Artists and artisans from across the globe flock to the Florida Keys and stay, making the island chain their home while helping shape its reputation as a cultural mecca. Whether textiles, jewelry, housewares, reclaimed wood furniture or other temptations, their quality handcrafted items are quintessentially “Keys.”
It’s likely to get messy in Key West on this Fourth of July. At least, it will for everyone who plans to step into the “limelight” and participate in the annual Mile-High Key Lime Pie Eatin’ Contest.
Aspiring potters working from the clay of the earth learn, find inspiration, and practice their craft at Middle and Upper Keys studios. And opportunities abound around the island chain for people eager to explore their own potential and discover others' artistry.
If you’re a fan of fine beers, ales, rums and more, you’re sure to enjoy unique libations created in the Florida Keys.
Few people realize the impact the LGBT community had on Key West beginning in the 1970s, when many gay men and lesbians “discovered” the island city.
Visitors can enjoy the indigenous flavors of the Florida Keys, and take home tasty edible “souvenirs” to help sustain them until their next vacation escape. The Keys are home to artisan food crafters including a master chocolatier, beekeepers and even a saltmaker.
Twenty-five years ago, on May 18, 1991, two queens met on a remote island 70 miles west of Key West. Okay, actually there was only one genuine queen present at Fort Jefferson in Dry Tortugas National Park. But the other was certainly a queen to me, and to the citizens of the Conch Republic (a/k/a the Florida Keys & Key West).
In the Florida Keys, where the day-to-day business of living is easy, extraordinary creativity thrives. You'll find scores of freethinking spirits who, in the island chain’s nurturing atmosphere, indulge their talent for crafting wares as individualistic as they are.
A comprehensive photo shoot that's wrapping up in Key West captures images of members of the local LGBT community — real people, not professional models — enjoying life in the subtropical island paradise.
If one man’s junk is another man’s treasure, then the late Key Largo resident Stanley Papio was a treasure hunter extraordinaire. And ultimately, he became a treasure creator — crafting some of the edgiest and most eclectic metal sculptures of his generation.