets, Ernest Hemingway’s historic home and his six-toed cats.
But it’s so much more if you venture beyond the popular Key West and into more secluded and picturesque islands, such as the Dry Tortugas, Sugarloaf Key and Islamorada. The Florida Keys hold treasures for all interests — the nature lover, the scuba diver, the foodie, the fishing enthusiast, the bar fly. Even kids can get into the many quirky adventures, such as spotting the pint-sized and endangered Key deer in Big Pine Key or exploring wildlife and historical artifacts at Crane Point Hammock in Marathon.
Despite being surrounded by ocean water, the islands are more famous for amazing sportfishing, snorkeling and kayaking rather than lounging in beach chairs. With the barrier reef protecting the shorelines from surf and crashing waves, there’s not the finely ground sand you find on other beaches throughout Florida. However, Bahia Honda State Park — located in the Middle Keys — has a picturesque and peaceful beach.
History buffs will delight in the strange and colorful past both on land and in the water. Divers and snorkelers from all over the world submerge into the waters of Key Largo’s John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park to see the “Christ of the Abyss” statue. The Sugarloaf Key Bat Tower, built by a 1920s resort owner, is perhaps Florida’s earliest (failed) attempt at controlling mosquitoes. You can spend whole afternoons at the Civil War-era West Martello Tower fort near the beautifully lush garden club in Key West.
While Keys cuisine doesn’t have the urban sophistication of nearby Miami or other Florida mainland cities, it does have its must-try staples such as conch fritters, hogfish and stone crab. Just about every restaurant seems to claim the best Key lime pie. Why not try them all and judge for yourself?