Celebrate the Florida Keys’ 200th Birthday With Four Festive Events
Commemorate the Florida Keys’ bicentennial with a sunset celebration on the Middle Keys’ Old Seven Mile Bridge, a gala sea-to-table dinner in Islamorada, a family-style waterfront picnic in Key Largo, and Lower Keys festivities and fireworks featuring the creation of the world’s largest Key lime pie. All activities salute the Keys’ 200th birthday.
Spend the Holidays in Key West? Yes, Please!
Instead of anticipating holidays filled with shivery winter chill, imagine indulging in a December getaway to balmy Key West. That’s right — a sun-splashed holiday season, alive with warmth and cheer, is on tap in the subtropical island city.
Restaurant Spotlight: The Fish House and ‘Encore’
At The Fish House and The Fish House Encore in Key Largo, diners can find fresh-off-the-boat fish, traditional Key lime pie and a warm and welcoming vibe — plus unique options like Encore's "dining in the dark" culinary adventures.
Fantasy Fest: Madness, Meaning and Memories
Born in 1979, Key West's Fantasy Fest has grown to be an exuberant 10-day whirlwind of costuming and masking contests, themed parties, masquerade events and a gala grand parade. And the revelry has also celebrated some amazing people and true-life heroism.
Five Tips for a Fabulous Fantasy Fest
Last October in Key West, I spotted a character wearing a feathered bikini and six-foot-tall peacock headdress, a group of silver-garbed “Beauty School Dropouts From Mars” and a quartet impersonating the legendary Jamaican bobsled team. And it was all part of Fantasy Fest.
Mehgan Heaney-Grier: A Dive into History
On a single breath of air, Mehgan Heaney-Grier set a U.S. record for constant-weight freediving in 1996, diving 155 feet deep off the Florida Keys in an amazing display of athleticism and grace.
Hops and Hibiscus: A Florida Keys Brewer’s Passion
Cheryl McBay and her brewmaster husband, Craig McBay, are devoted to producing Keys-crafted beers flavored with an island vibe. Their vibrant microbrewery, aptly named Florida Keys Brewing Co., is tucked away in Islamorada's arts and cultural district at Morada Way.