The June 5-11 finale of the Stoli Key West Cocktail Classic features 14 regional bartending champions from the U.S. and Canada — all converging on the island city and competing to create the most luscious Key West cocktail. The renowned challenge, one of North America’s largest annual LGBT bartender competitions, takes place during Key West Pride.
How many times a day does the sun set in the Florida Keys? That's just one of the wacky questions that have actually been asked by visitors to the island chain. Read on to discover more crazy questions and their answers -- including how long the Seven Mile Bridge REALLY is.
This week’s Keys Voices is a personal invitation to readers from Diana Nyad, famed around the globe for her incomparable 2013 swim from Cuba to Key West. She and expedition leader Bonnie Stoll return to their “home away from home” April 2-6 to lead a series of walks as part of their innovative EverWalk program -- and everyone is welcome to join them.
In Key West each April, "drag racing" takes on a whole new meaning — as the island city's exotic drag queens don outlandish sporting costumes, lavish wigs and towering high heels to vie for victory in the Great Conch Republic Drag Race. The wacky competition is scheduled Saturday, April 21, on Duval Street (known, of course, as the island's "main drag").
By following the "10 Keymandments," travelers can have meaningful, memorable Florida Keys vacations while respecting and helping preserve the Keys' natural world. This amazing environment includes the continental United States’ only living coral barrier reef, which supports an incredibly diverse population of plants and animals.
"West Side Story" composer Leonard Bernstein also had a "Key West-side story" -- a connection with the island that most people never knew about. It will be revealed in “Remembering Lenny” and other offerings that explore the American musical legend’s work and the ways the island city influenced it. And it's all part of a national celebration commemorating the 100th anniversary of Bernstein’s 1918 birth.
“Taste of Key West,” an open-air food extravaganza at Key West's famed Mallory Square, is a one-stop foodies’ delight featuring offerings from several dozen local restaurants. It's the perfect opportunity to sample an amazing variety of the island’s primo cuisine — against the backdrop of a fabulous sunset.
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.
Key West lies just 90 miles from Cuba, and the two islands share a cultural connection that dates back more than 180 years. On March 7, a unique event will commemorate the Cuban heritage that enlivens and enhances the island city — and it includes the unveiling of what is believed to be the world’s largest cigar sculpture.
The Key West Business Guild and its visitor center first opened their doors in 1978 to support the LGBT community and promote tourism to the all-welcoming island city. Now celebrating its 40th "birthday," the Guild remains a vital force in showcasing the destination that has been called “the gem in the crown of the U.S. gay community.”