'Magic in Key West' Celebrates Viva Florida 500
— Adventurer Ponce de Leon discovered the Florida Keys including the Dry Tortugas in 1513. As the modern-day Keys celebrate the 500th anniversary of that momentous event, Keys musician Howard Livingston performs his exuberant song showing why there's still so much "Magic in Key West."
Key West Film Festival
— Indulge in cinematic premieres, private film screenings and VIP parties at oceanside hotspots while listening to top emerging filmmakers' insights into their creations. Watch Kevin "Dot Com" Brown of "30 Rock" explain why there's no better place for film than America's elite southernmost island.
Uncorked: Key Largo and Islamorada Food & Wine Festival, Jan. 10-19
— Come and enjoy a multi-sensory experience as Keys' culinary experts step up to the "palate" to present tasty food, wine & spirits events. Enjoy cooking demonstrations, themed wine dinners, food and wine pairing classes, art & wine shows and the "Grand Tasting Finale." Uncork and unwind in the Keys.
Key West Nutcracker Ballet
— Marvel at the Key West version of the classical holiday ballet "The Nutcracker," recast to showcase the island's tropical atmosphere, coral reef environment and seafaring heritage. Don't miss this timeless holiday production, set for a seven-show run through Dec. 22, 2012.
Key Largo Food and Wine Festival, July 27 - Aug. 5
— Visitors can discover their personal palate as Key Largo's culinary experts present plentiful pairings with tropical seafood during the island's Food and Wine Festival, a tasty annual event to see local chefs as they prepare signature dishes to sample and experts uncork a grand selection of wines.
Ride the African Queen in Key Largo
— The iconic original vessel from John Huston's classic 1951 film "The African Queen," starring Humphrey Bogart and Katharine Hepburn, is plying Key Largo's nearshore waters and canals for Florida Keys visitors to take a ride on the historic vessel from the Holiday Inn Key Largo.
Divers Help Keep Keys Reefs Healthy Through Voluntourism
— Divers can help Keys reefs while vacationing for the greater good. Coral restoration efforts with marine scientists from Key Largo's Coral Restoration Foundation enable recreational divers to learn about Florida's reefs and join hands-on dives to restore endangered staghorn and elkhorn corals.
Dry Tortugas National Park
— Almost 70 miles west of Key West lies a cluster of seven islands, composed of coral reefs and sand, called the Dry Tortugas. The surrounding shoals and waters make up Dry Tortugas National Park, famous for its bird and marine life, legends of pirates and sunken gold, and military past.
Island Sweets at Key Largo Chocolates
— Chocolate's rich, dark history is 2,000 years old according to historians, but Key Largo visitors are discovering a newfound love of cocoa confections. Culinary creator behind Key Largo Chocolates, Kristie Thomas is currently the only chocolatier in the Florida Keys, making tropically sweet treats.
How to Blow a Conch Shell
— The 51st Annual Conch Shell Blowing Contest is set for this Saturday in Key West at the Oldest House Museum. Click the play button to learn how to blow a conch shell and then join the fun beginning at noon.
Lighthouse Larry Replicates Florida Keys History
— Larry Herlth, an Islamorada-based artist known as "Lighthouse Larry," has fashioned his passion for lighthouses and crafted six of these structures off the Florida Keys into exact scaled replicas of the historical beacons, three of which were built before the Civil War. View his artistic vision.
Huge Outdoor Mural Honors Flagler Railroad
— An outdoor art mural located at MM 95 bayside honors the 100 years since the completion of Henry Flagler's Florida Keys Over-Sea Railroad. Sixty feet long and 11.5 feet high, the mural depicts a train similar to a Florida Keys Over-Sea Railroad passenger train. Bring your camera!
Key West New Year's Eve 2012
— In Times Square, they drop the ball. In much warmer Key West, the Bourbon Street Pub Complex drops a spicy drag queen named "Sushi" in a red shoe. Mouse over the monitor and click "play" to see how the island city welcomed 2012.
Ernest Hemingway's Cats
— In 1935, author Ernest Hemingway received a cat named "Snowball" while living and writing in Key West. With paws featuring six toes, "Snowball" was the first of a long line of felines that has helped make the Hemingway Home and Museum one of the most popular visitor attractions in the Florida Keys.
Dachshund Parade in Key West - Weiner Dog Walk
— Key West has gone to the dogs! Watch as nearly 200 dachshunds and their owners parade through historic Old Town. This wiener wonderland walk is an annual family-friendly prelude to the island's New Year's festivities on Dec. 31.
Santa Makes a Splash in the Florida Keys
— Santa trades in his sleigh to go diving off Key Largo in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary each year. Atlantis Dive Shop owner Spencer Slate, garbed as Santa, spreads holiday wishes to the marine inhabitants on a section of America's only living contiguous coral barrier reef.
Jimmy Buffett Plays Surprise Key West Concert
— In 2011, Jimmy Buffett returned to his former Key West home for a rare surprise performance before some 3,500 "Parrot Head" fans. This year's Parrot Heads in Paradise Key West gathering is set for Nov. 1-4. Click play and sing along.
Stone Crab Season Open Oct. 15 through May 15
— Bring on the dipping sauce! Starting Oct. 15, stone crab claws, brought fresh to shore from Florida Keys waters, are steamed, cracked, plated and served dipped in melted butter or a savory mustard sauce. Click play to crack open the succulent, meaty details.
It's Fantasy Fest Time! Watch Some Parade Highlights
— Key West's Fantasy Fest is a wild array of masquerade balls, costume contests, exotic escapades and a glittering grand parade, each year themed to make a splash at Key West's wildest party! Click play to indulge in this annual 10-day event, continuing through Oct. 28 in the southernmost city.
Visit Historic Pigeon Key
— Nestled beneath the Old Seven Mile Bridge lies a historical treasure known as Pigeon Key. The five-acre island served as base camp for workers who built Henry Flagler's railroad in the early 1900s. Explore the tiny island with an enormous reputation for remaining unchanged as the Keys evolved.
Marathon's Turtle Hospital Welcomes Visitors
— Marathon's Turtle Hospital is the only licensed veterinary clinic of its kind in the world. Sept. 24 was named "Richie Moretti & the Turtle Hospital Day" for his and the hospital's contributions to the plight of the sea turtle for more than 25 years. Learn about this unique facility.
Jimmy Johnson: From Football to Fishing in the Florida Keys
— Former NFL and college football coach Jimmy Johnson has lived in the Florida Keys for more than 15 years. His name graces Jimmy Johnson's Big Chill at Fisherman's Cove, a private residence club in Key Largo and namesake National Billfish Championship each March. Discover why JJ loves it here.
Ease on Down the Highway for Key West Poker Run
— Hit the road as motorcyclists from throughout the United States travel one of America's most scenic highways for charity during the annual Key West Poker Run in September. This year, the 40th annual event is scheduled for Sept. 13-16.
Islamorada Third Thursday Art Walk
— Showcasing Islamorada's artistic, musical and culinary nuances, the Morada Way Arts & Cultural District features national and local artisans from galleries at Morada Way between mile marker 81 and 82, "culinary art" and live music from 6-10 p.m. Free event. Thursday, April 18 features bluegrass.
Lobster Lovers Feast at Key West Lobsterfest
— A hearty appetite and a passion for lobsters are mandatory during the annual Key West Lobsterfest, a celebration of Florida's clawless lobster set for August each year. Click play for the buttery details. Festivities are Aug. 10-12.
In the Keys You Can Fly Like 'James Bond'
— Visitors to the Florida Keys can now pretend to be — and actually fly like — "James Bond" with a new watersport providing levitation-like flight. The Keys are the first place in the United States to offer the amazing experience to travelers.
Dragon Boat Racing Hits the Beach
— Waters off Marathon's Sombrero Beach transform into a swift racecourse for the annual Battle in the Bay Dragon Boat Festival every May. Click play to watch teams power these sleek, 40-foot-long boats. Make it a beachin' weekend on May 12!
Better Angels Key West Songwriter's Festival
— More than 150 chart-topping songwriters perform their hits on audience-friendly island stages during the annual Key West Songwriters Festival, happening April 27 through May 2. Click play for a "backstage pass" to the musical magic.
Key West's Great Conch Republic Drag Race
— High heels eclipse high octane during this hilarious event, and lipstick is mandatory (though tiaras are optional). Click "play" to see the unusual race down the island city's famed Duval Street, each April during the Conch Republic Independence Celebration.
Schooner Western Union Gets $1.25 Million Facelift
— A $1.25 million restoration project has kept a historic sailing schooner in Key West, the same city it was built and launched 72 years ago. The refurbishment allows Key West visitors an opportunity to sail into history. Click "play" to learn more.
Exhibit Features 100 Years of Flagler Railroad
— January 22, 2012, marked 100 years since first Florida Keys Over-Sea Railroad first rolled through the Florida Keys to Key West, connecting the islands with the mainland. A lasting, expanded "Speedway to Sunshine" exhibit can be viewed at Key West's Museum of Art & History at the Custom House.
Pigeon Key Art Festival
— Revered for its fine artists and craftspeople, the Pigeon Key Art Festival transforms a middle Keys venue into a tropically themed, covered oasis of artwork, pottery, paintings, sculpture, photography, and more, each February. Click play to be artfully inspired.
Key Largo Stone Crab & Seafood Festival, Jan. 26-27
— Combining fresh seafood, live local entertainment, cooking demonstrations, casting classes and costume contests, the delicious annual Key Largo Stone Crab & Seafood Festival is held a full weekend each January, at Rowell's Marina, mile marker 104.5 bayside. Don't miss this weekend's foodie fun!
Key West Food and Wine Festival, Jan. 24-27
— Attention, food lovers! Sunshine, standout dishes and stellar vintages star in the annual Key West Food and Wine Festival. This is a "taste" of the island city's finest flavors. Click play to savor some of the scrumptious details from this annual event for foodies and oenophiles.
How to Make a Florida Keys Conch Fritter
— Make your own little piece of the Florida Keys right in your own kitchen. Follow along with the experts at the Islamorada Fish Company as they make this classic Keys dish.
Islamorada Artist Enamored with Florida Keys
— What is talented artist Stacie Krupa's top reason for living in Islamorada and painting in the Florida Keys? It's one of the most important aspects for all artists around the world. Click on the "play" button to find the answer.
Marathon Wild Bird Center
— A middle Keys gem, the Marathon Wild Bird Center is a bird rehabilitation center for injured or orphaned birds, located along nature trails within the hammock preserve of Crane Point. Click 'Play' to learn about the wild birds of the Florida Keys.
Get Ready for Fantasy Fest 2011
— It's uninhibited, unbelievable and unparalleled. It's Fantasy Fest, Key West's outrageous 10-day masking and costuming festival each October, themed in 2011 as "Habitat for Insanity."
Marathon's Dolphin Research Center
— The Dolphin Research Center is a not-for-profit organization that promotes peaceful coexistence, cooperation and communication between marine mammals, humans and the environment. Its protective environment for dolphins and sea lions draws national and international visitors to the Florida Keys.
Sport Fishing off the Florida Keys
— In the Florida Keys, the fish are biting better then ever. Click on the play button for summertime fishing action captured off Islamorada, known as the Sportfishing Capital of the World.
Underwater Music Festival in the Florida Keys
— The Florida Keys are well-known for its quirky festivals, and the Underwater Music Festival off Big Pine Key is no exception. Click play and "gear up" for the festival, each July. This year, the submerged songfest is set for Saturday, July 14.
Stand-up Paddle-Boarding in the Florida Keys
— Stand-up paddling, or paddleboarding, is a perfect sport for fun, or to quietly enjoy secluded ecotours through backcountry flats in an environmentally friendly way. Click play and learn how to paddle the Gulf Stream.
The Original Marathon Seafood Festival
— The Original Marathon Seafood Festival takes aim at the tummy with local delicacies like Florida lobster, stone crab claws, plump pink shrimp and smoked fish recipes. Whet your appetite for the annual Middle Keys munch-a-thon. The
2013 festival is Saturday and Sunday, March 9-10.
Keys Museum Traces History of Diving
— Islamorada's History of Diving Museum traces man's endeavors to explore the oceans, and is dedicated to collecting, preserving and displaying artifacts, antiques and photographs that relate to diving, with 3,000 square feet of interactive exhibits, meeting space and research library.
Key West World Championship
— "Known as the "Indianapolis" of the offshore powerboat racing circuit, Key West hosts the World Championships each November, this year set for Nov. 4-11. Get a preview and plan be part of the excitement and unbelievable, bone-jarring speeds.
Farm-Raised Coral Spawns in the Florida Keys
— Marine scientists in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary documented the first known case where Atlantic-Caribbean, farm-raised coral has reproduced to serve as a foundation for future reefs. Learn about coral spawning in the Florida Keys, and plan to join a scheduled nighttime coral dive.
Hemingway Days Honors Literary Legend
— Key West's annual Hemingway Days festival honors acclaimed author Ernest Hemingway, who lived on the island during the 1930s. The main event of the week, held in July each year to commemorate the anniversary of Ernest's July 21 birth, is a look-alike contest for Hemingway imitators.
Feed the Tarpon at Robbie's in Islamorada
— Some visitors bill it as the most unique and cost-effective attractions in the entire Florida Keys. For a buck admission and $3 for a pail of baitfish, you can handfeed tarpon at Robbie's in Islamorada. The beloved tarpon are part of the Robbie's family just like a dog or cat might be.
Key West Six-Toed Cat Cam
— Somewhere in one of Key West's many bars roams a six-toed cat named Aurora with a tiny video camera strapped to her furry head. Click play to follow the feline through the southernmost city.
National Key Deer Refuge
— The Lower Keys are home to the National Key Deer Refuge, established in 1957 to protect and preserve habitats for wildlife, most notably the diminutive Key deer, a subspecies of the Virginia white-tailed deer. Learn more about the 8,000-acre refuge of prime Key deer territory.
