Escape to Key Largo
Key Largo, the northernmost island in the Florida Keys, offers a friendly, welcoming vibe and vast natural beauty both on land and underwater. Known as the Diving Capital of the World, the area includes many extraordinary sites where divers and snorkelers can immerse themselves in the profound, quiet wonders of the marine ecosystem.
Brian Vest: Steward of the Conch Republic Marine Army
Brian Vest, founder-president of the Conch Republic Marine Army, a nonprofit organization created to restore Florida Keys marine habitats, has taken more than 4,000 volunteers to the Keys backcountry. Nearly every Saturday, groups of up to 10 volunteers commit to a five-hour experience to clear debris washed up on remote, uninhabited islands.
Pucker Power to Prevail at Key West’s ‘Conch Honk’
Conch shell blowing, a time-honored tradition, is Key West’s most indigenous form of musical expression. Every March, the island’s Conch Shell Blowing Contest draws dozens of entrants who demonstrate their “pucker power” by blowing through the conch’s fluted, pink-lined shell. The 2023 contest is set for March 4 at the Oldest House Museum.
Present-Day Sites Bring Keys’ Past to Life
During the Florida Keys’ colorful two-century history, the island chain at the southern tip of Florida has been shaped by individualists, visionaries, shipwreck salvagers and environmentalists. Today visitors can explore scores of intriguing sites in the Upper and Middle Keys that recall their presence and showcase the region’s rich and vibrant heritage.
Corcoran’s Tantalizing Tales … and Tacos for Tennessee
He peddled tacos from a three-wheeled bicycle when he first moved to Key West — and Tom Corcoran never forgot the irreverent, weird, magical island he discovered from that vantage point. In his Alex Rutledge mystery series, the island is portrayed with an authenticity that leaves readers practically able to smell the shoreline seaweed.
Danilo Alayon: Steward of Sustainable Artistry
Danilo Alayon is a fifth-generation “Conch” born and raised in Key West, an avid diver, self-taught artist and proud grandson of the designer of Key West’s world-renowned Southernmost Point monument. Danilo has embraced a unique form of artistry: he converts old, nicked and rusty scuba tanks into sustainable and luminously colorful works.
Keys’ Heritage Takes Center Stage in PBS Documentary and Eclectic Events
“The Florida Keys: 200 Years of Paradise," a 60-minute television program that explores the culture and history of the island chain from the early 1800s to the present, debuts this spring on PBS channels across the United States. Meanwhile, three special events in Key West showcase aspects of the Keys’ two-century cultural heritage.