Florida Keys Traveler Podcast

30. Happy 200th Birthday, Florida Keys!

July 3, 2023 marks the bicentennial "birthday" of the Florida Keys — and in this episode, we meet a Key West-born “Conch” who’s lived in the Keys for half of those 200 years. Join host Elizabeth Harryman Lasley, who chats with 104-year-old Onelio Gonzalez, recently celebrating his milestone birthday in the continental United States’ southernmost island city. He remembers the days when Ernest Hemingway resided in Key West, and when Harry S. Truman presided from the southernmost White House in the island city. And what was it like to ride Henry Flagler's Florida Keys Over-Sea Railroad, completed in 1912 and stretching from Florida’s southern mainland throughout the Keys? How were pineapples involved? Listen to some of our favorite insights and takeaways from this series, celebrating what makes the 125-mile-long Florida Keys island chain so unique. You might hear a highlight from a favorite episode.

29. Quintessentially the Keys: Resilience, Jimmy Buffett and The Conch Republic

What’s the significance of Mallory Square in Key West? What does Jimmy Buffett represent to the Florida Keys? And just what is The Conch Republic?

We celebrate the Keys' fun, quirkiness and a fierce independence in this episode. Join host Elizabeth Harryman Lasley in Mallory Square to catch the sunset. Learn more about the famous songwriter who embodies the Keys. Discover how the Keys became known as The Conch Republic after a U.S. Border Patrol blockade in 1982.

28. Behind the Scenes at Truman Little White House in Key West

Why did President Harry Truman establish his Little White House in Key West? Where was he frequently spotted around town? And what is it like to ride in one of his presidential limousines? Find out as host Elizabeth Harryman Lasley takes you to Florida’s only presidential museum, the Harry S. Truman Little White House Museum. Clinton Curry, the museum's operations director, takes us behind the scenes to reveal the man the public didn't always see. And we take you for a ride in a 1950 Lincoln Cosmopolitan, one of his official limos.

27. Wreckers, Sponges and a Fort Gone to Sea

What is sponging and how has it impacted the Keys? How did lighthouses save one industry and end another? Why is Fort Jefferson – known as the "Gibraltar of the Gulf" – located 70 miles off Key West in the middle of the ocean? The story of the Florida Keys is inextricably intertwined with the seas that surround them. In this episode, learn about wreckers, sponging and a Civil War-era fort in the United States' most remote national park. Guests include Florida Keys History Center's Corey Malcom, the Key West Art & Historical Society's Cori Convertito, and Historic Tours of America's Chris Belland.

26. Finding the World’s Richest Shipwreck

In 1985 off the Florida Keys, legendary treasure diver Mel Fisher and his team finally found the object of a deep-sea search spanning nearly 17 years. The Atocha shipwreck was named by the Guinness Book of World Records as the most valuable shipwreck treasure ever recovered, then worth an estimated $400 million. Mel's son Kim Fisher, a treasure hunter himself, was one of the Atocha’s finders. Join him and host Elizabeth Harryman Lasley to learn what it was like to find sunken treasure that he and his family had been seeking for nearly two decades. The Florida Keys History Center's Corey Malcom also shares history about how the Keys became a magnet for avid treasure hunters.

25. How Rope and Cement Are Helping Save North America’s Only Coral Barrier Reef

What marine animal is considered the gardener of the coral reef? What role can rope and cement play in Florida Keys coral restoration? Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary Superintendent Sarah Fangman joins us again as we dive into the world of coral restoration to learn about the unprecedented Mission: Iconic Reefs. You'll meet Ken Nedimyer, a coral restoration pioneer and founder of Reef Renewal USA, to learn about unique methods he's developing to restore coral on North America's only barrier reef. It all happens within the sanctuary.

24. The Florida Keys’ Heritage of Conservation

Did you know the Florida Keys are the home of North America’s only coral barrier reef and some of the country’s oldest national wildlife refuges, sheltering creatures living only in the Keys? Join host Elizabeth Harryman Lasley as we meet two women helping to ensure large areas of the Keys remain a federally-protected safe haven for creatures on land and in the water. You'll hear from Sarah Fangman, superintendent of the 3,800-square-mile Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary, and Jennifer Feltner, biologist of the Florida Keys National Wildlife Refuge Complex, overseeing four protected refuges. We’ll learn about significance of the national marine sanctuary and protected creatures such as the Key deer and Lower Keys marsh rabbit.

23. Kayak Through a Mangrove Tunnel, Where the Trees Meet the Seas

What's an aquatic tumbleweed? Can tiny, indigenous Key deer swim? And how does a barracuda trick its prey? Find out as you kayak among the mangroves with host Elizabeth Harryman Lasley as she joins Bill Keogh, a naturalist, author, and photographer who guides us across the water and into hidden tree-lined canopies in the Lower Florida Keys. Listen to the wind, hear a yellow-crowned night heron, and feel nature's calm envelop you.

22. Release the Fish, Keep the Memory: It’s Bigger

In the Florida Keys, fishermen have the chance, every day, to catch a prize trophy fish. Islamorada, in fact, is known as the ‘Sportfishing Capital of the World.’ But that fish you catch can still swim on to live and fight another day through the work of Keys conservationists, forward-thinking fishermen and even artists. In this episode, learn about catch-and-release sportfishing from two renowned charter captains, Matt Bellinger of Bamboo Charters in the Upper Keys, and Will Benson of World Angling in the Lower Keys. Learn why Florida Keys sportfishing — part of the Keys’ lifestyle and heritage — is legendary.

21. Sensational Keys Seafood, Sustainable Stone Crab

The Florida Keys culinary adventure continues in this episode, as host Elizabeth Harryman Lasley joins Key West Chef Paul Menta, our guide to Florida Keys seafood. We also visit Keys Fisheries in Marathon. Vice President Scott Dekle explains how stone crabs are sustainable. What, exactly, is a stone crab? And how is it possible that we can eat them guilt-free?

20. Key Lime Anyone? A Keys Culinary Adventure, Part One

What's the origin of the Keys' iconic, tangy yet sweet signature dessert? What is ‘pucker perfect’? Find out on this episode and learn secrets about the tiny Key lime and its namesake pie. Meet Key West chef Paul Menta, our guide to Florida Keys cuisine, and Kermit Carpenter, founder of Kermit's Key West Key Lime Shoppe.

19. 'La Casa Cuba' in Key West

How did the Florida Keys become a critical gathering point in Cuba's struggle for independence from Spain? What role does Key West's Cuban community play in preserving Cuban heritage? Find out in this episode, as host Elizabeth Harryman Lasley visits the San Carlos Institute in Key West. You'll meet the institute's president, Rafael Peñalver, who shares the fascinating history of the Keys' Cuban connection and insights into what he describes as "the perseverance of the Cuban people in their struggle for freedom."

18. Inside Key West’s Bahama Village, Where Everyone Knows Your Name

What truly makes a neighborhood a community? Perhaps there's no better example than the 16-block Bahama Village in Key West. In this episode, learn about the historically Black Bahama Village from its 19th-century origins to the present day. Our guide is Clayton Lopez, a fourth-generation island resident, local personality and a Key West City Commissioner. He takes us on a walking tour of Bahama Village, sharing some of his neighborhood's triumphs and struggles. We meet residents Glen Hayes and Peggy Ward Grant, both instrumental in preserving the neighborhood’s rich heritage.

17. The Story of Key West’s African Cemetery at Higgs Beach

History is frequently made memorable through human tragedy, but it’s always worth telling, always worth preserving. What surprising role did Key West, the country’s southernmost city, play during the Civil War? How are nearly 300 lives lost during the era of the tragic Transatlantic Slave trade honored here? Host Elizabeth Harryman Lasley speaks with Florida Keys History Center lead historian Corey Malcom in Key West at Higgs Beach, home to the African Cemetery.

16. One Human Family: Unity, Equality, Diversity

"It was just a phrase on a sticker - and suddenly, it was the motto of the Keys." Join host Elizabeth Harryman Lasley as we learn about the many meanings of One Human Family in the Florida Keys. Did you know that a 2003 Pride celebration in Key West has influenced Pride celebrations around the world? In this episode, we’ll hear from some of the people who helped shape the Keys as one of the world’s most welcoming destinations for all types of people.

15. Literary Legends of The Florida Keys

What renowned authors have lived and written in the Keys? What is it about Key West that has inspired the likes of literary legends from Elizabeth Bishop to Robert Frost to Thomas McGuane to Judy Blume? In this episode, learn about Key West's literary history with Arlo Haskell, executive director of the Key West Literary Seminar, who reveals quirky stories from Key West's fabled authors and details about the popular annual Key West Literary Seminar.

14. America’s Greatest Playwright in Key West

What was it about Key West that inspired one of the world's greatest playwrights to call this place home from the early 1940s for more than 35 years? Find out during a tour of the Tennessee Williams Museum. Founder Dennis Beaver reveals details about some of the playwright’s famous works including “The Rose Tattoo” and its film version shot in Key West. Learn about Tennessee Williams the painter, his quirks, his ‘Madhouse’ writing studio and his annual birthday celebration in the southernmost island city.

13. At Home With Hemingway

Author Ernest Hemingway’s historic home and writing studio in Key West offer a glimpse into American literary history. Here in the 1930s, Hemingway wrote some of his most notable works including “To Have and Have Not,” set in the southernmost island city. Take a tour of the Ernest Hemingway Home & Museum for little-known insights about the famous writer. Here you can also meet direct descendants of Hemingway’s famous polydactyl cats, happily roaming the grounds of Key West’s most popular visitor attraction.

12. The Silver Screen and the African Queen

What do movies about the Florida Keys have in common? Which ones have been set in the Keys but filmed in a Hollywood studio? Did you know you can cruise on the namesake boat from the iconic 1951 film "The African Queen" in Key Largo? Meet Florida Keys Film Commissioner Chad Newman, who has the inside scoop on film and television production in the subtropical island chain.

11. All the Arts, All the Keys, All the Time

What is a piña colada tree? How is salt used in watercolors? Learn more and meet some of the artists who call the Keys home during a visit to opening night of the 2023 Florida Keys Council of the Arts’ Connection Project. Each year, Keys artists are given a small blank canvas to create their own unique work. Together, the canvases form a giant mosaic, representative of the colorful spirit of the Florida Keys. This year's theme is the 200th anniversary of Monroe County.

10. The Turtle ER You Can Visit

How do you know when a sea turtle needs to be rescued? Find out on this episode when host Elizabeth Harryman Lasley takes you to the world’s first licensed veterinary hospital just for sea turtles. At the Turtle Hospital in Marathon, meet some patients and learn how dedicated veterinarians and staff rehabilitate injured turtles and, whenever possible, return them to the sea. Turtles here even have their own ambulances.

9. How Dolphins are Saving Humans in the Florida Keys

Have you ever really gotten to know a dolphin? In this episode, take a trip to Marathon’s Dolphin Research Center to learn about the incredible dolphin-human relationships that have formed between rescued dolphins and their caretakers and visitors.

8. Meet the Keys Restauranteur Who Spears and Serves Lionfish

In the Florida Keys, you can eat some of the world’s freshest and most delicious seafood. In this episode, meet Castaway Waterfront Restaurant and Sushi Bar owner John Mirabella, who’s committed to helping preserve the Keys’ marine ecosystem by spearing and serving invasive lionfish.

7. In Hemingway’s Wake: Sportfishing in the Keys

Why have the Florida Keys drawn some of the world’s greatest fishermen to their waters? What’s the legacy of celebrity anglers like writer Ernest Hemingway and baseball star Ted Williams? And what’s the magic of the “Sportfishing Capital of the World?” In this episode, meet Captain Richard Stanczyk, who has known – and fished with – some of the greats.

6. A Railroad Across the Ocean

People thought Henry Flagler was crazy. “Flagler’s Folly,” they called it – his mad notion to build a railroad to Key West. Little did those naysayers know his venture would pave the way for the future of the Florida Keys. In this episode, journey to Pigeon Key to learn about the innovation that changed Florida history.

5. Belly Up to the Helium Bar

Trace mankind's exploration of the underwater world at the History of Diving Museum in Islamorada. Lisa Mongelia, the museum's executive director, takes us on a journey that begins in ancient times and continues through the evolution of diving helmets and suits, scuba diving and deep-water investigation.

4. The Man with a Million Grandchildren

We delve into the sex life of corals to learn about reef restoration in the Keys. Meet Dr. David Vaughan, founder of the Plant a Million Corals Foundation, at his research facility on Summerland Key. Learn how Dr. Vaughan is revolutionizing coral restoration. His goal is ambitious: plant a million corals in the next two years. It's no wonder that his successes make him feel like a proud grandfather.

3. You Can't Drive to This State Park's Main Attraction

Join host Elizabeth Harryman Lasley in Key Largo at John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park, the nation's first undersea park. Encompassing 70 nautical square miles, it's the perfect setting to learn about Florida Keys' natural history. Corey Malcom, lead historian for the Florida Keys History Center, tells us how these islands took shape thousands of years ago. Marine biologist Dr. David Vaughan reveals the crucial role that Florida's coral reef plays in the life of the Keys. Elena Muratori, park services specialist at Pennekamp, guides us through the park.

2. Kayak to the Only Ghost Town in the Keys

On this episode, join host Elizabeth Harryman Lasley, who kayaks to the Florida Keys' only ghost town! Historian and author Brad Bertelli is our guide in this adventure to Indian Key, which is full of unique and mysterious history.

1. The Conch and The Keys

We speak with Clinton Curry, whose family migrated here from the Bahamas in the 1800s. We also sit down with Craig Cates, the mayor of Monroe County - which encompasses the Keys - to hear what makes these islands so special. And you'll hear classical music played with an instrument you'd never have imagined.