Local Color

Choose Key West for a Dream-Come-True Wedding

There are many beautiful places to celebrate love with your toes in the sand, but nothing compares to a beachfront wedding in subtropical Key West. This idyllic island at the southernmost tip of the Florida Keys offers an enchanting, laid-back vibe that’s irresistible to couples looking for a memorable and magical destination wedding.

By |2024-12-04T13:38:47-05:00December 4, 2024|

Lights and Subtropical Warmth Flavor Florida Keys Holidays

In the Florida Keys, the holidays are celebrated with festivities that range from traditional to eccentric — with a unique island twist. Despite the lack of typical “winter” weather, people throw themselves gleefully into extended merrymaking. Discover some of the Upper and Middle Keys’ creative, colorful and heartwarming events sure to spark seasonal cheer.

By |2024-11-20T16:07:25-05:00November 20, 2024|

Flash Back to the ’90s at Key West’s Fabulous Fantasy Fest

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.

By |2024-10-16T11:52:12-04:00October 16, 2024|

Locals’ Insights Reveal the REAL Florida Keys

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.

By |2024-10-02T16:48:27-04:00October 2, 2024|

Howard Livingston: Tunes in a Tropical Key

With every lyric he sings and every chord he strums, Howard Livingston communicates his passion for the Florida Keys and the island chain’s lifestyle — a deep-rooted passion that, many years ago, inspired the dissatisfied Chicago manufacturing company owner to become a carefree, fulfilled musician who lives on the water in the Lower Keys.

By |2024-09-18T18:08:59-04:00September 18, 2024|

The Florida Keys Are Full of Friends You Haven’t Met Yet

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.”

By |2024-09-10T19:33:03-04:00September 10, 2024|

Key West Honors Jimmy Buffett … One Year Later

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.

By |2024-09-04T14:02:53-04:00September 4, 2024|

You Go, Girl! Roseleigh Enters the ‘Tour de Turtles’ Race

A determined young Florida Keys “resident” is participating in the Tour de Turtles, the sea turtle equivalent of television’s “The Amazing Race.” Her name is Roseleigh, and she’s a juvenile green sea turtle who was found off Islamorada with a debilitating disease — and recovered after receiving in-depth care at the Keys’ Turtle Hospital.

By |2024-08-21T12:17:41-04:00August 21, 2024|

Keys Lobster Lovers, Unite!

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.

By |2024-08-14T12:52:51-04:00August 14, 2024|

Bat Masterson is Named Key West’s Newest ‘Papa’

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.

By |2024-07-24T15:03:14-04:00July 24, 2024|
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