Travel Archives for Key West, FL

Key West is often called, the "last" resort, but to the many Indian tribes who made the homes along the island chain we now call the Keys, it was a last resort. These tribes would battle for "island" territory as far back as the 16th Century. As wars raged, each would try to escape the other by moving from one Key to the next, moving down the chain in pursuit of solitude and safety. Eventually there was nowhere left to go as warring tribes arrived on the last island for the last time. It would be their last resort! [read more]

Brrr - Key West in Winter

Oh boy, we had a real cold snap in Key West this week. January 3 was the coldest day ever recorded in Key West since the other coldest day recorded in 1898! I love it when it gets cold in Key West. Nobody has heat so Key West people come up with many creative ways to try and burn their houses down. [read more]

Flora and Fauna - Key West in Fall

Fall arrived this morning for today anyway. Key West is known for slipping right into deep summer at any time. But, today it is cold in the shade and skin kissed warm in the sun. [read more]

Fantasy Fest in Key West: A trip through the looking glass...
While so many locations throughout our country are wrapping up what they call their summer season, one of my favorite locations, Key West, is gearing up to kick their season off in whimsical style. [read more]

DOWN the “Creek” with a Paddle!
Kayaking is all about enjoying the trip and not the destination… but here in the Florida Keys, the destination is a worthy partner to the glorious trip required to get…well, anywhere! [read more]

What’s Down There Anyway?
The desire to breathe under water has probably always existed…first to hunt for food and then as an observer. [read more]

Sardines, Anyone?
The fish tales just keep getting bigger and bigger…and every now and then, one comes along that’s bigger than all the rest. In this case, even the one that got away can’t compare to what they’re saying at sea…all around the little island of Key West! [read more]

The Fantasy Continues…
This year, Key West celebrates the 29th year of Fantasy Fest… where fantastical fun will be shared as usual by more than 70,000 costumed partygoers. [read more]

10 Top Dives in the Keys
Summertime in Key West…and the livin’ is easy. As warmer temperatures arrive, a calm descends upon the island…around town and on the water. The southern Atlantic Ocean warms in the sun and the Gulf gets warmer still… [read more]

HOT Time…Summer in Key West!
Hardly a summer weekend goes by in the Florida Keys without a special event or festival taking place. The choices are endless, ranging from powerboat races to culinary, musical, historical and cultural celebrations, and quirky off-the-wall events featuring underwater music and chickens... [read more]

Bahia Honda...an Island Paradise!
Leaving Key West is never easy, but leaving for a ride up the Keys is always a good idea.especially if the Best Beach in the Continental U.S. is at the other end! [read more]

Wyland's Coastal Cleanup!
Internationally acclaimed marine life artist and environmentalist Wyland made Key West the final stop in his 16-city East Coast coastal cleanup. [read more]

Sex On The Reef!
It happens every summer on a few steamy, sultry nights under a waning moon...then, when everything is just right, the reef explodes in a frenzy. [read more]

Summertime...and the livin' is easy!
Summertime in Key West...it's perfectly warm and the livin' is easy...people wear less clothing and sexual tension seems to hover in the air. So what's the problem? [read more]

SHANGRILA...Dry Tortugas National Park
Dry Tortugas National Park is made up of seven tiny coral-and-sand islands and their pristine surrounding waters. First named The Turtles, Las Tortugas, by Spanish Explorer Ponce de Leon in 1513, these reefs soon read "Dry Tortugas" on mariners charts to show they had no fresh water. [read more]

The Lure of Key West... Can You Resist It?
Ernest Hemingway, Harry Truman and Jimmy Buffett...an unlikely trio under most circumstances, but the author, president and singer all shared a common bond -- an inability to resist the lure of a small island 90 miles north of Cuba. [read more]

25 Years of Fantasy Festival
This year, Key West celebrates the 29th year of Fantasy Fest… where fantastical fun will be shared as usual by more than 70,000 costumed partygoers. [read more]

Tranquility & History Blossom in Key West
An extraordinary abundance of plants, flowers and trees flourish in the warm subtropical climate of Key West. [read more]

The Overseas Highway... A Beautiful Drive
The Society of American Travel Writers recently named the Florida Keys' Overseas Highway, which connects the island chain with the Florida mainland, one of the 10 most beautiful drives in the United States. [read more]

Hemingway Days Festival
Resemblance to literary giant, Ernest Hemingway, is the first requirement to enter Sloppy Joe's Hemingway Look-Alike Contest. As many as 150 white-bearded Hemingway hopefuls from around the world compete for the coveted title of "Papa" each year. [read more]

PrideFest
Presented by the Gay and Lesbian Community Center, the festival promotes tolerance and understanding, while providing participants an opportunity to enjoy sun-drenched days and tropical nights in a place where CLOSETS are only for clothes! [read more]

Mollusk Musicianship! Conch Blowing Contest
The 45th Annual Conch Shell Blowing contest, sometimes called the "Conch Honk," will be held at the Ocean Key House’s Sunset Pier, Zero Duval Street, Key West. [read more]

Taste of Key West
Key West's culinary offerings are gaining a reputation as being among the country's finest with very talented chefs and cuisine infused with a sense of fun and individuality that relflects the spirit of the island itself. [read more]

Tennessee Williams
From the late 1940s until his death, internationally renowned playwright Tennessee Williams lived in a modest cottage on a quiet, tree-lined Key West street. [read more]

Fantasy Festival 2002
"Get out your headgear, get out your costumes, and get out of the house - the season is here!" Marjorie Paul Shook, Key TV's General Manager, can only be talking about one thing - Fantasy Festival! [read more]

Doing Duval Street
Duval Street in Key West is to the island what Bourbon Street is to New Orleans, what "the Strip" is to Las Vegas... much more than simply a "street," it's a way of life! [read more]

Diving Key West
Key West is a diver's paradise boasting a National Marine Sanctuary with America's only living coral reef. Numerous wrecked and sunken ships add to the attraction and Key West's "surface intervals" are among the best in the world. And now's the time to visit the Keys! [read more]

Mallory Square Sunset Celebration
Key West is famous for many things - the weather, the water, celebrity residents past and present, a determinedly non-conformist attitude. Any number of visitors or residents will tell you the reasons they have for loving this quirky little island. [read more]

Key West Music Festival
In only its second year, the Key West Music Festival has already created an anticipation seen with festivals ten years in the running. This little music festival in paradise brings in nationally recognized stars to play, along with some regional favorites. [read more]

Conch Republic Independence Festival
"We celebrate our Independence annually in a 'public and notorious manner..'" says the Honorable Sir Peter Anderson, Secretary General of the Conch Republic. [read more]

Spring Break
When thinking Spring Break, you don't automatically think Key West. But if you're wanting a Spring Break out of the ordinary, if you're not satisfied following the hordes to this year's trendiest spots, then you ought to consider Key West... [read more]

Literary Explorations
Key West, America's tiny little Caribbean island, has been associated with writers and literature since the 1920's. It was then that Ernest Hemingway first set foot on the island... [read more]

Pirates Plunder Island
"Pirates in Paradise is FABULOUS! They have lots of booths with great food, and seminars, and the galleries put on super shows, and there's games and... [read more]

Fantasy Festival Insanity!
There's only one party in America that rivals Mardi Gras in ribaldry, decadence, and sheer flat-out excess - Key West's famed Fantasy Festival! This year the craziness runs October 19th - 28th, 2001. [read more]

Uniquely Key West - Shopping
"We're not your average furniture store," Ken Richards, owner of Fletcher on Duval, tells us, "What we sell is unique." [read more]

A Wedding in Paradise
Are you looking for a romantic setting for a wedding? Exotic scenery and wonderfully strange natives? How about getting married in Key West? [read more]

Full Throttle Fun- Super Boat Racing
Speed. Pure, simple, unadulterated speed. That's the heart and soul of Super Boat racing, and the reason why this relatively new sport has gained such an impressive, and loyal, following. [read more]

Summer In Key West
As Spring lengthens toward Summer, deep sea fishing begins to cast its spell. Fishing Tournaments abound and everyone dreams of hauling in that 100 pound- make that 400 pound- Sailfish or Tuna! Or a world record Tarpon…[read more]

19th Annual Conch Republic Independence Celebration
"We celebrate our Independence annually in a 'public and notorious manner..'" says the Honorable Sir Peter Anderson, Secretary General of the Conch Republic. [read more]

Hemingway Home
The man lived a long full happy life of struggle adversity and pain. Dead, his accidental ownership of six-toed cats connects his life to his Key West home. [read more]

New Year's Eve Craziness
New York has the Ball Drop in Time's Square, Atlanta the Peach Drop at Underground Atlanta... but leave it to Key West to do it just right.... [read more]

Key West Waterfront
The waterfront, where the Conch Republic Seafood Company is now located, has a fascinating history. In the 1890's, Key West was considered the Sponge Capital of the Country, and these docks served as a sponge market where large "mother ships" unloaded their cargo. [read more]

Key West is Booming!
Key West real estate titles date back to the Kings of Spain. The island's infamous "live and let live" "manana town"attitude is deeply rooted in its twisted history. [read more]