For Florida Keys foodies, Oct. 15 rivals a national holiday in importance. Why? Because that marks the opening of the annual stone crab season. The orange-red, pale yellow and black stone crab claws contain a sweet, tender meat that’s among the Keys’ most popular delicacies — and they're served at restaurants around the island chain.
Each year, thousands of people head to Key West for the Fantasy Fest celebration, eager to don exotic masks and costumes and escape their real-world cares in a whirl of revelry. Set for Oct. 18-27, the festivities include lavish costume competitions, street fairs, masquerade parties, unparalleled creativity and the dazzling Fantasy Fest Parade.
One of Florida Keys’ greatest “natural resources” is the friendly, easygoing people who make the region their home — charterboat captains, artists, restaurateurs, animal rescuers, attractions operators, musicians and more. By seeking local residents’ insights and recommendations for unique new adventures, visitors can begin to sample the authentic lifestyle of the colorful, magical islands.
The Florida Keys are a truly friendly place. The island chain is one of those rare locales where you might be a stranger when you arrive on vacation, but you won’t be one when you depart. So make plans for a Keys getaway and discover some warmhearted, quirky “friends you haven’t met yet.”
Thousands of Jimmy Buffett fans gathered on Key West’s Duval Street Sept. 1 for a march honoring the world-renowned singer/songwriter on the one-year anniversary of his passing. Jimmy lived in Key West during some of his most productive years, developing the “trop-rock” style and laid-back persona that helped make him a musical icon.
Florida Keys lobster lovers, unite — and embrace the hobby that takes precedence over all others each August in the island chain: eating lobster. That’s because early August marks the start of the annual commercial lobster season, and savvy foodies know that fresh-caught Keys lobster eclipses all other seafood selections in mouthwatering goodness.
Visitors who “look before they book” can help sustain the continental United States’ only barrier coral reef — and all elements of the Florida Keys’ marine environment. The Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary urges travelers to look carefully when booking Keys fishing, diving and snorkeling trips, and choose a sanctuary-designated Blue Star operator.
David Burke, recently named deputy superintendent of the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary, has flown more than 3,500 Navy helicopter flight hours above the earth. But he now has his feet planted on terra firma in Key West, where he oversees operations and other supervisory tasks for the sanctuary that protects Keys waters.
His long-established nickname is “Bat,” and even many friends don’t know his real name is David. But now Bat Masterson has a new nickname: “Papa.” That’s because Bat recently won the Hemingway Look-Alike Contest, a highlight of Key West's Hemingway Days festival that ended July 21 — the 125th anniversary of “Papa” Hemingway’s birth.
Key West’s Hemingway Days — set this year for July 16-21 — is an internationally recognized celebration saluting Ernest Hemingway, the legendary American author who lived and wrote on the island for almost a decade. But when Michael Whalton conceived the festival more than 40 years ago, he couldn’t possibly foresee what it would become.