KEY LARGO

JOHN PENNEKAMP CORAL REEF STATE PARK

Offers beaches, nature trails and a visitor center. The park and the Key Largo National Marine Sanctuary are 20 miles long and contain about 103 square nautical miles altogether and is the first undersea park in the United States. The residents at Pennekamp are more than 500 species of fish and 55 varieties of coral, along with 27 species of "Gorgonians," which are marine life forms related to anemones. The coral forms a kind of underwater condominium which also is home to crabs, sea urchins, snails, lobsters, shrimps, worms, chitons (mollusks), starfishes, sea cucumbers, sand dollars, barnacles and sponges. There are four basic ways to visit Pennekamp's residents: Glass-Bottomed Boats; Scuba Dive; Snorkeling; and Sailing and there are more than 30 independently owned dive shops in the Key Largo area which offer similar diving and snorkeling trips. Check out this site for more info.

The only ecosystem of its kind in the world, encompasses some 1.4 million acres. Visitors see bald eagles and many of the 300 other species of birds found in the park as well as alligators, deer and bobcats. Activities include guided tours, canoeing, fishing, camping and hiking. Accommodations are available at the park and nearby.

Offers excellent facilities for informal family outings and picnics. The park offers a playground, swimming areas, a softball field, picnic tables, grills and a boat ramp.

Somewhere In Time Spanish Treasure is a veritable gold mine of information and actual authentic artifacts collected from the most famous shipwrecks in history. The museum showcases shipwreck remnants from 10 different sites, including the world-famous Atocha.

See the original African Queen from John Houston's classic film starring Humphrey Bogart and Katherine Hepburn. The boat is on display, free of charge at MM 100 Marina. Rides can be arranged.

Public sessions held twice daily. Marine mammal facility in the Keys where you can actually swim and interact with these highly intelligent mammals. Dolphins Plus is also a research center benefiting dolphins and handicapped children.

Provides emergency and recuperative care for injured birds and displays habitats for different species with identifying plaques. Many can be seen recovering in their cages along the boardwalk. Free, but donations accepted. You'll also find facts about birds and the environment of the Florida Keys.

ISLAMORADA

INDIAN KEY STATE HISTORIC SITE

Step back in time and walk on the island traveled by Ponce De Leon, 1st state seat for Dade County, still remains as a village built by ship wreckers.

Lignumvitae Key is a 280-acre island on the Gulf side just south of Islamorada, a remaining example of pristine vegetation. There are several lignumvitae left- trees which once thrived here in the Upper Florida Keys, meaning "wood of life" in Latin - along with mahogany, mastic, strangler fig, poisonwood, pigeon plum and gumbo limbo trees. The whole island is virtually a virgin tropical forest untouched by the encroachment of man .The State of Florida acquired the key in 1972 and made it a protected state botanical site. Access is limited by boat. Visit the web site for more complete history and info.

Watch porpoises and sea lions cavort in a continuous show in spacious, coral rock-lined natural ponds. Barracuda, bonefish, tarpon and shark also may be viewed here, along with a variety of smaller reef dwellers. Swim with the Dolphins! Reservations required. Aquarium exhibits. Kiss a sea lion & pet a shark.

Long Key State Park has nature trails leading to tropical hammocks reminiscent of the Keys' wilderness of a century ago.

Four clay and two hard courts available day and night. Proshop & boutique on premises.

Robbie's offers you a wide variety of marine activities for over 20 years. Check out the local's favorite inexpensive Florida Keys attraction--- feeding the huge wild tarpon --- up to six feet long --- at Robbies. The best time to go is shortly after noon, when the tarpon cruise the pier in search of handouts. But be careful! Hungry pelicans also frequent the pier for free food. Visit the web site for all the choices available at Robbie's.

THE Angler's store--equipment, clothes, accessories, art, history, and knowledge. Marina facilities. Cigar bar and restaurant. This store is not to be missed while in the Keys! It even has a boat of Ernest Hemingway's inside, plus a huge aquarium, and awesome clothing and primo souveniers of your visit.

MARATHON KEY

Marathon, "Heart of the Florida Keys" boasts the conveniences of a modern community - a 58-bed hospital, shopping plazas and the only commercial airport between Key West and the Florida mainland - but retains the charm of its roots as a 19th - century fishing village. Numerous certified charter boat captains take visitors diving, snorkeling, fishing, sailing and touring along the only living coral reef in North America, several miles offshore in the Atlantic Ocean. An 18-hole championship golf course is open to members of country clubs elsewhere, with proper club identification. Marathon is home to Crane Point Hammock, a 63.5 acre land tract that is one of the most important historical and archaeological sites in the Keys. The area contains evidence of pre-Colombian and prehistoric Bahamian artifacts, and once was the site of an entire Indian village. Utilizing Marathon as a home base, visitors may take easy day trips to Key West and the Upper Keys. No island or attraction in the Keys is more than 60 minutes away.

CRANE POINT HAMMOCK

This beautiful 64 acres is home to the Florida Keys Children's Museum, The Adderley Village Historic Site, and an extensive system of trails that lead to a spectacular view of Florida Bay and boasts the Museum of Natural History, the only museum in Monroe County that introduces the unique cultural and natural history of the Florida Keys.

This web site gives info on Historic Pidgeon Key, a tiny island that played a tremendous role in the Florida Keys of today. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, this five-acre property served as a home base for railroad workers erecting and later operating the final installment of Henry M. Flagler's Key West Extension of the Florida East Coast (FEC) Railway: the Old Seven-Mile Bridge.

The Dolphin Research Center (DRC) is a not-for-profit education and research facility, home to a family of Atlantic bottlenose dolphins and California sea lions. Over half of our family was born at the Center, while the other members either have come to us from other facilities, or were collected long ago by other management. We are located on Grassy Key in the heart of the Florida Keys. At the Dolphin Research Center, we are dedicated to learning from and about dolphins, and teaching what we know, for the mutual benefit of both species.

KEY WEST, FLORIDA

Key West is the last island in a chain of islands extending southwest of Miami FL that you can drive to. It is 150 miles SW of Miami and 90 miles north of Havana. To the west is the Gulf of Mexico, to the south is the Straights of Florida, and to the east is the Atlantic Ocean.Key West's average annual temperature of 77 degrees rarely varies more than 10 degrees in either direction, with a record low of 41 degrees and a record high of 97 degrees. It has never seen frost or snow. Usually sunny, the island averages only 39 inches of rain per year. . The Spanish name for this island is Cayo Hueso, meaning "island of bones". It is the southernmost city of the continental U.S., a resort and artists' colony and fishing center. Key West is a city which celebrates its history, its diversity and its several reputations in many ways. Festivals and parties punctuate the tourist season. The calendar of events include, fishing tournaments and art festivals, literary seminars and world premiere plays, house and garden tours, international power boat and yacht races, and a lighted boat parade. Something goes on 365 days a year and Key West offers a variety of rides and attractions that can satisfy the needs of most anyone. Today it is called home by many talented and out of the ordinary people, who maintain the flavor of a unique community, where the attractions of nature are only equaled by the color of the locals. An interesting footnote; it is estimated that around 40% - 50% of the inhabitants of Key West came for a short "vacation in paradise" and "stayed". You are forewarned.

ERNEST HEMINGWAY HOME & MUSEUM

Take a leisurely tour of the home and gardens of the late Nobel Prize winner, Ernest Hemingway. A Registered National Historic Landmark. Have a garden wedding, reception, or party at Ernest Hemingway's home. Visit the famed 6 toed Hemingway cats, approximately 60 on site.

Your Key West experience would not be complete without a day at the Historic Seaport. Located just two blocks from Duval Street at the Key West Bight, you'll find Key West adventures to excite everyone's interests. For the complete Key West adventure visit Key West's most complete attraction, the Historic Seaport at the Key West Bight.

The island's first attraction, the Key West Aquarium was built in 1934. At the time it was built it was one of the first open air aquariums in the United States. It was a major part of Key West's attempt to stage an economic recovery after the Great Depression. Located on the Key West Harbor in historic Mallory Square the Key West Aquarium is today home to many unique and local marine creatures. A unique feature of the Key West Aquarium is the 50,000 gallon Atlantic Shores exhibit, which has been created to give visitors an up close and personal experience of the delicate Florida Keys environment reef. Game fish, sharks, sea turtles, tropical fish, lobsters, and birds populate this unique habitat. Barracudas, huge tarpon and jacks cruise the deep reef and shallow water close enough for you to touch. Plus ~ Guided Show Tours ~ Shark Petting & Feeding ~ Touch Tank.

Key West's historic 1847 Cemetery is located in the "dead" center of Old Town, bounded by Angela, Margaret, Passover Lane (appropriately named), Frances and Olivia. Moved to higher ground after the 1847 hurricane disinterred bodies from the first burial ground near the Southernmost Point, the whitewashed above-ground tombs and statues are fascinating. A stroll through this historic graveyard can tell as much about Key West's quirky character as any history lesson.

Evening tours are a lantern-led one mile stroll through the shadowy streets and lonely lanes of Key West's Old Town. In the easy-paced hour and a half walk you'll discover the dwelling places of ghosts, ghouls and benevolent protectors. And you'll learn the stories behind many of the legends of this haunted island paradise.

Golf legend REES JONES masterfully designed this public, 18 hole, 6,500 yard course to be a challenge to players of all abilities. Come meet all the exciting challenges of the course, including the infamous "Mangrove Hole" (143 yards, par 3 that is played completely over a field of thickly intertwined tropical mangroves).

Join our cast in another time as you enter the world of an 1856 Key West wreckers warehouse and relive how Key West became the richest city in the U.S.A. The Historeum combines actors, films, laser technology and the actual artifacts from the recently rediscovered vessel Isaac Allerton which sank in 1856.

Experience "The Most Unusual Museum in the World" for your one hour of fun NOT in the sun!!! 10,000 A/C square feet, 1,500 exhibits in 14 galleries on 3 levels.

Treasures and Artifacts from the Caribbean's Most Famous Shipwrecks. Maritime exhibition every six months.

This 167 year old house was the home of a wrecking Captain. Ship models...antique furniture...ship paintings...wreckers' licenses...and the dreaded Black List, the shame of the Wreckers!

Audio tour of 1840's home of Capt. Geiger furnished in elegant antiques. One-acre tropical garden. Original Audubon engravings. Gallery. Gift Shop.

You can swim with the dolphins in the Florida Keys. Natural and Structured dolphin swim program. 3 day and 1 1/2 day Marine mammal workshops available.

The Dry Tortugas National Park is located 70 miles west of Key West. It consists of seven tiny islands and the surrounding waters. When Ponce De Leon originally discovered these islands he named them "Las Tortugas" (meaning "the turtles" in Spanish) because of the abundance of sea turtles; the dry was added in reference to the lack of fresh water. Even though hunting drastically reduced their numbers, many varieties of the species are still present in the area. On one of those islands, Garden Key, is historic Fort Jefferson. Built in the mid-1800's, with over 16 million bricks, this is America's largest coastal fort. Originally constructed to protect the important Gulf of Mexico shipping lanes, Fort Jefferson was used as a military prison during the Civil War. Lots of birdwatching and snorkeling in this area. Visit the site by way of the SUNNY DAYS CATAMARAN located at the corner of Greene & Elizabeth Streets in Historic Seaport.

Backcountry and coral reef excursions designed around your special interests in Key West, Florida. All charters are private and consist of only your group, of up to 6 passengers, no strangers. The private charter allows Capt. Tom to focus 100% on your choice of activities, which may include; dolphins in the wild, snorkeling, Eco-tours, light tackle fishing, a combination of activities or your special request.

Key West Florida's premiere nightly arts festival, giving updates on the current street performers, artists, psychics, and vendors you'll encounter. See you at Sunset" has a special significance in Key West, Florida. It's an invitation to partake in a spontaneous celebration as jugglers, tourists, clowns, fishermen, psychics, island musicians, artists, food vendors, and friends gather each night to celebrate the close of another day in Paradise. Sunset Celebration is an internationally known attraction that supports a cottage industry in Key West. It has become an incubator for the arts, and a launching point for many visual and performing artists. Sunset can be credited with attracting and inspiring the development of a generation of talent known throughout the world, and as such is an event not to be missed when in the vicinity.

GENERAL

PARASAILING

Caribbean Watersports MM. 97 - (305) 852-4707

Bluebeards Rentals MM. 85.5, (305) 664-5115.
Caribbean Watersports MM. 97, (305) 852-4707.
Splash Watersports MM. 84.5, (305) 664-8892.

Bluebeards Rentals MM. 85.5, (305) 664-5115.
Caribbean Watersports MM. 97, (305) 852-4707.
Splash Watersports MM. 84.5, (305) 664-8892.

SunCruz Casino MM. 100, (800) 843-5397.

Its A Dive MM. 103, (305) 453-9881, (800) 809-9881. AquaWorld MM. 100, (305) 453-3907, (800) 595-2749

In The Florida Keys --- There is a scenic 20 mile bicycle path from Key Largo to Tavernier Key.

Feet First Water Ski School, (305) 664-6604

Florida Bay Outfitters MM.104, (305) 451-3018.
Reflections Nature Tours, (305) 872-2896.
Florida Keys Paddler MM. 77.5, (305) 664-4424.

Caribbean Watersports MM. 97, (305) 852-4707.