Florida Keys Facts

Key West is on the silvery ribbon of islands that trail off the southern shore of Florida. Thanks to the ever present warm temperatures and glistening seas, the islands have long been an escapist's nirvana. Eclectic and eccentric, wild and warm, blessed with some of Florida's most colorful characters and equally blessed with some of its most spectacular sea scenery, the Keys are a wonderland paradise.

Key West

Key West is a rather small island that is about 4 miles long and 2 miles wide. Whether you want to relax on the beach or spend the day shopping, Key West has plenty to offer.

Duval Street is the center of Key West life, with many hotels, guest houses, inns and bed & breakfasts, plus dozens of shops and restaurants, nestled into its tropical ambiance. Wreckers Museum is an old house and museum where you can observe and learn more about the treasures salvaged from shipwrecks. If you get thirsty stop in for a cocktail and a snack at Duval Beach Club.

The Historic Seaport is the perfect place to walk down Harborwalk and enjoy the ocean along with shops and restaurants. Watch the free daily turtle feedings at Turtle Kraals Museum. Then stop for a bite to eat at Conch Republic Seafood Company or Half Shell Raw Bar.

If you get tired of the beach head to Key West Butterfly & Nature Conservatory where you can observe about 60 species of butterflies. You should also go to Key West Aquarium where you can learn more about sea life. The aquarium is the perfect place to take the kids since there are interactive exhibits where you can touch marine creatures.

Key Largo

Key Largo is a larger island and is occasionally called the "Diving Capital of the World” since the coral reefs attract so many divers. John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park is a protected park where you can view coral reefs and colorful sea life. The state park also offers an aquarium, museum, camping, snorkeling, diving, and boating.

Pennekamp Park is a treasure trove of local flora including wild orchids, gumbo limbo, wild cotton, strangler fig, tamarind trees, wild coffee, and mahogany trees. If you want to see endangered animals go to Key Largo Hammocks State Botanical Site where the mangrove trees grow a “hammock” which is basically a small island that attracts animals.

Islamorada

Billed as the 'Sportfishing Capital of the World', Islamorada's waters are home to the conch, alligator and Pickles Reefs, with a vast array of marine life. It's a destination for scuba divers and snorkelers. A scuttled ship, sunk on purpose is a great diving spot.

Those interested in Keys' geology can look at Windley Key Fossil Reef State Geologic Site, a reef that's no longer underwater. You can take a boat ride and get a historic exploration at Lignumvitae Key State Botanical Site, a virgin hardwood forest, and Indian Key State Historic Site, once the Miami area's county seat! Both are accessible on ferry trips.

You can feed tarpon off the docks at Robbie's Marina or swim with dolphins, manta rays and sea lions at Theater of the Seas.

Marathon and the Middle Keys

Some of the residents can trace their history to early 1800s settlements. Bahamians raised tropical fruit for a living; New England fishermen searched the sea for its bounty; and in 1908, Henry Flagler's Overseas Railway reached Key Vaca, where the village of Marathon grew as headquarters for the railroad's final push to Key West.

Here your adventure can include a swim with dolphins, an iguana introduction, a visit to a hardwood hammock or rain forest, or a loll on sandy beaches. Roaring jet skis and other water sports are available. Fishing is great on the reefs, the flats or in the deep.

For a close look at a sea turtle, visit the hospital that treats injured turtles. To learn something about early Indian settlements, visit the Museums of Crane Point, which encompass the Museum of Natural History of the Florida Keys and the Florida Keys Children's Museum.

Bahia Honda and the Lower Keys

Big Pine Key is the center of life in the Lower Keys. Looe Key Reef off Big Pine Key is one of the Keys' top diving spots and one of the best reefs for diving in the world. In July each year, the Sanctuary sponsors a popular music festival promoting the preservation of the Keys' coral reefs.

So popular is Bahia Honda State Park that campers reserve space months in advance to ensure a place in this waterfront paradise with its pristine beaches and warm waters.

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INTERESTING FACT:

          The Overseas Highway represents a remarkable engineering feat: 113 miles of roadway and 42 bridges leapfrogging across the water from key to key in a series of giant arches of concrete and steel. The Atlantic Ocean lies on one side of the highway, with Florida Bay and the Gulf of Mexico on the other — providing drivers breathtaking vistas of open sea and sky. In 2009, the Overseas Highway was named an All-American Road by the National Scenic Byways program administered by the Federal Highway Administration.

FREE APP : 

           Visitors are just a finger tap away from comprehensive travel information and guidance from Key Largo to Key West with the new Florida Keys Essential Guide App, free to download at the iTunes store.

WEIRD FACT:

          Marathon is home to the Turtle Hospital, situated at mile marker 48.5 bayside; it is the world's only licensed veterinary hospital dedicated to the treatment of sea turtles. It was opened in 1986 with the goal of healing injured sea turtles and returning them to the wild.

HISTORICAL FACT: 

           Dry Tortugas National Park, located 68 miles west of Key West, is home to Fort  Jefferson, the largest masonry structure in the Western Hemisphere. The classic red-brick structure is part of Key West's military history more than 130 years ago, in addition to Fort Zachary Taylor on the south shore. Fort Taylor, named for the country's 12th president, was built between 1845 and 1866. East Martello, listed on the National Register of Historic Places, is one of the best-preserved Civil War-era batteries in the United States.

FUN FACT:

           Key Largo is best known for John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park, located at mile marker (MM) 102.5. It is the first underwater preserve in the United States, and celebrated its 50th anniversary on Dec.10, 2010.

DRIVING TIP:

          Travelers along the Overseas Highway will see mile markers, often called mileposts, on the right shoulder or median strip.  These are small green signs bearing white numbers, which begin with number - mile – 126, just south of Florida City. Mile markers decrease steadily from there to Key West, ending with the zero marker at the corner of Fleming and Whitehead streets. Awareness of these markers is useful, since Keys residents refer to them regularly when giving addresses. Visitors asking  for directions shouldn't be surprised to hear that the spot they're seeking is located at - or just before or just beyond - a given mile marker number.

RANDOM FACT:

           In January, 1912, railroad tycoon Henry Flagler completed his impossible "railroad that went to sea," connecting the Keys and Key West with the mainland for the first time and providing a way for wealthy visitors to travel to the Keys for warm-weather vacations. In 2012, the 100th anniversary of his arrival into Key West via rail is to be marked with a Keys-wide celebration.

FOOD FACT:

           Stone crab season is open Oct. 15 – May 15 every year. Considered a renewable resource, the crabs are harvested only for their claws - the crabs can re-grow claws. While both claws can be taken lawfully if each is of legal size, defined as a 2.75-inch propodus (the larger, immovable part of the claw's pincer), harvesting only one claw is preferable for the crab's protection and feeding ability. Stone crab claws are delectable served either hot or cold, with mustard sauce.

THAT'S RICH:

           Key West is home to the Mel Fisher Maritime Museum, founded by the legendary shipwreck salvor who died in 1998. The museum holds the richest single collection of 17th-century maritime and shipwreck antiquities in the Western Hemisphere — most of them excavated from the waters around the island city.

FISHY FACT: 

           According to the International Game Fish Association, the Keys are home to more sportfishing records than any other destination in the world. Pelagic, (migratory ocean fish), flats and reef species are plentiful throughout the Keys, and the numerous world records attest to healthy and productive fisheries.

 



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