Lovers of exceptional food and scenery can now enjoy an intimate, private dinner on the water while watching the sun dip below the horizon with Islescapes Gourmet Yachting. On the upper deck of Captain Alex Aller's custom-restored 33-foot Carver Mariner, guests are delightfully pampered and deliciously served.

Gourmet cruises are available for lunch or dinner, with menu choices that include such delicacies as crabmeat-stuffed portobello mushrooms, Thai blackened shrimp or potato goat cheese tart for starters; followed by rosemary-mango or Caesar salad; then grilled fresh catch of the day, pork tenderloin with Jamaican jerk marinade or a New York strip steak for the entrée. Dessert choices include crème brulee or decadent strawberries hidden under Key lime white chocolate whipped cream.

The boat departs from a pier beside the Schooner Wharf Bar in Key West's Historic Seaport.

Cost for the gourmet dinner cruises is $95 per guest, and cruises can accommodate up to six guests.

Private snorkel excursions, extended custom charters and special event packages can be arranged as well. For reservations and more information, click here.

While most of the U.S. can anticipate rapidly falling temperatures as autumn shivers into winter, Key West offers a sunny subtropical year-round climate, a warm welcome and a hot lineup of entertainment and special events. Check out some of the highlights here, and make reservations to escape the cold-weather blahs.

Dec. 31

"The Red Shoe Drop." It wouldn't be New Year's Eve without Key West's offbeat take-off on Manhattan's famed Times Square pre-midnight ball drop. Join the crowd outside the Bourbon Street Complex in the 700 block of Duval Street as celebrated drag queen Sushi entertains, perched high above the audience in a supersized red high heel — and then descends in regal glory as the seconds tick down to midnight and 2008 arrives. For more information, click here.

Jan. 5, 2008

Joel Grey at Tennessee Williams Theatre. The legendary Broadway musical star Joel Grey is famed for his career-making roles as the master or ceremonies in "Cabaret," George M. Cohan in "George M!" and the Wonderful Wizard of Oz in "Wicked." For his Key West showcase, the magnetic Grey will appear with an 11-piece orchestra — and audiences can expect a riveting performance. For tickets and more information, click here.

For more Key West events and information, visit www.fla-keys.com or the Key West Business Guild Web site at www.gaykeywestfl.com.

Coconut Grove Guest House, an all-male property at 815 and 817 Fleming St., has completed a $1.5 million renovation project. The property's guestrooms now feature flat-screen televisions, refrigerators and coffee makers, wall safes and bathrooms with granite countertops.

The property's amenities include a heated pool, Jacuzzi and inviting outdoor lounging areas.

Coconut Grove is one of complex of three gay resorts owned by Hobart Resorts. The complex also includes Oasis Guest House and Coral Tree Inn. For more information, click here.

ans of the flamboyant are invited to step through the looking glass into a wacky wonderland during Fantasy Fest 2007. Themed "Gnomes, Toads & White Rabbit Tea Parties," the riotous masking and costuming romp is scheduled Friday, Oct. 19, through Sunday, Oct. 28, with more than 30 events.

Internationally recognized as Key West's premier annual festival, Fantasy Fest allows revelers to shed their real-world personalities and explore their wildest fantasies. Participants are encouraged to draw inspiration from twisted fairytales, mystical myths and "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland" for costume and parade float designs.

The enchanted extravaganza begins with a coronation ball set for Friday, Oct. 19, where a king and queen are crowned to reign over the festivities. The crowns go to the aspiring royals who raise the most money for AIDS Help Inc. of Key West.

The festival's premier gay and lesbian event, the Headdress Ball, celebrates its 25th anniversary in 2007 with a new location and a theme of  "Shrooms, Blooms & Mad Hatter Plumes."

Set for 8 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 23, the Headdress Ball traditionally
draws entrants
sporting
elaborate
masks, cowls,
bonnets and
other head-
gear — all
vying for
cash prizes
awarded by
local celeb-
rity judges.

The gala is to take place under a gigantic tent in the parking lot of the Southernmost Hotel, 1319 Duval St. Between headdress presentations, attendees can enjoy a nightclub-style talent revue featuring top local entertainers. Tickets are available at keystix.com.

Other Fantasy Fest standouts include a Goombay celebration honoring Key West's Caribbean roots, a Pet Masquerade and Parade designed for human "party animals" and their furred and feathered friends, the dazzling Pier House Pretenders in Paradise costume competition, a street fair and a lively masquerade march through the island city's Old Town.

Wonderland is to reach its wildest pitch Saturday, Oct. 27, during the Captain Morgan Fantasy Fest Parade through Key West's historic downtown. Marching groups garbed in feathered and sequined robes, Caribbean bands, costumed characters and lavishly decorated motorized floats are to converge in an eye-popping procession cheered by tens of thousands of spectators.

For more information about Fantasy Fest and a schedule of events, visit the festival's Web site at fantasyfest.net.

riginally one of the highlights of Key West's June Pride-fest celebrations, the annual Pride Follies variety show has evolved into a standalone showcase of local talents — plus a few not-so-talented spirits that gamely strut their stuff onstage.

Pride Follies 2007 is scheduled for 8 p.m. Friday, Dec. 14, at the Tennessee Williams Theatre, 5901 College Road on the campus of  Florida Keys Community College. As in the past, the elaborate production is to be a major fundraiser for the Gay & Lesbian Community Center of Key West.

Celebrating the Pridefest 2007 slogan, The End of the Rainbow, Pride Follies will be directed by acclaimed actor/director Tony Konrath. The production is modeled after the CBS television classic "Toast of the Town," presented by Ed Sullivan.

The lineup of featured performers includes favorite gay and straight stars of the local club circuit and performing arts community. Plans call for traditional Pride Follies standouts such as the Bourbon Street/801 Girls and the Aquanettes to be joined by a not-so-outstanding group from the Key West Business Guild, whose chutzpah admittedly exceeds their performance abilities.

Tickets for Pride Follies, with prices starting at $20 per person, are to be available online at keystix.com or by calling the Tennessee Williams Theatre box office at (305) 296-1520.

isitors seeking a pristine environment can find it at Nancy Forrester's Secret Garden, a breathtaking mini-rainforest hidden at the end of Free School Lane in Key West's historic Old Town neighborhood. Environmental artist and activist Nancy Forrester has spent 40 years creating and preserving the jungle-like one-acre property that features scores of rare and endangered plants.

The garden contains more than 150 different species of palms, hundreds of other exotic trees, fruit and spice trees, plants including orchids and bromeliads, and more than 300 species gifted from a rare aroid and fern rainforest collection. They share the garden with a sizeable family of magnificent macaws, an educational exhibit and parrots rescued and cared for by the Mana Project.

The garden is open year-round for self-guided tours from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. Admission is $10 per person. In addition, it can be booked for weddings, gatherings and special events. For more information, visit nancyforrester.com.