Throughout April, throughout the year and throughout the Florida Keys, sustainable family-friendly events are offered for travelers seeking to connect with the unique Keys environment and help to protect it. Among them are Mote Marine Laboratory’s Ocean Fest and the Florida Keys Wildlife Society’s full-moon kayak excursions into the National Key Deer Refuge.
Interested in learning about coral restoration techniques, capturing invasive lionfish or how Florida Keys wild birds are rehabilitated? Four environmental organizations — unique attractions that appeal to nature lovers and eco-conscious vacationers — provide meaningful ways to connect with and protect the natural world during visits to the island chain.
Key West Theater has undergone a dramatic transformation to become a cultural hub for the southernmost island’s arts and music community — putting Key West on the radar of world-class musicians, comedians, artists and entertainers. Among the big names it has lured to perform are Bret Michaels, David Crosby, Joan Osborne and Jefferson Starship.
Hidden gardens, nurtured and enjoyed by Keys locals, protect and preserve rare and exotic trees, plants and flowers. And they’re open to the public, providing behind-the-walls access, during winter garden tours. Exploring these spots is a unique treat that lets visitors make a meaningful connection to the island chain’s natural world.
A trail of breweries and distilleries winds throughout the 125-mile-long Florida Keys island chain, offering libations, brews and handcrafted cocktails infused with subtropical flavors such as Key lime or coconut. It's great fun to travel the trail, discovering each spot's individual vibe, sampling spirits and brews as desired, and discovering areas of the Keys through their varied and vibrant libations.
Key Largo Bike and Adventure Tours offers a diverse menu of cycling treks, including a Key Largo to Key West ride, for people of varying fitness levels. Founded about seven years ago, the company specializes in popular excursions such as the Two-Day Tour to Key West, two 100-mile challenges called the Florida Keys and Hemingway Century rides, an Islamorada Bike Tour, the Bike and Beer Tour, and Taste of the Keys.
Imagine savoring Key lime pie French toast for brunch. Or dining on braised beef rib gnocchi with vegetables, mushrooms and pecorino. Those are just two of the specialties at Key West's Azur Restaurant, where chefs/owners Drew Wenzel and Michael Mosi create delicious, innovative dishes inspired by their experiences throughout the world.
Indigenous Florida Keys cuisine is rich in fresh boat-to-table seafood, enhanced with the light tropical flavors of lime, coconut, mango and papaya. Four delicious foods can be considered signature treats that are best savored only in the Keys: succulent stone crab claws, sweet Key West pink shrimp, light yet exotic lionfish and melt-in-your-mouth Key lime pie.
Old Road Gallery, owned by artists Dwayne and Cindy King, is a working studio and gallery that overflows with handcrafted pieces of pottery, bronze and copper. It’s also an outdoor sculpture garden. And each day visitors, invited to take a tour, stroll through winding trails and learn about artistic techniques and styles.
The Seven Mile Bridge, the focal point of the famed Florida Keys Overseas Highway, is a fascinating engineering marvel that quite simply stuns the senses. Rising in an arc toward its center, the 35-year-old Middle Keys bridge offers sweeping panoramic views of a picturesque horizon where turquoise-colored seas meet an almost impossibly blue sky.